Beer and Beef: A Guy's Dinner Party

Football season is an excellent time to try a full-bodied beer. Dark Ales and Stout offer tasters a different and more exotic taste experience than their lighter cousins. For fun, try a beer tasting during a football game and enjoy pairing excellent beers with a great meal.

Black Toad Dark Ale is a heavier beer with a robust hop flavor in the tradition of English ales. Beer lovers can find Black Toad Dark Ale exclusively at Trader Joe's Markets across the United States. This ale is the creation of Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, which brews a number of fine beers.

We cook the following recipe as a pairing to a dark beer and it's incredibly easy to make. To make this dish put it together in the morning and let it cook for 8 hours on the medium or high crock-pot setting. We like to serve it over eggs noodles.

Fix and Forget Beef Stew

Serves 6-8 people when served over egg noodles

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds beef stew meat - frozen
1 tsp. garlic powder
One 16 oz can of beef broth
One bottle of 12 oz - Dark ale or Guinness beer
1 - 16 oz can of tomatoes
3 tbsp. Sugar
One tbsp dried thyme
3-4 Russets potatoes, peeled, cut into quarters
1 large onion, chopped
1-Cup baby carrots - Frozen
Salt and Pepper
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Water to cover
8-quart crock-pot

Put the following ingredients into an 8-quart crock-pot exactly as follows: Onions, frozen beef, frozen carrots, potatoes, canned tomatoes with juice, add beef broth, and the rest of the ingredients. Add water until of all the ingredients are covered. Set timer for 8 hours on the crock-pots medium to high setting. Dinner is ready when potatoes are fully cooked. Using frozen carrots and meat allows the host of the party to enjoy the games.

When having a beer tasting, it's nice to pair beers with different parts of the meal. The beef stew is excellent with a vinegar & oil salad and a brown ale such as 312 Urban Wheat. Its crisp fruity flavor is an excellent pairing with salads. For dessert, we make brownies and pair it with a chocolate stout, such as Rouge's Chocolate Stout. This 2006 World Beer Champion is an excellent finish. Its chocolate malt and mellow flavor pair nicely with chocolate desserts.