It's finally here, the one day a year where it is completely socially acceptable consume so much food that your pants no longer fit. That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's Thanksgiving.
You've been planning for weeks what kind of food to bring to the holiday gathering. You've even picked out what you are going to wear. That's all that you need right? Wrong.
What you drink with this well thought out delicious meal does in fact matter. Don't worry though, I've got you covered here with a list of the top five beers for turkey day. Also I'm keeping this list inside the U.S. because this holiday is by far the most American one ever, next to Fourth of July of course.
#1 Three Philosophers
Brewed by Brewery Ommegang, this beer starts off our list strong. And by strong I mean 9.7 ABV strong. If you aren't careful this one will definitely knock you on your ass (which may be exactly what you want if you are being surrounded by family all day). Being a Quad, Three Philosophers has the traditional spicy aroma but it is blended with a kriek (for those that don't know this is a type of cherry beer) so it has a fruitiness to it as well. I would highly suggest this beer to be sipped right before dinner to wake up your taste buds or it would go great with any kind of chocolate desert.
#2 Bigfoot Barleywine - Style Ale
To keep our list on the strong side (9.6% ABV), Sierra Nevada has created one of my favorite barleywines. Bigfoot Barleywine is probably the missing link at your Thanksgiving meal because the robust flavors can pair with almost any dish. One of the big selling points for this beer is the fact that it can be aged like a wine. Under the right conditions, Bigfoot Barleywine can be aged to have new and unique flavors. If your get together is getting boring then trying a few bottles at different stages of aging is the perfect way to reinvigorate the conversation.
#3 Snow Drop
I'm going to be keeping this selection close to home, which means you might have trouble finding this one. If any of you are lucky enough to live near Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland Colorado, Snow Drop is the perfect golden ale to add to the Thanksgiving fridge. The taste has been described as a cross between a kolsch and blonde ale style, but I think that the coolest part of this beer is that there is no distinguishable yeast flavor that lingers in your mouth. Coming in at 7.1% ABV, this beer is sure to keep you warm through all your Thanksgiving Day activities but not fill you up like some of the other brews on this list.
#4 Obsidian Stout
No beer list created by me would be complete without a good stout (by far my favorite style) and the brewers over at Deschutes Brewery have provided us with a fantastic one. Obsidian Stout is one of the closest examples I can think of to a classic stout. The flavor profile is geared to the coffee and chocolate malts that you can pick up in the aroma but it also has a very light and enjoyable hop note towards the end. While great for Thanksgiving, this is a beer that I would suggest everyone buy a few extra of because you are going to want to drink this later on as well.
#5 Original Sin Hard Cider
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I know exactly what you're thinking and I know a cider isn't technically a beer. However ciders are great to break up the routine and most people will probably be surprised how much they enjoy them. Also there are quite a bit of stuffing recipes that call for apples to be cubed up and mixed in, so this would pair great. The group over at Original Sin Hard Ciders have been making this since 1994 from New York apples.While they do make an extra dry version of this, I personally like the original better. Not overly sweet, this is a beverage all taste buds can appreciate and enjoy.
Let me know in the comments below if you agree with my selection or maybe you have another beer you would want to add to the list. Thanks for reading and have a great Thanksgiving!
Cheers!
-Brian
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