BEERSGIVING: A LIQUID FEAST

Did you know that the Pilgrims and Indians first got together for a few beers, and only accidentally put together their famous harvest spread while they were rummaging around Plymouth to satisfy the drunchies?

A lot of common misconceptions surround the history of Thanksgiving. For instance, did you know that the Pilgrims and Indians first got together for a few beers, and only accidentally put together their famous harvest spread while they were rummaging around Plymouth to satisfy the drunchies? It’s true! Cite it in your thesis!

This year, honor our forefathers appropriately by drinking your way through Thursday.

These aren’t just meal pairings—they are the meal.

Pretty Things Saint Botolph’s Town | Toasted Rolls

Saint Botolph’s is a malt bomb of the highest order, but still only clocks in at 5.9 percent ABV, making it a perfect appetizer beer. Staying true to Pretty Things style, the beer falls outside of convention style lines. Dann and Martha call it a Yorkshire dark brown ale and it is brewed with Yorkshire malts, but it’s fermented with a German ale and English yeast strains. The roasted malt comes through strong, as does slightly nutty and toasted notes and a hint of toffee.

[Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project. @prettybeer. prettythingsbeertoday.com]

Harpoon Grateful Harvest Cranberry Ale | Cranberry Sauce

The tangy, sour cranberries are present, and show up more as the beer warms, but still manage to not overpower this amber ale. That makes for a drinkable fruit beer that pairs perfectly with salty, briny turkey. Feel Good Bonus: A local farm donates the cranberries and, in true season-of-giving form, $1 from every six-pack goes to a food bank in the area where it was purchased.

[Harpoon Brewery. @harpoon_brewery. harpoonbrewery.com]

High and Mighty Fumata Nera | Turkey

Smoky beers can often come off as meaty and artificial. No so with Fumata Nera, a smoked black rye lager that’s one of High and Mighty’s newest offerings. It pours a dark, mahogany brown, has a sweet aroma and is perfectly smoky, well-balanced beer with a bite of hops coming through on the end. At 4.5 percent ABV, you can go pile your plate high and go back for a second serving.

[High and Mighty Beer Company. @HandMBEER. highandmightybeer.com]

Boulevard Harvest Dance Wheat Wine | Stuffing

It’s no surprise that this Kansas City brewery knows how to do a wheat beer right.

A bready, malty wheat wine, Harvest Dance is insanely drinkable and tasty—it’s hard not to put back in gulps. It’s also a beautiful beer, with a huge, fluffy white head that sticks around and a hazy golden orange hue. The wheat backbone is balanced by generous Citra hops and plays out nicely with banana and clove flavors.

[Boulevard Brewing Company. @Boulevard_Beer. boulevard.com]

Clown Shoes Pecan Pie Porter | Pecan Pie

You totally thought we were gonna go with a pumpkin beer, didn’t you? Pumpkin beers have reigned dominant over the sweet beers this fall and it’s time for this Pecan Pie Porter to step up to the pint. The aroma is straight pecan pie: nutty, buttery with toasted pecan sweetness. The taste follows the nose and has a creamy, but not too thick, mouthfeel. An ideal dessert beer, it concludes this Beersgiving on a sweet note.

[Clown Shoes Beer. @clownshoesbeer. clownshoesbeer.com]