It’s that time of year again! As autumn runs its course, the day is almost here where we dress up nice, stuff ourselves with food, and fall asleep on the couch watching football. But no matter how you spend your Thanksgiving, all of us have one thing in common. Whether you’re cracking open a beer to drink with your dinner or you’re just sipping because it’s your day off, I think we can all agree that a good Thanksgiving beer is essential.
So, lets pay homage to the mighty thanksgiving beer and properly pick the right drinks for the occasion. When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, there is definitely an array of food to choose from. That’s why we’re going to break it down by what craft beer you should drink based off of the food on your plate.
Like I’ve mentioned before, the right beer and food pairing can actually help extract mouthwatering flavors that you ordinarily wouldn’t taste. However, the same works the other way around. By pairing the wrong beer with a certain food, that beer may overcome the taste of the food, thus, leaving you unsatisfied. You may not have thought about it but choosing certain foods/beers to have with each other can drastically improve your meal. So, with that being said, let’s dive into the best craft beers to have based on your plate.
Turkey
Easily the most iconic dish of the holiday, Turkey is no stranger to being on the forefront of most people’s dinner menus. Now, I’m sure all of us out there have had Turkey that was delicious, and turkey that was pitiful. Was it bad because it was overcooked? Undercooked? Prepared differently? Or did you have the wrong drink that didn’t pair well with your turkey, leaving a bad taste in your mouth? Nonetheless, let’s get it right this year. For oven-roasted turkey, an Amber Lager adds a subtle fruity note that pairs well with turkey, while having a low bitterness that won’t overcome the dish. Our choice would be none other than our Toasted Amber Lager. For Smoked turkey, our craft beer of choice would have to be a Porter. It’s dark and rich flavors will complement the smoky sensation of this turkey well. Our choice would be our Piston Pumpkin Spiced Porter.
Ham
If you’re someone who thinks the most popular thanksgiving dish is overrated, you might go with a ham. In this case, you’d best be suited to accompany your ham with a nice glass of hefeweizen. You’ll find that the sweetness of this beer’s malts complements this dish magnificently as it latches on to the glaze of the ham, providing a soft, tasty finish. Our pick? A nice glass of American Hefeweizen.
Mashed potatoes
What is Thanksgiving dinner without Mashed potatoes as the Turkey’s sidekick? To concentrate specifically on the mashed potatoes, we’re going to want a beer that brings out the herbs in the potatoes and has strong enough hops to penetrate the fat in the potatoes and gravy. This sounds like a job for an IPA or a brown ale! In this case, we would choose our Inline IPA.
Turkey stuffing
To complement the bready flavors of the stuffing, you’ll want a beer a bit darker in color. This combination will pair well as it’s stronger flavors will add a nice texture to your mouthful. For this side dish, we’re going to choose a Stout, specifically a milk stout to add a creamy texture that pairs well with the stuffing. A good option would be our Cherry Chocolate Milk Stout
Vegetables including: Corn, Green Beans, Carrots, etc.
When it comes to your vegetables, you want a beer that can comfortably blend without providing contrasting flavors. Something lighter bodied and easier to drink is ideal. Our choice for this situation would be a hefeweizen. Like ham, we would also suggest our American Hefeweizen.
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce can be seen as the outlier when it comes to food pairing with a beer on this holiday. In this case, a slightly sour beer would match perfectly with the tartness of the cranberries. We suggest our Raspberry Berliner Weisse. This craft beer provides a great mixture of not too sour, not too sweet, but just right when indulging in the cranberry goodness.
Pumpkin Pie
If you’re not having Pumpkin Pie this season, you’re doing it wrong. Since this is probably the most iconic dish of the season behind pumpkin pie, let’s get one thing straight. To get the most out of this pairing, you’ll want a beer that contains spices. Either a Spiced Porter or a Spiced Amber Ale would work perfectly to bring out both the pumpkin flavors and the faint spice within the pie. For a maximum pumpkin sensation collaborated between the pie and the beer, find a Pumpkin Spiced Porter or Pumpkin Spiced Amber Ale.
Apple Pie
To compliment the sweetness brought out by the apples in the pie, you’ll want a beer rich in flavor that also provides a touch of sweetness. To us, this sounds like the perfect job for our Apple Pie Pale Ale. This smooth, flavorful beer uses its underlying sweet sensation of the beer to latch on to the syrupy textures of the pie, extracting a delightful taste.