Guiness and Bell's Beer Braised Short Ribs

Happy St. Patrick's Day all. I hope you find good craic around every corner today. My man loves a good shortrib and Eddie's meat counter had a great selection. This was my recipe inspiration. I changed it a bit to suit our tastes and our small family. This recipe makes extra sauce for mashed potatoes. Reserve a few fennel fronds to make it fancy.

We used Guinness and Bell's Beer instead of red wine and water.

I actually added a whole bulb of fennel to the vegetable puree as well. My mother loaths fennel. We can not get enough of it.

Let your short ribs come to room temperature. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Sear in olive oil after seasoning them well with salt and pepper until they form a nice crust.

Remove and let rest.

Add your vegetable blend to the dutch oven with another light swirl of olive oil removing brown bits from the pan.

Add half a can of tomato paste.

Being a good Michigander, I brought back Bell's Batch 10,000 after Christmas with E. It was so rich we have had it tucked in the back of the fridge for just such a culinary adventure as braised short ribs. It was PERFECT. The Guiness left the flavor a bit tinny. I wouldn't use beer that has been in a can. I have a sensitive palate but there was something funky about the beer can taste.

We served Bell's Oberon at our wedding. If you are from Kalamazoo, you understand.

Add the meat back into the pot. Preset oven to 375.

Add the beer and make sure you cover the meat in the pot. I did not use any water or wine. The beer is perfect alone. Add a few bay leaves as well. I didn't use thyme. I also cooked it only for two hours vs. three since I only had three little ribs.

I took three large paper towels to sop up the fat that floated to the top. It is a great trick to make it less fatty. Or you could put in the fridge overnight, let cool and remove all the fat easily the next day. The smell is heavenly however, and I don't think you'll be able to wait until the next day. I served this over mashed potatoes. You must purchase a food mill for perfect mashed potatoes. It makes such a difference. Pair with Guiness. Better to drink with than cook with in this instance. My family took the most incredible vacation with 25 of us in 1997. We got to visit the Guiness factory. Do you know that Guiness was a brilliant mistake. They burned the hops by accident! Tada! You never know what your next mistake could bring.

An Irish Blessing to you on St. Patrick's Day. To all of my fellow youth ministers from Kanuga...you know it in song:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Kalamazoo, zoo, zoo!

Every time we visit Kalamazoo we have to stop by Food Dance. Eric has fond memories of having brunch there the day of our wedding with his best men. I loved the old location in the Haymarket building and remember having dates with my Daddy there. The new space is much bigger and has great private rooms and a little store.

E. got the Mexican scramble with Challah bread toast. The bread is all from Zingerman's bakery in Ann Arbor.

I chose the Sourdough Bread with my eggs and bacon. It was the best.

E. had an extra pancake too.

The decor is fabulous. There is a corn row leading folks to the private rooms. I planned our 20 year reunion this past summer and they did the nicest job. The food is always outstanding.

The space is wonderful, whimsical and welcoming.

The shop is in the front of the restaurant and sells the most wonderful products and gifts.

Fabulous cheeses.

Cakes and sweet treats.

They have the most fabulous selection of French dish towels.

We lucked out because there were samples when we arrived.

I spied some Salty Caramel ice cream in the cooler. It took everything in my will not to buy the lot.

The decor makes this place so special. There are three dimensional vegetables and little fairies flying all over the place. It is delightful.

I would think children would have the most fun looking around and counting all the cute little people.

There were samples of brownies and sugared nuts out as well. If you ever find yourself in Kalamazoo, you must go to Food Dance.

There are beautiful old buildings downtown too.

Michigan Avenue has changed so much but still has that Main Street USA kind of feeling.

We went to seek out if the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange was open. We were there way too early. We found out about them through Twitter. I love that people, no matter where you live, make great suggestions of places to visit via Twitter. It's like a giant Concierge Service.  

We were bummed it wasn't open. Santa would have brought Uncle Charlie a tee shirt.

The Radisson is where we spent our wedding night. We got upgraded to the Presidential Suite on 7-7-07. Pretty incredible considering there were four weddings at the hotel that day. We got married at St. Luke's and had our reception at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art. We remember this city so fondly from our fun wedding weekend and loved seeing the Radisson from afar.

The Water Street Coffee Joint is another location we hit up more than once on every trip.

We've been to the original and the Oakwood location in just one and a half days.

Both locations are always packed with cars and people.

We went to Water Street Coffee Joint with our buddy and maid of honor Mary for a quick breakfast our first day here. The Blueberry muffin was so tasty. E. had a waffle. 

They sell great tee-shirts and wonderful coffee gifts.

  

You can get breakfast and lunch items here.

I love the way they used the coffee bean bags to cover the planters for the winter.

And their go-cups are awesome!

Bell's is hands down another location that can't be missed. The bar and the General Store.

E. is a coffee and beer snob so he lucked out today.

This brewery has a cult following. Eric and I are card carrying drink-the-Koolaid-crazy members! We served Oberon at our wedding. They sell Bell's in DC but not Maryland. E. has to go to the Whole Foods to get Bell's. We have been known to buy cases and drive it over state lines ourselves. 

Bell's Oberon is a wheat ale fermented with Bell's signature house ale yeast, mixing a spicy hop character with mildly fruity aromas. The addition of wheat malt lends a smooth mouthfeel, making it a classic summer beer.

Sometimes it's hard to make a decision on what to get.

The sparkling ale is one of my favorites. It knocked me on my fanny a few years ago in November. It has 9% alcohol and tasted like a champagne style beer. They didn't have any this year.

For any cult like beer drinkers who want to go crazy and learn how to brew your own beer, this General Store has all that you need to begin that journey. Check out the Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB) for more information. My brother's buddy Andy Farrell is one of the brew masters.

The yeast is packaged and they sell glass containers to ferment the beer. It's pretty fabulous for the beer enthusiast on your Christmas list.

We love our trips to the Zoo. I grew up here and love visiting now with Eric. 

Thanks to my new Twitter friends from Kalamazoo, especially @JessePalmer and @SarahLWLee for their great suggestions.I've been sick as a dog so we haven't really gone anywhere but had to hit our faves. Next time we'll try Rustic! E. thanks for always being my partner in crime in our travel adventures. I love you to pieces.