This beer beef stew is easy to make and deliciously hearty, with tender beef strips, mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a savory beef broth with beer. It’s possibly the quickest and best beef stew you’ll ever make!
Fans of hearty beef recipes like beef bourguignon and beef chili, you’ll love how quickly this Irish-style beef stew comes together on the stovetop!
The temperature outside has dropped below 40ºF. Naturally, I threw on my coziest sweater and got my mama’s fast and easy beer beef stew simmering. This was the perfect way to satisfy a sudden craving, since I hadn’t planned enough in advance for my slow cooker beef stew.
Packed with juicy sirloin and veggies, this version was ready to serve with a side of breadsticks in a fraction of the time. Grab two bottles of beer (one for the stew, and one for you!), and we’ll get started.
Why You Should Get This Beer Beef Stew On the Stove ASAP
- Cozy stew in 40 minutes. While traditional Guinness beef stew is made with chuck roast, which takes a couple of hours or more to cook on the stovetop, my mom’s beef stew uses sirloin. It fast-tracks the cooking time to almost half.
- Made even better with beer. Beer adds richness and depth of flavor. If you’ve never made beef stew with beer before, you’re going to wonder why you waited this long.
- Enjoy delicious leftovers. As with many soups and stews, the flavors in today’s beefy stew only get better with time. Leftovers store well in the fridge and freezer. Tuck into cozy bowls of stew all week long.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Your Stew
This beer beef stew recipe comes straight from my Mom’s recipe box, which is a 10-inch stack of papers scribbled with notes that only she understands. Luckily, I was able to transcribe the ingredients below, and I’ve added my own notes!
- Olive Oil – For pan-searing. Substitute another cooking oil, like avocado oil, if needed.
- Sirloin Steak – You’ll find top sirloin and bottom sirloin (like tip roast), and both will work well in this recipe. Trim any excess fat and cut the steak into ½-inch cubes. Try to get them the same size, so they’ll cook evenly.
- Onion and Garlic – Diced yellow onion and freshly minced garlic.
- Carrots and Mushrooms – Sliced into ½-inch pieces. I use baby portobello mushrooms, but you can use any type of brown, white, or button mushroom. Feel free to omit the mushrooms altogether if you aren’t a fan.
- Bay Leaf – You could also build on the flavors in the broth with more herbs, like fresh or dried rosemary, thyme, and oregano.
- Flour – You’ll thicken the beef broth into a gravy-like consistency by whisking in a mixture of flour and water. You could also use cornstarch; you’ll need about ½ the amount.
- Tomato Paste – Tomato purée or tomato sauce would also work here.
- Beer – Choose your favorite ale or stout beer, like Guinness, for a deep, rich flavor. Or, if you’d prefer to make your stew without alcohol, use extra beef broth instead.
- Beef Stock – I recommend low-sodium store-bought beef broth or homemade stock, whichever you prefer.
Can I Substitute the Beer?
Yes. If you’d prefer, substitute beer in this recipe with dry red wine (like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir). You can also use stronger alcohols, like dry sherry or brandy, mixed half-and-half with beef stock. Note that the flavors in your stew will vary depending on the alcohol you use, so choose one that you’d like to drink.
What to Serve With Beef Stew
I love serving this beer beef stew with a hefty pile of mashed potatoes, rice, or Stroganoff-style over egg noodles. Throw in a side of dinner rolls to soak up any leftover gravy, and enjoy a boozy Irish coffee with dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions
When added to stews, beer enhances the flavors of the beef and vegetables and adds rich, complex flavors to the broth.
Not entirely. While most of the alcohol from the beer evaporates while the stew simmers, a small amount can remain. If you’d prefer to cook without alcohol, I recommend substituting the beer with an equal amount of beef broth.
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Brown the meat. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meat, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside.
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Cook the veggies. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Stir in onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 15 seconds. Stir in carrots, mushrooms, and bay leaf; cook for 6 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
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Make a slurry. In the meantime, combine flour and water in a medium mixing bowl; whisk until smooth.
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Add the broth ingredients. Whisk in tomato paste, beer, and beef stock; whisk until completely incorporated.
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Put it all together. Add the browned steak to the mushroom/veggie mixture. Stir in the beer mixture; season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
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Simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer; cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened.
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Finish. Remove from heat and taste for seasonings; adjust accordingly.
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Serve. Remove the bay leaf, ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve.
- Traditionally, beef stew is made with chuck roast, but to cut down cooking time by over 50%, I used sirloin steak.
- Serve as is, or over mashed potatoes, noodles, and/or rice.
Serving: 1g | Calories: 313.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.7g | Protein: 27.8g | Fat: 16.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 314mg | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 1.9g
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Quick Beer Beef Stew
The trick is to quickly sear the steak first and then let it simmer just enough until the beef is fall-apart tender, for the utmost flavor. The exact cooking time depends on the thickness of your steaks, so keep this in mind while you prepare your beef stew:
- Brown the meat. Start by heating oil in a Dutch oven. Then, sear the beef over medium-high heat until it’s nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the seared beef to a plate afterward.
- Sauté the veggies. Next, cook the onions, then add the garlic. Stir in your carrots, mushrooms, and bay leaves.
- Combine the broth ingredients. While the veggies cook, whisk flour with water in a medium-sized bowl. Add the tomato paste, beer, and beef stock, whisking until well-combined.
- Put it all together. Return the seared steak to the pot with the veggies. Then, pour in the beer/broth mixture, season with salt and pepper, and bring the pot to a boil.
- Simmer. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the stew for 5-7 minutes, just enough to thicken the broth.
- Finish and serve. Adjust the seasoning to taste, remove the bay leaf, and finally, sprinkle in fresh parsley for serving. Enjoy!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover beef stew airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm the stew on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, so it heats through evenly. You could also use the microwave.
- Freeze. This beef stew freezes well. Transfer the stew to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the stew overnight before reheating it.
