Turkey Day Beer Lists

Either J.W. Lee 2021 Harvest Ale or if someone else will drink with me, Bottle Logic Fundamental Observation. Some Côtes du Rhône to go with the smoked turkey.

 

I’m more of a Christmas beer menu guy than a Thanksgiving beer menu guy, but I’ll probably dabble with a festival beer or two (St Bernardus Christmas and/or Samichlaus), then maybe a nice vintage BCBS variant in anticipation of the Black Friday haul.

 

Ah yes one of my favorite annual threads. I love hearing what people are having, it inspires me for future thanksgivings!

I guess you could say we are nonconformists with our Thanksgiving meals.

Tex-Mex Brunch: Thinking a light lager to pair with the acidity, spice, and latin flavors. Have drank through the mexican lagers we had in the bar (we eat a lot of tex-mex and mexican food), so thinking I will go with the American Lager by pFriem. Of course this assumes that Wednesday night is chill drinking wise, otherwise I might just hydrate with brunch

Midday Football Beer: While a oz or two of what I have left of Utopias 2017 is never out of the question, I plan to go lighter here while still giving a nod to fall. Something about brown ales speak to me in late autumn, and given the dinner to come and the aroma of leaves on the ground I am going with an English brown. Thinking Trampled Rose by Bizarre.

Dinner is Chicken Tikka Masala: Ah yes my wife's homemade chicken tikka masala, no turkey here! More Brewing is local for us, stupid name but great beer. They made an Indian Strong lager that should wonderfully match the cuisine if it is like the others in the style I have had. So the choice is obvious, Patel Premium by More.

Post Dinner: Some will fill up on pie, I usually have a dessert or beer policy to even attempt to not gain a ton of weight again, but it's a holiday! Live a little! So I will have my small slice of pecan pie, the GOAT pie of Thanksgiving. (I said what I said). In years past I would have more the foolish mistake of taking on a bomber of heavy barrel aged stout, and given all the food and beer I would need to be rolled home.
But now I have learned, barleywine is the quintessential thanksgiving end of night beer. I prefer one that is more bitter as it captures the fall harvest palate. Added bonus, your relatives will probably hate it, so you can have more to deal with any election conversation forthcoming.
There is something satisfyingly symbolic of taking something out of the cellar, fits the occasion that we have so much to be thankful, including joys of the year(s) past. In the past Boulevard and FW's wheatwine has hit the spot, as has Husk by Goose Island and even an old ale from Hair of the Dog (RIP). Could end up going Xyauyù's Fumé if that is the will of those gathered, but I am hoping to save that for an Italian pairing dinner in the coming weeks.
Therefore I think it will be time to finally finish our cellar's supply of FW's Sucaba, or if we want more oz perhaps More and Goose's Tusk and Feather Rye Barrel. Or if we want something richer to carry the dessert tones more than the harvest theme, then it will be a house favorite, Revolution's VSOJ. Cheers and happy Thanksgiving!

 

This all being said we like the turkey leftover sandwich, so we will seek that out once those are around and cheaper come this weekend. Again lager a natural pairing, I particularly like czech pilsner with the high carbonation and little more hop to cut through. For after dinner I will pour a younger fruited lambic from the cellar to add some sour acidity and fruitiness to the starched out palate. Finished by either an american strong, english old, or belgian dark ale to point to the holiday season to come while staying in the time of harvest. Cheers!

 

Great picks!!

 

Home brewed english bitter at thanksgiving, GREAT idea!

 

JWL aged harvest ale is such a great call! Did that a few years ago and it went great with the food of the whole day

 

At first glance and due to all of the other atypical Thanksgiving food I read GOAT pie and thought you might be talking about a savory pie made with goat meat. As a big fan of Indian food myself, who has been known to dabble in the occasional goat biryani I was intrigued. But alas….

…:although I agree that pecan pie is obv the best thanksgiving pie.

 

(Jots down) "ideas for Thanksgiving 2025: goat meat pie" LOL

 

Cheers to that!

 

No beer for me on Turkey Day proper, but I've got a bottle of Saint Arnold's French Press-Cognac Barrel-Aged stout marked for NBW this Thanksgiving weekend. I'll warm up for it with a Xingu or Guinness, either Friday or Saturday evening.

Be safe on your travels this week!

 

Maybe some discounted pumpkin beers

 

Starting with Honest Weight's helles, before getting into deGarde's The Renrocha (wild ale w Grenache) and Patricia Green pinot noir on the dinner table. Bottle Logic with dessert, if I can pawn off enough on unsuspecting pie enthusiasts.

 

Thanks for alerting me @Monkeyknife as I hadn't even thought of thinking about which beers to free for turkey day. If I simply follow my instincts then dark beers will be in play. Nothing specific as of yet but Rauchbier might be da bomb. Our feast at home will be traditional and with all the trytophan some snoozing is expected!

 

Classic Rick Danko...."Just makin music you know".....Enjoy!

 

Well, I do have 4 different smoked beers I could juggle:
Tryptich Smoked Lager
Schlenkerla Marzen
HammerHeart Herbstklagen Smoked Lager Marzen Thingamajigg Whatchamacallit
HammerHeart Laurentian Mesquite Porter

 

The plan is to kick things off with a Casey Jalapeno East Bank. That's a beer I'm willing to take most of the credit for, so it seems appropriate.
From there, I inherited a bunch of stouts and big beers from the Denver Rare Beer Tasting that I need to get around to. We'll probably just crack 'em all and dump the ones that aren't that great. I haaaaaaate old stouts, so I'd rather try 'em fresh than to let 'em rot away into soy sauce and balsamic.
I have a couple New Glarus fruited bottles left, so one of those will be served with dessert.

 

Well then maybe it is Hammer Time!?!