Guinness Irish Beef Stew with Sweet Potato Colcannon

This Guinness Irish Beef Stew recipe made with Guinness Draught Stout has the rich flavor you expect from braising in dark beer without a hint of bitterness.

Scroll down to find out why we choose a draught stout for better beef stew. 

How to Make the Best Guinness Beef Stew

There are three components to great beef stew—tender braised beef, al dente vegetables, and savory juices. Adding a Guinness nitro stout to fortify the cooking liquid is key to this recipe, but it can’t overcome tough meat or mushy vegetables.

If you really want to make this dish memorable, every step matters. 

Selecting the Right Beef for Stew

The best cuts for beef stew come from the shoulder or rump of the cow, the most worked muscles with more connective tissue requiring longer cooking time to break down.

• Look for chuck or rump roast, which come in various forms and names, so check this handy illustrated guide from Gourmet Sleuth. We think chuck works best in this recipe.
• Brown the meat to develop its deep, beefy flavor. In this recipe the meat is trimmed and cut into slightly bigger than 1-inch chunks, allowing for more browned surface area and efficient cooking time. A throw-it-all-in-a-pot approach does not compare in flavor or texture.
• Cut the meat into smaller, 1-inch pieces. Braise for up to 2 hours, not all day in an unattended slow cooker, unless you KNOW your slow cooker won’t boil on the low setting. » This article at Serious Eats makes it easy to see how meat changes when cooked too long, becoming dry and mealy, even though it’s soaked in liquid.

TIP: Trim some fat. If the chuck roast has a thick ribbon of fat—the type separating muscle, not marbling—thicker than 1/8-inch, it should be trimmed. This fat is not the type to melt within the meat (marbling) which adds tenderness or flavor. 

Add the Vegetables at the Right Time

Timing the vegetables is important to ensure the carrots are fork-tender (still slightly firm), not mushy.

I know, the dump-it concept is easy and if you cannot tell the difference, or prefer extra soft carrots, go for it.

Otherwise, hold those veggies until the last 40 minutes of cooking.

Choosing the Best Beer for Braising and Stews

Any beer (or wine) you’re using to cook with should be something you’d pour in a glass and enjoy as well. If it doesn’t suit your palate from the glass, it is not ideal to pour into a recipe.

If you’re not a fan of the bitter notes or subtle bite of dark beer, you might be reluctant to make a Guinness stew.

• The Guinness Draught Nitro we recommend for this recipe has a smooth and creamy finish with sweet, roasted notes that hint at coffee and chocolate. (Yep, it’s perfect for a Guinness chocolate cake too!)

It’s the nitrogen-carbonated brewing process that makes the difference.

“When people talk of nitro [beer], it’s a reference to the type of gas used in the carbonation process. It means the difference between the creamier nitrogen beers (N2) and their lively, prickly CO2counterparts. A typical nitrogenized beer contains about 70 percent nitrogen and 30 percent carbon dioxide.” – according to CraftBeer.com 

TIP: Of course, if you love dark beer, use any favorite in this Irish stew recipe and you’ll be right as rain. For us in the “less bitter is better” crowd, a nitro stout is the way to go.

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Irish Beef Stew Recipe Variations:

• Make it Paleo and skip the alcohol by adding beef or mushroom stock with a smidgen of instant espresso and unsweetened cocoa for acidic bitterness (yes, this matters). Start with a 1/4 teaspoon of each. Taste, add a little more at a time until it hits the “that’s deep beefy flavor” mark.
• Substitute lamb shoulder for the beef and treat it the same way based on the beef selection notes in this post.
• Substitute celeriac, parsnips, or cauliflower for the carrots or potatoes.
• Make it gluten-free with gluten-free BSG Glutenberg Stout
• Thicken the juices to be more like gravy with 2 teaspoons organic (Non-GMO) cornstarch, though Irish stew is supposed to be brothy.
• Slow Cooker Adjustments: 1. Reduce the beef broth by half. 2. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 4 hours, or on LOW for about 6 hours. Slow cookers vary so widely, so I only recommend this method if you are familiar with your model. The main thing is you don’t want the meat boiling for an extended period of time. Add the carrots the last hour of cooking time.
• Skip the Colcannon side dish and add 3 cups cubed regular, white potatoes or sweet potatoes to the stew. 1. Peel and cut potatoes in small bite-size pieces, about 1-inch cubed. 2. Increase beef stock or beer by 1/2 cup 3. Add to the stew with the carrots.
• Skip the kale and add only fresh chives for the green in the Sweet Potato Colcannon recipe.

TIP: Make ahead, up to 2 days in advance. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Bring to simmer to warm through and serve. 

More Seasonal Recipes You’ll Love:

• Grilled Reuben Sandwich on Sprouted Rye Buns for St. Patrick’s Day
• Vegetable Tian: Classic Gratin Comfort
• Tuscan Roasted Broccoli
• Sweet Potato Hash Browns
• Healthy Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

We love how this Irish Beef Stew tells a story of comfort food and community, so be sure to invite someone to join you!