Substitute for Mexican beer in cooking

[heslimedme]

I've got a great recipe for a slow cooker chili but it specifies in the recipe using a Mexican beer like Sol. It works really well but is expensive.

What does the beer do and what can I substitute it with? Will it make a huge difference not to add it and make up the difference in liquid with stock?

I already add chopped tomatoes.

sol is a light lager isn't it?
Just get a cheap can of Fosters or whatever, it will be fine.

Corona is cheaper Mexican beer

Surely any similar beer will work just as well. There isn't a significant difference in ingredients or taste and if you buy it in the UK, it's made in the same factory as other bottled lagers.

Does it add sweetness though? I would prefer to factor out the alcohol altogether with something else that serves the same purpose.

Sol isn't expensive are you sure you're thinking of the right thing

But basically it's a lager any later should work

We'll when I say expensive, I mean it's more expensive than stock and it's not really a cupboard staple iny house. I do like it but prefer to drink it with a slice of lime

I'm not sure it will do much of anything to be honest, but a couple of squares of dark chocolate or spoon of cocoa powder is also often recommended in chilli.

Maybe you could substitute the beer for beef stock and a splash of red wine if you have that?

I also make chilli with a can of baked beans in sauce. That would add sweetness and seems to make the sauce richer.

But I think apart from the basics of meat, spices, beans and veg, the next most important thing is a long slow cooking process, and most of the other stuff is a bit gimmicky to be honest, serving little more purpose than to make a particular recipe 'unique'.

I think a can of cheap lager would dojust the same TBH

My recipe calls for Mexican lager. Ok to sub Budweiser or other beer?