Best beer for chili?

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onipar

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I was wondering, what kind of beer do you put in your chili?

I never actually put beer into my chili, then today, totally on a whim, I decided to give it a shot. Most recipes I've read call for a dark beer, but all I had on hand were Cherry wheat, Belgian white, and a single bottle of Belgian tripel.

I went with the tripel. I hoped the sweet, fruity body would pair well with the sweet tomato and spices. I thought it came pretty damn good, but I'm not sure I'll ever use that style of beer for chili again.
 
based on those choices, the Wit would have been the better choice.
Unless the cherry wheat had a very subtle, dark cherry flavor -- then I would have gone with that to add depth to the chili.
 
This is a version....I've upped the chocolate several times for better results.

with a combination of my own chile powder (ancho, pasillo, dry chipotles, cayenne, mexican chocolate, cumin and cinnamon.) Finished with cayenne in the last 5 minutes of the boil...

It needed a lot of time to mellow the flavors, and to bring the heat down to a drinkable level (but as I have posted in the tap room, very recently...too many of them and it burns both coming in and going out...)

Type: All Grain
Date: 1/31/2009
Batch Size: 2.50 gal

Boil Size: 2.93 gal
Boil Time: 75 min

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 60.33 %
1 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 15.08 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7.54 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 7.54 %
8.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 7.54 %
0.50 oz Williamette [4.60 %] (60 min) Hops 14.4 IBU
0.25 oz Williamette [4.60 %] (30 min) Hops 5.5 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [4.60 %] (2 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
0.50 cup Malto-Dextrine (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.1 oz Milk Sugar (Lactose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 1.96 %
2.5 disks Abualita Mexican Hot cocco + 1 tsp my chili powder in Mash tun. 1/4 disk @ 40 and 1/4 disk + 1 tsp Cayene pepper @ 2 minutes.

The last time I did it I just used dried peppers in the boil. A combination of all the above peppers, 2 or 3 each in the last 10 minutes of the boil.
 
thanks revvy. that sounds great! i love the hot chocolate with chilli thing (mexican hot chocolate? aztec something?) that i've had at starbucks.
 
Oops, I forgot I posted this thread. :drunk:

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Chocolate stout sounds like a good choice.

Revvy, that beer sounds *amazing.* I'm a huge chile head and somehow have never actually had a chile beer. I'm going to have to try that. :mug:
 
Beer makes for a great liquid base in any chili and you can drink whatever is left over! I generally mix some beer with beef stock for a nice rich base. I've used rogue's chipotle ale, which is great along with some dark Mexican beers. My favorite is Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewery. I do a real rich spicy one with brisket and short rib (NO BEANS!) and it pairs well. Check out the recipe and tell me what you think http://fullbellyblog.com/arrogant-bastard-chilli-recipe/
 
That sounds really good! Yes, and my favorite part is drinking the leftover beer. :rockin:
 
I usually use a Yeungling.

Yuengling Lager, Yuengling Black & Tan, or Yuengling porter top 3

Low hop malty does best.

I also use un sweetend bakers chocolate in chili with a dash of cinnamon, but only on a 5 alarm hot. sweet spice & choc bitter can round out heat and make a hot newb interested.
 
Anyone use smoked beer? I haven't tried that yet, but it seems like it would be pretty good. Or Coffee Stout? (did someone already say that?)

I also like chocolate in chili, it reminds me of a good Molé.
 
Generally speaking, I usually have smoked porter on hand, and that's what goes in the chili. However, I don't think its been a strong enough flavor to detect in the chili.
 
Anyone use smoked beer? I haven't tried that yet, but it seems like it would be pretty good. Or Coffee Stout? (did someone already say that?)

I also like chocolate in chili, it reminds me of a good Molé.

I use smoked porter in my chili. For years I'd pick up a couple bottles from the bottle shop, but the last couple years I've been working on my own smoked porter recipes. If you ever make too strong of a smokey flavored beer it makes a great base for chili, or marinating meat in. Took a couple batches before I finally got a porter ai enjoyed drinking as much as I enjoyed using it as a marinade.
 
Porter, stout, bock, any chile beer, will all make good chili additions. I did a BIAB batch of schwarzbier and there was a small amount of first runnings left in the bottom of the pot so I made chili on top of it. Best chili ever.
 
I'm going to try to make Sean Paxton's chili infused with stout recipe this weekend. My butcher was out of ground lamb so I am using beef instead. This also leaves out beans, so I may add some. He suggests using an Imperial Stout. Sounds delicious.

Lamb Chili Infused with Stout
Rich, roasty and earthy flavors from a stout combine with the natural essence of lamb in this Tex-Mex chili.

Serves: 4-6 as a main course

Ingredients:
3 Ancho chilies, dried, stemmed, seeded, cut into pieces
2 New Mexico chilies, stemmed, seeded, torn into pieces
4 cup water, boiling
2 tablespoon cumin, seeds
1 tablespoon coriander, seeds
1 teaspoon allspice, seeds
3 tablespoon oil, olive
2 pound lamb, ground course or beef/pork blend
2 each onion, yellow, large, peeled and chopped
1 each onion, red, large, peeled and chopped
1 cup bell pepper, red, roasted and sliced
¼cup garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
14 ounce tomatoes, canned, Fire Roasted, chopped
1tablespoon oregano, dried, Mexican variety if available
1teaspoon paprika, smoked
1tablespoon kosher salt
22 ounce Imperial Stout from Lagunitas Brewing Co. or other Stout

Directions:
Take the dried chilies and after removing the seeds and stems, tear into smaller pieces and place into a medium size bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes, to re-hydrate.

In a large Dutch-oven or pot over medium heat add the cumin, coriander and allspice seeds. Toast (swirl the pot to brown the seeds evenly) the seeds until they start to pop and the aroma fills the kitchen. Immediately remove the seeds to a bowl to cool, before grinding them to a powder.

Using the same Dutch-oven or pot as the spices, add the oil and the ground lamb. Brown the meat over medium heat, breaking it apart with a spatula into smaller pieces. Once the meat is browned and cooked throughout (about 4-5 minutes), remove it to a separate bowl. Drain the oil/fat back into the pot and add the onions (red and yellow) and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until transparent. Next add the bell pepper and sauté for another 4-5 minutes, until the onions are caramelized, giving the dish extra depth of flavor. Add in the roasted garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, oregano, smoked paprika, salt and ground spices to the pot. Sauté for another minute or two, stirring to combine all the ingredients together and reducing the tomato juice. Add the pre-browned lamb (or meat) and drained re-hydrated chilies to the pot and de-glaze the pan with the imperial stout. Using the flat edge of the spatula, scrape the bottom of the pot to remove the pan fond (browned bits). Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and let the chili cook for an hour or so. The finished chili will be thick, rich dark brown in color and all the flavors layered together. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

This chili can be served right away or made up to 2 days in advance. Letting this chili sit for a day (refrigerated) will allow the flavors the meld together and intensify.
 
I'm surprised to hear an imperial stout as a suggestion. Seems to me the concentration of bitterness from reducing the beer would make for an undesirable flavor.
 
I'm surprised to hear an imperial stout as a suggestion. Seems to me the concentration of bitterness from reducing the beer would make for an undesirable flavor.

Interesting point. I'm not sure how much bitterness would really come through with all those other layers of flavor, but it's worth considering when I visit the Wall of Beer at my local grocer tonight.
 
Well, the bitterness definitely did not have an unfavorable impact. It turned out to have a nice richness and roasty, smokey flavor from the Imperial Stout. I was actually a little surprised because it turned out a little bland. I didn't have enough fresh garlic in there so I added some powder and other spices. It was an excellent dish, and I'd recommend using whatever stout you like. Cheers!
 
Old thread is old, but I have a Chili Cook-off I am going to on saturday at Red Brick brewing and am formulating a recipe now. I have a nice base going but was thinking, to enhance the beer flavor, to soak the dry beans in a beer/water mixture and then add another 12 oz to the chili itself. Thoughts?
 
Regarding the bean soak...I'm just not convinced you'd be able to tell the difference between soaking the beans in beer and soaking them in water, and adding the beer to the chili. I'm not saying it wouldn't taste good or anything, just that it seems unlikely to have the impact you're looking for.

Regarding beer styles in chili, I tend to go for maltier and/or roastier beers. I think the last batch I made, I used some of my dark mild that was on tap at the time. Typically I will got for a stout or porter, though. I also like to add some coffee, cocoa, worcestershire & soy sauce in various combinations as they all help develop the complexity and depth of flavor that I like in my chili.
 
I almost always use at least a beer or two when making chile. I think when cooking with most beer it is important to use something without a high amount of bitterness. I tend to use something like an ordinary bitter, mild red ale, or a porter or stout that is not highly hopped. Alcohol, like fats, have the ability to draw out flavors that water itself cannot, so I almost always like to include some sort of alcohol in any saucy preparation. I like to use a regular bitter for making beer and cheese soup too, but a nice malty lager would be great there too.

One last tip on making chile: Toast and grind all of your own spices and dried chiles. I find this has helped my chilli improve more than any other part of my process.
 
I've used Stout with great results. Black Lager is nice. IPA's have even worked nicely. Pretty much whatever style of beer we have on hand has gotten thrown in the pot.


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