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Few holidays are as distinctly American as Thanksgiving. It’s all about family, food, friends, football, and for many of us beer. And few traditional meals allow for such a wide variety of food and beer pairing opportunities as the Thanksgiving dinner – which makes for beer choices that can be both easy and difficult.
The “First Beer” Beer
The first beer is your opening experience, and like how you begin a new conversation, it’s important. It’s that early afternoon beer that you’re nursing while checking in on the football game or hanging out with friends in the kitchen.
The first beer is a tone-setter – we like them to be bight and seasonal – and a beer like Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Fresh Hop IPA is always a welcome beginning.
The Thanksgiving Second
Thanksgiving is a holiday where friends are together for hours, prepping the feast and doing all “whatever” before eventually migrating to the table.
And a well-chosen ‘Second Beer” is not only appropriate – it’s essential.
Just as with the “first beer” the “Thanksgiving second” doesn’t need to make a statement but it does need to be refreshing (and preferably not all that filling) – and Firestone Walker’s 5.3% ABV Pivo Hoppy Pils is a great option for this important slot.
The “Come to the Table” Beer
This one’s fun to think about – you’re coming off two beers and enjoying a nice entrance buzz and have just made your way the table.
For many this is wine time – but there are craft beers that compliment phase of things admirably. And because you can go so many directions here – we have to offer two suggestions.
Allagash White is a great American “play” on the traditional Belgian wheat ale. And because it’s so crisp, light-bodied, spicy and fruity – it will serve you well while you’re serving up your plate.
We also like Westbrook’s Gose for the first table beer. This is Westbrook Brewing’s interpretation of a Gose (pronounced “Gose-uh”), a German-style sour wheat ale that’s traditionally brewed with coriander and salt. Once nearly extinct, this light (4% ABV) refreshing style has made a huge comeback lately and Westbrook’s Gose is absolutely one of the best.
The Turkey Beer
This is your main-course beer, the beer that you’re drinking alongside your turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy – and we suggest Porters here.
And when you’re thinking Porters, there’s plenty of wonderful choices – but Hill Farmstead Everett is a pretty amazing way to go.
Crafted using only the richest roasted malts and water from Hill Farmstead’s own well, Everett is unfiltered and naturally carbonated classic, with a complex backbone of chocolate, coffee, and 
malty sweetness that will pair brilliantly with that turkey leg!
The Dessert Beer
American craft beer owns the “dessert beer” There are so many ways to go here that it hurts. But this is where you want to go with big-bodied, full-flavored, high octane beers and The Bruery crafts one that’s the perfect Thanksgiving nightcap!
Brewed using an insane 17 pounds of yams per barrel, The Bruery’s Autumn Maple is an ENORMOUS 10% ABV deftly spiced seasonal, that’s fermented with a unique Belgian yeast strain and finishes with a fruity effervescence that lingers.
