Book of Days Tales

International Beer Day is a celebration on the first Friday of every August founded in 2007 in Santa Cruz, California by Jesse Avshalomov. Since its inception, International Beer Day has grown from a small localized event in the western United States into a worldwide celebration spanning 207 cities, 80 countries and 6 continents. Specifically, International Beer Day has three declared purposes:

• To gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer.
• To celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer.
• To unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day.

Cooking with beer is much like cooking with wine.  For example, chicken in beer is first cousin to coq au vin.  I always put Guinness in my Christmas puds and when I used to barbecue brats over charcoal I always poached them in IPA first.  This beef stew recipe is classic:

Ingredients

3 bacon strips, diced
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups fresh baby carrots, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tsp minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 bottle (12 ounces) dark beer or your choice (not standard US beer)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼  cup water
fresh parsley

Instructions

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove and reserve. Sprinkle the beef with pepper and salt. In the same skillet, brown the beef in the bacon drippings, adding oil as needed.

Transfer to a 5-qt. stock pot. Add the carrots, bacon, onion, garlic and bay leaf. In a small bowl, combine the beer, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Pour over beef mixture.

Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are tender.

In a small bowl, combine the  flour and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the stock pot. Cover and cook on mrdium-high for 30 minutes or until thickened. Discard the bay leaf. Serve the beef with noodles or boiled new potatoes. Garnish with chopped parsley.