Thanksgiving Meal Beer Pairing

The suggestion of pairing food with wine is prevalent in today’s society, however, food being paired with beer is sadly still not a mainstream notion.  That said, as beer enthusiasts well know, beer has the ability to be the perfect accompaniment to everything on your Turkey Day table.

For appetizers & h’orderves, we recommend starting with a light Belgian-style Pale Ale. Something along the lines of Brooklyn’s Local 1 or Duvel would be a great start, as they are world class beverages that also won’t offend anybody’s palettes.

“The key to great Thanksgiving beers is caramelization,” says Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery. “It’s the caramelized flavors of the turkey skin, the gravy and many other elements of the meal that tie the whole thing together. I’ve always enjoyed beer far more than wine with Thanksgiving dinner, and I know plenty of other people do also, I’ve pretty much converted everybody I know!”

Following Oliver’s suggestion, French and Belgian farmhouse and abbey ales make a great pairing to the best meal of the year. La Choulette Ambrée is a French Bière de Garde and certainly fits the bill. It has dark fruit notes, rich caramel malt flavors and just a slight amount of farmhouse funk and spice. Additionaly, a solid Saison would not be out of the question either. We recommend anything from the Stillwater portfolio, my personal preference being Cellar Door. Either option would provide a counter to the richness of the meal, without overpowering any flavors.

For dessert, I usually just pass the pumpkin pie and go for The Bruery’s Autumn Maple as my dessert.  However, if you’re looking to pair your dessert with a beer, one could always reach for something bourbon-barrel aged.  Allagash Curieux or Founder’s Backwoods Bastard would certainly do the trick. Finally, a nice stout is the perfect companion for some after-meal lounging, providing the chocolate and espresso flavors people crave after big meal. Cheers!