Affligem Tripel - Like Raiders of the Lost Ark

(photo from http://greatbrewers.com/product/affligem-tripel)

This is a beer for adventurous types - guys can channel their inner Indiana Jones and ladies, their inner Marion Ravenwood.  Stay with me here...

First, the beer - the bottle is caged and corked (like a champagne - cool!) and the pour is somewhat cloudy.  For a tripel (meaning three times the malt is used in the brewing process) my expectation was a chocolate-dark color.  Silly me; it's only a couple shades darker than Blahblahblah Light.  The aroma is chalky pear, and circus taffy.  The sweetness surprises, and while the balanced bitterness of the hops is present initially, it fades quickly to be follow by the aggressive alcohol pushing its way to the front of the line.

Pair this delicious, sweet, boozy brew with spicy chili for contrast and balance and you've got all the makings of a fun adventure worthy of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Indiana Jones is going to love the chili's heat and Marion will be enticed by the sweetness (but you'll recall she can handle her alcohol!)

Chili needs meat and lots of it.  So put a pound of skirt steak and a pound of pork sausage in a big pot with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and brown the meat on medium high.  Stir often.  Drain most of the fat out and add a whole bunch of stuff: 4 or 5 Tablespoons minced garlic, one chopped onion, 2 chopped jalapeno peppers, 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, a handful of chopped black olives, 2 stalks of chopped celery, one can pinto beans, one small can roasted chiles (chopped).

See, the cool thing about this is you can add a ton of stuff and make it any way you like it.  Olives suck in your book, screw ‘em; want some red onion instead, toss it in.  Notice I said 4 or 5 tablespoons of garlic.  Not precise measurements, cuz it’s YOUR thing, not mine.

Moving on to some spices.  Gotta have some of this good stuff in there and people freak out about this part, so I’ll be a little more exact, but feel free to screw around with it. 

Add in 3 Tablespoons chili powder, 1 Tablespoon paprika, 1 Tablespoon cumin, 1 Tablespoon oregano, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste, oh yeah, and one can beer.

Turn the heat down to low and put the cover on.  You want to simmer this stuff for a couple hours, so some back and stir it every once in a while.  If you like your chili a little thicker, you can add a little corn meal (like a half teaspoon at a time) stir it around and check the thickness.  I saw the corn meal trick on TV once.  It actually works well.

You can serve the chili in big bowls with some chopped raw onion, grated cheese, sour cream, Tabasco sauce, all on the side.  Lots of cold beer, too.  Don’t forget the beer.