Cooking with beer gives your recipes a little more flavor, so the more unique the taste – the better. For this recipe I used Rogue Chocolate Stout.

Making beans from scratch takes its time to make it right, but the results are delicious and can be lower in sodium than using canned beans. Also, it’s important to soak your beans overnight, not only does this re-hydrate the bean, it de-gasses the bean leaving it better for your stomach.

• 1 bag of Pinto beans
• 1 Stout Beer, at least 12-16 ounces
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup of minced onion
• 1/2 tablespoon of Italian Herbs
• 2-3 cups of water
• 1/4 cup of tomato sauce

So buy one package of pinto or red beans and soak in water overnight in a tupperware or bowl.  Drain at least twice or at least after every 6-8 hours. Rinse and cover with fresh water, beans will double in size so use a larger container.

In a large pot, over Medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and 1/4 cup of minced onion and 1/2 tablespoon of Italian Herbs. Cook for about 3 minutes until soft and add about 12-16 ounces of the Rogue Chocolate Stout Beer to the pot. Mix throughly and add the beans. Cover with about 2-3 cups of water or until the beans are covered. Add tomato sauce.

Boil on Medium Low Heat so that it simmers for about an hour, checking and stirring the beans often.