Large Format Bottle for Thanksgiving

Saison Rue

 

If you're willing to extend that price point a little, there are a ton of good options for a Thanksgiving feast. Bringing a corked and caged 750ml bottle lends a certain luxury feel and it presents well on the table, especially if you sit it out for 20 minutes or so before guests are seated. I like a Belgian style beer for an audience that is expecting to be drinking wine. Favorites in the past have been tripels or quads from St. Bernardus, Allagash and Ommegang, they are not bitter and they pair amazingly with a large array of foods. Plus, anyone with wine glasses has glassware that is nominally appropriate for proper serving. In a similar vein, if you want something with more of a dry finish you could go with any number of rustic, classic saisons. The same glassware benefit applies.

 

You didn't say anything about sour beers being excluded, and I personally think sour beers go very well with the traditional turkey dinner, so I think any of the 22-oz. bottles from New Belgium would work very well. If you personally have not had them, I'll recommend that you try some of them to see if they fit your taste. I don't really put them in the sour category taste-wise as much as calling them tart.

 

The Beer and Food pairing forum has lots of ideas. Especially this thread:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/thanksgiving-2015-beer-food-pairings.353141/

Prices vary so much from place to place it's hard to be sure what might or might not be above your $10 limit. For example in Delaware La Fin du Monde is below your $10 limit, but in PA it costs more.

 

Or Autumn Maple, perhaps? Although I think it's in the $13-16 range.

 

Rodenbach Grand Cru

 

Ommegang Abbey or Three Philosophers may be on my table this year. Corked bottle looks great for presentation and it should be in your price range.

 

This Thanksgiving I'll be going with an Autumn Maple and Clown Shoes Pecan Pie Porter.

 

trader joe's vintage ale by unibroue. comes out exactly for thanksgiving, and for $10 you'll be able to bring over 2!

well made easy drinking dark ale, its a real crowd pleaser for all types of beer drinkers, you'll be a hero

 

Victory Sour Monkey, I think it's in the $10-$13 range.

 

I would have to roll with Chimay, any of them.

 

weird guidelines, have a Stickee Monkee here plannning on cracking open after the nap after being stuffed to the gills

 

I'm probably going to go with Boulevard's Saison Brett.

 

Boulevard Tank 7 has been my go to the last several years. It pais perfectlywith everything in the traditional thanksgiving meal, and with anything else you want to throw at it. Plus, it's not too heavy to have a couple during the day leading up to meal time, and ir even pairs with pumpkin pie and other thanksgiving desserts!!
It's pretty widely available and in the price range from my memory in both 4 packs and larger format bottles.

 

Pairing beers with Thanksgiving is one of my favorite beer drinking decisions of the year. I tend to go more traditional. Not in 750mls but pints I'd recommend an old world English beer like Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, Oatmeal / RIS or Nut Brown Ale. Any of those 4 are a perfect Thanksgiving beers IMO. Easy to find/approachable saison's like Tank 7, Hennepin, and Saison Dupont are always a nice choice as well.

 

This is my vote as well, as it is what I do for Thanksgiving every year.

 

Second vote for Tank 7. I brought it to Thanksgiving last year and it went over well.

 

You said "large" format, so a magnum of Anchor's Our Special Ale. It should be released by Thanksgiving, there is plenty to share, and would probably pair well with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc. based on previous years (Anchor changes the recipe slightly every year).