70 Degrees in Denver

The thermometer hit 70 degrees at lunchtime today, so I did what everyone near Louisville, Colorado should do... I went to Lucky Pie.

Those who know me know that I talk about this place all the time.  Lucky Pie brings everything I hope for from a restaurant to the table.  I often visit there for lunch and order their Lamb Meatball sandwich with a side house salad.  On Fridays, I typically take advantage of one of their beer samplers (3 samples @4oz. each).  The samplers are available all the time, but Friday is the only day I don't feel guilty about having a beer over lunch. Today's sampler (Colorado sampler) included Tivoli Helles Lager (Prost Brewing), Prost Dunkel lager, and Grimm brother's snow drop (Grimm's Köttbusser).

I was particularly fond of the Tivoli Helles Lager.  It was a smooth beer that went down easy, yet had an interesting enough flavor to keep me interested. I will need to give it a go a few more times to be sure, but this might be my new warm weather "go-to" beer.  The other two beers were also quite tasty.  The Dunkel was more than serviceable, and I found the Köttbusser to be a unique experience.  Neither of these really fall into the category of "my-type" (see here) of beer, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth trying.

Quick Hit: Milk Stout Chili

I took a shot at a new chili recipe and scored.  I typically like to use 2 large cans of tomatoes when making a batch of chili but when it came time to add the tomatoes, I realized I only had one.  Since I needed to add more liquid to my batch, I decided to take a shot and use beer in its place.  I had heard of people using beer in chili, so I figured it couldn't hurt.

Milk Stout Chili

4 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 lb Ground Sirloin
1 - 2 Poblano peppers, chopped
1 Large Onion, chopped

1 Can Fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
1 4oz can Green Chilis
1 Can beans (black beans, white or red kidney, etc.)

1/2 Bottle of Left Hand Milk Stout

     Add a Tbsp or two to a large sauce pot or Dutch Oven. Heat to medium-high. Cook Onion and Poblano peppers for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add a dash of salt about half way through this process.  I personally begin drinking the other 1/2 bottle of beer at this stage.

     Add Ground Sirloin to pot and break meat into chunks while cooking.  I personally like to sprinkle garlic powder and cracked black pepper on the meat, but you don't have too.  Cook meat with onions and pepper for about 5 minutes, or until the meat is no longer visibly raw.

     Add spices (Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Pepper, Cayenne) and stir thoroughly.

     Add Green Chilis and Beer.  Mix.  Add tomatoes and mix again.  If you have additional cans of tomatoes, add them here.  This all depends on how much tomato you like in your chili. I would typically add a small can of tomatoes with green chilies here.

     Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add beans to pot and mix. Simmer another 5 minutes minimum.  I like to cook my chili for at least 60 minutes total.

      Serve with chili fixings.  I prefer my chili with cheddar cheese and Oyster crackers.