Nothing says cozy like a hearty beer and beef stew. The sweet and sour Belgian ale adds major flare with flavors of plum, black cherry, and brown sugar which complements this seasonal stew for an oaky sapor.
We enjoyed this stew. Interesting flavor and works well with egg noodles. Compared to more traditional beef and beer stews (like Beef and Guinness Stew), it was sweeter and not as thick or rich in flavor. Still, great comfort food, especially on a chilly, December night.
Everything went together easily. I opted to put the stew in my crockpot for 3 hours and the meat came out very tender. I did need to use a little cornstarch at the end to get the right consistency of the sauce. But we all thought the flavors were a little strange - might of been the beer or the vinegar or both. I probably won't make this one again because CL has so many great stew recipes but I'm glad I tried this one.
Indeed agree it needs more cooking time. Based on the comments posted I did one hour in Dutch oven then moved it to slow cooker, and did an hour on high, and 30min on low until meat was tender. My experience with eating this in Belgium was veggies aren't really served with it. I was served stew, frites, and a side salad. The "veggies" are more of a projection of what American's think it needs. I skipped the noodles and made oven fries and it was perfect. I did try steamed carrots with it but I would have preferred a small salad instead.
The broth had good flavor but next time I make it I will add some vegetables like carrots, parsnip and stewed tomatoes. I prepared everything in a large pan, then transferred to the slow cooker on low while I was at work. The beef was very tender.
The cooking time on the recipe may be off - after one hour, the beef was still chewy. The broth had a good flavor, but I think the recipe is missing vegetables - carrots and mushrooms would be good. Not sure I will make again.
