The Beloved Beer I Always Have in the Fridge for Thanksgiving (Tastes Delicious with Turkey, Pecan Pie, and Everything in Between)

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For many years now, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving with the various members of my chosen family — basically, whoever’s around and needs somewhere to be that isn’t home. I’ve prepared a variety of meals, including the traditional roast turkey with the sides I grew up with: mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, candied yams, and, because we were a house often divided, pecan pie AND pumpkin pie. I’ve also done a gigantic paella, which I prepared over a wood fire during one unseasonably warm Thanksgiving, and spent Thanksgiving in Spain, eating tapas.

This year I’ll be doing a little spin on the traditional Thanksgiving fare: Swedish meatballs made with ground turkey and sage, served over mashed potatoes, plus a pecan pie for dessert. I’m sure more sides will get added to the roster — especially because I tend to crave stuffing all November long. (Make my White Castle stuffing, and watch how fast it disappears.)

We have a group of friends joining us this year, so I wanted to get an assortment of drinks for all. That led me to wonder about beer pairings and what would go best with both familiar Thanksgiving favorites and the spin I’m doing this year. After doing some thinking and sipping (two of my favorite activities done in tandem), I came up with these three superb beers to pair with Thanksgiving dinner.

1. Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale

I love pairing brown ales with the classic Thanksgiving fare. The earthy maltiness goes really nicely with roasted turkey skin (that maillard reaction on the skin creates its own sort of caramelized flavor, especially if you use butter on your turkey) and stuffing. There are hints of dried fruit that pair well with cranberry sauce, too.

The natural nuttiness also goes well with desserts, like pecan pie, and a hint of spice that mimics all those wonderful warming spices in a pumpkin pie. Of the three beers here, this one is the most versatile, and pairs well with the most foods — I love the way it changes depending on what you ate right before your next sip. The relatively low ABV (5%) means you can sip a couple through the whole meal.

Buy: Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, $11.49 for 4 (12-ounce) bottles at Total Wine

2. Lindeman’s Framboise

In the same way that cranberry sauce cuts through the richness of, well, basically every other Thanksgiving dish, Lindeman’s Framboise plays a similar role. It has a delicate sweetness upfront, with good raspberry flavor and a light herbaceousness (goes nicely with those herbs in the turkey). As the sweetness washes past your palate, a bright, fruity acidity takes over.

While I haven’t tested this out yet, I think it would be fun to use a few splashes of this beer when you’re making your cranberry sauce. It’s the lowest ABV (2.5%) of the three beers, which makes it easy to pair with every course if you so desire.

Buy: Lindeman’s Framboise, $11.99 for 750 mL at Total Wine

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