Let me push that stool in for you: the off-topic thread

Black Sheep

Ah Drinkstore is still very good. They sometimes have very well priced whiskey, funnily enough. If you watch some of their pricing at times they are 10 euro lower than CWS on odd things.

odyssey06

While we're on the subject of off-licences \ outlets, does anyone know what happened with L Mulligans Whiskey Shop?

I thought if it closed of eg covid or lease reasons there would at least have been a so long and thanks or something on their Twitter, but just seemed to vanish.

L1011

Unit has something else in it now I think. Have to assume COVID closure; possible contributor to that is that one of the owners of L Mulligans went to her parents in Australia and was there for the duration (may also have had nothing to do with it)

Hodors Appletart

I did forget about Drinkstore, and the comment on Spirits is correct, they are often a fair bit cheaper than CWS.

I like their walk-in cooler room.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120210206#Comment_120210206

Have they taken to displaying prices on all their beers?

Hodors Appletart

I haven't been in in ages, so I don't know.

MacDanger

Anyone able to recommend a beer festival in Belgium/Germany in the month of June?

BeerNut

Never been, but the Bruges Beer Festival is a biggie. 10-11 June: https://www.brugsbierfestival.be/en/

youcancallmeal

I dont know if they had some flooding or plumbing issues but Underdog smells pretty bad. Brought some 'non-craft beer' friends there last night and they insisted we leave after 1 drink, I don't blame them

Pen Rua

Does anyone have any particular recipes that uses beer? I know there are beer braised beef recipes out but curious what others do.

tommiet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121334439#Comment_121334439

beer can chicken. I use a can of Wicklow wolf red ale. just Google beer can chicken, a real crowd pleaser during summer BBQ days.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121334439#Comment_121334439

A dark porter/black IPA in a stew.

I've used Corona in a slow cooker mexican chicken, similar to this https://www.threeolivesbranch.com/slow-cooker-mexican-beer-chicken

An American lite beer in chili.

I've braised apples in a pumpkin ale with brown sugar before putting them in a pie before.

I didn't enjoy Guinness bread but I've had it in the back of my mind to use something like franziskaner in a banana bread recipe.

BeerNut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121337825#Comment_121337825

No shortage of articles explaining why this is a bad way to cook chicken.

Hotblack Desiato

Let's say that you use a really high alcohol, dark, flavorful beer like Guinness Stout.

?!?

BeerNut

There are many Guinness stouts around the world. They go up to 8% ABV.

tommiet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338647#Comment_121338647

It's a fun way to cook chicken, I use a purpose built chicken holder I got in Aldi, haven't gotten any complaints yet, plus no has ever gotten sick.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121340050#Comment_121340050

Sure but if something similar to what we call Foreign Extra is sold in the US, it's hardly marketed as "Guinness Stout" as then what would they call the common or garden 4.2% product?

'Irish = alcoholics so it must be very strong' seems to be at work here

BeerNut

At the risk of going on-topic here, there's no product called "Guinness Stout" anywhere. In the US you have Guinness Draught (4.2%), Guinness Original (5%), Guinness Extra (6.5%) and Guinness Foreign Extra (7.5%). I would guess that Guinness Special Export (8%) exists on the grey market somewhere, likewise the various versions of Foreign Extra not marketed there by Diageo.

Also, I think it's highly likely that the author doesn't know much about beer so I wouldn't read a lot into their detail on that aspect of the article.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338647#Comment_121338647

No one seems to care. I've posted links to these articles before. I think people like the theatre of it and are convinced it improves the chicken, even if it doesn't!

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/beer-can-chicken-is-a-hoax-article

the beer revolu

On cooking with beer :

I always use whatever cheap lager I can find instead of water in Irish Stew (not a brown, thickened beef stew - an Irish Stew) . If you make Irish Stew try this. You'd never know there's beer in it but the broth much tastier.

I've done a chicken stew with hommelbier in the past. I'd reckon any hoppy full flavoured pale beer would do.

Lots of beef carbonade type dishes with dark Belgians.

Try different beers instead of stout in beef stews. Dunkleweiss is lovely in a stew, for example.

irish_goat

For meat stews I usually use a decent pour of stout or dark/red ale. Same goes for chilli, but I'd also use lager in it as well.

Mic's sauces are quite nice as well and feature Galway Bay beers in some of them.

Pen Rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121341903#Comment_121341903

Thanks for the recommendations, all.

Beef carbonade sounds promising - Googled a reciepe, and BBC Good Food suggest a Belgian ale / Trappist ale. Exactly what I had in mind. Do you have a particular one you usually follow?

Twee.

For cakes, I use Nigella Lawson's Guinness recipe and just substitute whatever stout I have going, usually a pastry/adjunct stout that I want a taste of but wouldn't drink the whole can!

Porter cake is another nice one, I just use the one on the Odlum's website. Pretty straightforward.

I've made caramel sauce with a particularly sweet/sticky flavoured imperial stout. Couldn't hack drinking it, made a nice sauce though, used it on pancakes and ice cream.

I've also used lager to make caramelised onions to go on burgers & hot dogs, they were delicious!

irish_goat

Speaking of recipes, my brother made buttered beer last year at Christmas. https://www.historyextra.com/membership/historical-recipe-buttered-beere/

I can't say I enjoyed it but he thought it was alright...

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121342416#Comment_121342416

No particular recipe, no.

. Most of the online recipes are very much the same as any beef stew I might make but with Belgian beer.

I think I did a bit of shallow research some years ago and came up with the following ideas. I don't remember whether I ended up using bacon or not. Other than that : Only beef and onions and beer with bread and mustard on top. No, carrots, no flour, no stock, no tomatoes/puree, no garlic . I probably did use bay leaf and thyme,and, of course, salt and pepper. Super simple.

Brown beef really well in batches. I like big cubes of shin. Lots of onions and brown well, too. I like a dark Belgian. Chimay blue area. You don't need to quite cover the meat with beer. Cook in oven for around 3 hours, low.

I also, sometimes, like a little spice added. Just a tiny bit so you'd almost not taste it. A couple of cloves, a couple of allspice berries, I little bit of cinnamon stick, a bit of star anise, few thin slices of fresh ginger. Less is more, only whole spices, no ground mixed spice, please.

Can't find the recipe that inspired all this, now. It's really rich. I liked it and it's a bit different from every other beef casserole (which I love, but was making anyway).

adaminho

I've made this soup before.

https://pin.it/4kqEivJ

the beer revolu

Oh, forgot that I made a kreik sauce to go with duck breast once. Was, basically reduced kreik and stock with a bit of fresh kriek thrown in at the end. Was good.

Pen Rua

Made the beef carbonade over the weekend - used this recipe as a base to begin: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/beef-carbonnade/

It will be added to the rotation to be sure. Will tweak it with the spices @the beer revolu suggested, and maybe bring the onions darker.  

l14masasddadsg

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/nov/14/dark-arts-how-to-cook-with-guinness-kitchen-aide-anna-berrill

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/nov/14/dark-arts-how-to-cook-with-guinness-kitchen-aide-anna-berrill

the beer revolu

While that's an interesting article, why is it about Guinness and not stout/porter, generally?