Beer Chili Recipe
There’s nothing quite like a bowl of chili to brighten up your day. Whether it be tailgating or a comforting family dinner a warm bowl of chili really hits the spot. Odds are you’ll be drinking a pint of beer with it so why not cook with it too? Try this beer chili with my Patagonia Porter or your favorite dark beer today!

Beer can really add a depth of flavor to your dishes. Most beer styles work well for cooking but I really enjoy using a dark beer especially when using beef. My Patagonia Porter really hits the spot when browning up a batch of ground beef. Any English porter or a mildly roasty stout will work as a substitute if you haven’t caught the brewing bug yet. If you’re really not into dark beers a nice malty beer will work fine as well.

This recipe can be made as either a standard chili with beans or chili mac. Chili mac is a Midwestern thing but I suggest you try it at least once. This recipe should take an hour or less to make. Don’t worry about serving your kids alcohol as all the alcohol will burn off as you’re cooking. I recommend pairing the chili with whatever beer you used for cooking. Add a few diced jalapenos and replace the chili powder with hot Mexican chili powder if you like your chili on the spicier side.
Beer Chili
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Ground Chuck
- 24 oz Porter Patagonia Porter
- 32 oz Tomato Sauce
- 16 oz Diced Tomatoes Chili Ready
- 16 oz Kidney Beans Light Red
- 16 oz Kidney Beans Dark Red
- 6 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Coriander
- 6 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Tabasco
- 2 Medium Bell Pepper
- 2 Medium Sweet Onion
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 4 tbs Salted Butter
- 8 oz Elbow Macaroni (Optional)
Instructions
- Finely dice onions and bell peppers.
- Heat up a pan on medium heat and add 2 tbsp salted butter.
- Add onions, bell peppers and garlic to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables begin to carmelize.
- Transfer onions and bell peppers to stockpot. Add 12 oz of porter and chili powder to the stockpot. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Heat up 2 tbsp salted butter in a pan. Add hamburger and cook until browned. Drain off as much grease as possible and then add to the stockpot.
- Add tomato sauce, paste, diced tomatoes, tabasco and coriander to stockpot when hamburger is almost browned.
- Add both light and dark red kidney beans to stockpot. Add 12 oz more of porter. Simmer for at least 15 minutes on medium heat until desired thickness is reached.
Chili Mac (Optional)
- Boil water with a pinch of salt and cook macaroni until done. Add to the pot of chili.
- Serve with a pint of your favorite beer. Bonus points for pairing it with the beer you cooked with.
Don’t forget to look into homebrewing if you haven’t yet. You’ll really level up your food game and make quite a few friends. Check out my guide to extract brewing if you’re curious.