Now that October is over and we are starting to think about the great American tradition of our Thanksgiving dinner craft beer can make for some excellent food pairings. Most of us will have a version of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with the turkey, ham and the classic side dishes. One way to pair craft beer with your Thanksgiving meal is to do a taster flight in which you will serve different beers in smaller “tasting” glassware. This way your family and guests can experience different styles of craft beer with all of the unique flavors of Thanksgiving.
Here are some great pairings to accompany your meal and of course you can always choose your favorite craft beer to go along with your meal but definitely select a “special” beer just as you would a nice bottle of wine. For stuffing, a great choice would be a Belgian Wit (Belgian Wheat beer) that has a light body and citrus characteristics and is very refreshing. Belgian Wit beers will also pair well with most of the other items on your Thanksgiving table so it’s a great all-around selection.
A pairing that goes well with your roast turkey would be a Saison, or Farmhouse Ale. These beers are refreshing and unique with fruit forward spice flavors. If you like sour beers a tart Berliner Weiss will pair well with the sweet-tart flavor of cranberry sauce. A good Okoberfest beer or an American Brown Ale with their caramel-chocolate flavors is another great choice for the entire meal.
The finale of the meal would be a Pumpkin Pie that you could pair with either a Pumpkin Ale, Coffee Stout or even a Bavarian Hefeweizen. Try something different this Thanksgiving and enjoy your meal with Craft Beer! Cheers!
