The building had been a brewery for 150 years when Kris
started De Dolle Brouwers in the 1980s with his brother. The brewery is as
traditional as it gets with a copper coolship and fermentation squares. The
only stainless steel in the brewery is the wort chiller only because the
original one had a leak and could not be repaired.
During the tour we met some other Americans and it wasn’t
until later that I found out it was the crew from Hill Farmstead Brewery in
Vermont. After the main tour Kris showed all of us the barrel cellar where we
got a chance to sample some barrels. We also got to see the modern bottling
line that had just packaged the most recent batch of Stille Nacht. Kris pulled
some yet-to-be-carbonated bottles and some older vintages of Stille Nacht for
us to sample and compare.
This is my version of Carbonade Flamande. It’s kind of an
amalgamation of various recipes I’ve tried over the years. Traditionally, this
beef stew contains just beef but feel free to add vegetables such as carrots
and potatoes if you wish. This would pair nicely with De Dolles Brouwers’
Oerbier.
Carbonade Flamande
3lb. beef chuck cut into cubes and floured
500ml dark Belgian ale (Belgian Dubbel works great)
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 C. chicken stock
2 Tbs. tomato paste
4 oz. pitted prunes, chopped
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. brown sugar
½ C. applesauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme
Marinade beef in beer overnight in the refrigerator. Strain
beef reserving marinade. Place marinade in slow cooker. Pat beef dry and flour.
Fry bacon in a large skillet. When done, strain from fat and place in slow
cooker. Add peanut oil to skillet. Add beef and fry until browned. Remove meat
from skillet and place in slow cooker. Add onions and garlic to skillet (add
more peanut oil if needed) and sweat until translucent. Add to slow cooker. Add
the remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Heat on high for an hour then turn to
low and cook for 3 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.
