Thanksgiving Beer-Food Pairings You’ll Want to Try

When you read about suggested pairings of beer with Thanksgiving dinner, you can find recommendations of drinking just about every beer style under the sun. That’s largely because you find so many diverse flavored dishes on the Thanksgiving table. Different flavored foods attract different flavored beers. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated.

So what do you do? You really can’t go wrong drinking any of the recommended beers if they sound good to you. With that being said, however, it’s fun to be a bit more experimental and try a recommended pairing that is something you don’t regularly drink. In that vane, we collected several pairing recommendations from our West Virginia breweries. You’ll find all the recommended beers available now at their respective breweries.

Lastly, we present Brilliant Stream’s own pairing guidelines and a simple pairing strategy we think you’ll like. Bon appétit.

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” 
― Oscar Wilde

Pairing suggestions from WV breweries

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Fife Street Brewing

From Gil Peterson

Pairing: Brawley Brown Ale with Pecan Pie

Our Classic American-style brown, deep brown in color with heavily aromatic malts, bringing aromas of dark chocolate and toffee, backed by a slightly herbal hop note. Those same rich malt aromas translate well into the beers flavor and would stand up nicely to a thick turkey or beef-based gravy to smother your potatoes during the main course. Overall, I would recommend the Brawley Brown as a complement to a hearty dessert, such as a pecan pie. The custardy pie filling adds depth to the toffee-like malt notes,  and the beer’s nutty, slightly roasty finish is wonderful with some toasted pecans. Since it is an American brown, it’s got ample hop bitterness to cut through the sweetness and clear your palate, readying you for the next bite.

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Greenbrier Valley Brewing

From Kara Morrison

Pairing: Devil Anse IPA with Deep-Fried Turkey

With notes of citrus and tropical fruit, Devil Anse IPA’s strong malt backbone balances the complexity of the hops to bring you the perfect partner for the star of Thanksgiving dinner, Deep fried Turkey! Devil Anse cuts through the fatty richness of the turkey proving to continue to be a worthy adversary of man and beast. If turkey isn’t your thing, Devil Anse IPA will still help you get through the holiday madness with a little liquid gold courage. 

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Abolitionist Ale Works

From Mike Vance

Pairing: Pear Sage Saison with Stuffing/Dressing

The Saison is savory light and refreshing, which complements the very filling side but allows you to go back for seconds.

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High Ground Brewing

From Dallas Wolfe

Pairing: Fruits of the Forest (Tartshake Smoothie Sour) with Fruit Pie & Vanilla Ice Cream

Fruits of the Forest (6% ABV) is a riff on a Fruits of the Forest Pie. Part of our unique “Smoothie Sour” lineup, Fruits of the Forest gives off notes of graham cracker crust, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, and of course a delicious assortment of berries and rhubarb. 

This beer will pair well with fruit pie and vanilla ice cream.  Fruits of the Forest has amazing complementary and contrasting flavors that will take your dessert game to the next level. The contrasting tartness of the beer works beautifully with the decadence of the pie and ice cream, yet the complementary flavors of the fruit and subtle spices in the beer ensure continuity of the overall dish. 

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Weathered Ground Brewery

From Sam Fonda

Pairing: To the Place I Belong Saison with Sweet & Savory Salad

Sweet & Savory Salad is a mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce with thin mandarin orange slices and toasted ramen noodles (instead of croutons). Lightly sprinkled with parmesan cheese and Italian dressing.

For me, Belgian beer is the most fun and versatile with food pairing and let’s keep the beer light until dessert. Our slightly citrusy Saison pairs well with this delicious fruited salad and also pairs great with the all usual cheese plates that families usually have on the kitchen counters during the holidays. Can’t go wrong grabbing a 4 pack of To the Place.

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The Freefolk Brewery

From Summer Lee

Pairing: Berry the Hatchet Wheat Ale with Roasted Beer, Carrot & Sweet Potato Medley

Our Berry The Hatchet is a delicious, easy-drinking raspberry wheat ale that strikes a perfect balance between sweet and lightly tart. We recommend pairing it with your favorite root vegetable side dish; such as a roasted beet, carrot and sweet potato medley! The bright and sweet fruited notes in the Berry The Hatchet will be a great balance between the deep, earthy richness and bitterness of the root veggies.

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Bad Shepherd Beer Company

From Ross Williams

Pairing: Queen of Mystery ESB with Turkey, Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

We suggest our traditional ESB, the Queen of Mystery, as a beer to enjoy with savory turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes. The beer’s caramel notes pair well with savory herbs, while the bitter clean profile cuts through the rich potatoes and gravy. This beer would be excellent for basting or for adding to a turkey brine, adding complexity to the brine.

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Brilliant Stream’s pairing guidelines

Probably the safest choice for a mixed crowd is a richer flavored, copper to brown colored beer that features malt over hops. From the ale category, that could be a Belgian Dubbel, an American Brown Ale, ESB/English Ale, or an Amber Ale. In the lager category, look for a beer such as a German Marzen, Vienna Lager, American Oktoberfest, or even a Dunkel.

Toasted malts in these beers love the richness of turkey gravy and mashed potatoes, giblets, cranberries, and gelled fruit salads. They are also a lovely complement to Thanksgiving sides including sweet potatoes, corn, buttered dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie.

If you’d like to try a lighter colored beer with Thanksgiving, avoid the simple pale lagers. We recommend the classic Saison style. And if bigger alcohol is okay, consider a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. These recommended beer styles have the characteristics required to counter the richness of turkey, stuffing and gravy.

They have a higher effervescence that clears the mouth of fats and gravy, readying the palate for the next bite. They also excel at complementing green salad, green veggie dishes (e.g. Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, green bean casserole), and savory sage dressing.

Strategy: Two better than one

Why not try two different beers from the above recommendations with your dinner — one amber/darker and richer, and one paler, lighter, and drier. That way, you’ll get the best that both flavor combinations have to offer.

Supply each guest with two glasses and put the bottles on the table. Let them pour as they’d like and sip the beers with the different dishes to discover the pairings they prefer. Experiment a little. Some richer/sweeter Thanksgiving desserts may require a third beer to be at their best. Pecan Pie, for instance, we hear is heaven-sent with a Milk Stout.

If you have a favorite Thanksgiving beer-food pairing, especially one with a West Virginia made beer, consider adding it to the comments below.

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We here at Brilliant Stream and West Virginia Beer Roads wish all our readers and listeners a bountiful Thanksgiving Day. We have much to be thankful for.

Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.
― Maya Angelou