Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili
For 2017 I am changing the way I review craft beers. What I will do is continue to enjoy craft beers and post my reviews on my Instagram feed, and then once a month I will select one beer to review for Chews and Brews, and also use it in a recipe! That way if you aren’t totally a beer drinker, you are still getting a recipe out of the weekly post from me, and if you are a beer drinker, you are getting a beer review AND recipe! Plus I love cooking with beer, so it’s a win-win all over! For January, I am using one of my all time favourite fall-winter beers and making a chestnut ale turkey chili. It was hard for me to use my favourite beer in a recipe (and not drink it), but I am so pleased with the results!
Okay, first let me tell you about the beer and the brewery. For this Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili, I am using Whistler Brewing Company’s Chestnut Ale. Whistler Brewing is a BC brewery, one that is on my list to visit one day. It was established in 1989, being one of the pioneers of the craft beer movement. Now for the beer review…I don’t have anything negative to say about this beer except that here in Alberta, it sells fast. It’s a seasonal so usually once it’s gone, it’s gone. There have been seasons where we are hunting for this beer, going to all of the liquor stores in our town! If you don’t know anything about Alberta, we are privatized and have 17 liquor stores in our small city of 26,000 people! So that’s a lot of hunting for a special beer! Anyways, here’s the review!
Whistler Brewing Chestnut Ale
A – pours a copper, reddish brown, clear and with a good amount of creamy, beige head that dissipates into a thin beige line of bubbles.
S – smells of nuts, caramels and earthy sweetness
T – lots of sweet flavours here of brown sugar, caramel, toffee, molasses, vanilla and lots of nuttiness
M – smooth and creamy, medium bodied, a bit sticky, medium carbonation
O – overall, you already know what I think! This is one of my favourite beers. Nice and sweet, full of flavours. A great fall and winter type of beer, when you can find it!
Now onto the Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili recipe! What else do you need on a cold winter day besides a good winter chestnut ale?
Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili
It is not imperative to drink a Chestnut Ale while making this, but it does seem to fit!
Start by heating up half the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add in the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until soft for about 5 minutes.
Add in the mushrooms and peppers and sauté for another 5 – 7 minutes until soft. Put all of the sautéed vegetables into your slow cooker.
Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the ground turkey, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until all of the pink is gone and turkey is cooked through.
While the ground turkey is cooking, go ahead and add the rinsed canned beans, the canned diced tomatoes and all of the spices (including the chipotle pepper and it’s sauce, and the cocoa) to the vegetables in the slow cooker.
Once the ground turkey is cooked, add it to the slow cooker and then pour the Chestnut Ale in as well. Stir everything well together and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or high for 3 – 4 hours.
Enjoy this Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili at your next game day party or anytime you need to warm up this winter!
Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil I used Avocado
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 3 cans beans see note
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce see note
- 1 Tbsp chocolate cocoa
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Aleppo chilies
- 1 tsp Ancho chilies
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 bottle Chestnut Ale
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Start by heating up half the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add in the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until soft for about 5 minutes.
-
Add in the mushrooms and peppers and sauté for another 5 - 7 minutes until soft. Put all the sautéed vegetables into your slow cooker.
-
Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the ground turkey, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until all the pink is gone and turkey is cooked through.
-
While the ground turkey is cooking, go ahead and add the rinsed canned beans, the canned diced tomatoes and all of the spices (including the chipotle pepper and cocoa) to the vegetables in the slow cooker.
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Once the ground turkey is cooked, add it to the slow cooker and then pour the Chestnut Ale in as well. Stir everything well together and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or high for 3 - 4 hours.
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Enjoy with a Chestnut Ale of course, at your next game day party or anytime you need to warm up this winter!
Recipe Notes
Use what you want - I used one can kidney, one can white kidney and one can black beans. Great white north and pinto would be good to use as well, or go with 3 cans of just one can.
I usually find the canned chipotle peppers in the Mexican section of my grocery store. If you can't find it, mix together 1 tsp tomato paste, 1 tsp cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin and oregano and 1/8 tsp salt.
If you can't get the Whistler Brewing Chestnut Ale try using any nut brown ale.
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More beer reviews here!
Do you like the old beer reviews separate from a recipe, or do you like the beer reviewed and used in a recipe?
2 thoughts on “Chestnut Ale Turkey Chili”
I’m in love with this chili! From the mushrooms, turkey, chocolate and beer, there’s nothing more than I could ask for!
Thanks Megan!!
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