Is beef bouillon necessary when making beef stew? What could I use in it's place... if at all possible?

It helps but it's not necessary. A way to get a good beefy flavour in a stew is to fry the meat in a little bit of fat until it has browned crispy edges and there's some brown stuff sticking to the pan. Put a bit of liquid in the pan and stir until all the brown stuff has gotten into the liquid and put it in the stew.