Lana Del Beer's 2016 Thanksgiving Picks!

One week until Thanksgiving, Ya'll!

For my husband and I (and new addition, Pliny the Poodle),
it is a day of REST.

Two words: retail life. 

This will be the second year where we stay in pajamas all day, watch Christmas movies, and cook A LOT of food....and drink a few delicious beers, of course! 

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One of my rules for picking out Thanksgiving beers (and this is just a personal preference) is that they be large format bottles of 500ml and up. Why? Because those are made for sharing! And that's what the holiday is about, right? I also try to pick things that were released this year to keep the holiday new and refreshing! So let's see what I've chosen....

LANA'S TOP 5 THANKSGIVING BEERS OF 2016
(in no paticular order)

MANTRA ARTISAN ALES CASSIS (6.2% abv)

Cassis is Mantra's Flanders Red, Amour Rouge, aged on oak with black currants and tart cherries. At 6.2% abv, when poured into a glass you might think it was red wine. This is a beer I would recommend to the sour beer lover as it is nice and tart! With the flavors of the fruit and core of solid acidity, those two things together make it a great food beer. The fruit profile will complement all the side dishes and the acidity will cut thru any richness or fat. Forget the cranberry sauce! This beer will be a much better accompaniment. It will also be a nice balancing act to the turkey which has natural sweetness and dryness (not the bad kind of dry). The tart fruit will add a level of juiciness without drying out the bird and will level out the richness of the crackling golden skin.

Get your good Riedel red wine glasses out to totally enjoy this beer!

Wine it relates to: Beaujolais 

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BLACKBERRY FARM + FULLSTEAM DAILY MIEL (6.3%abv)

Crafted in collaboration with Fullsteam Brewery. A rustic Farmhouse Ale brewed with two varieties of spelt, aged Noble hops, and over 6 pounds per barrel of Carolina Piedmont and Tennessee Foothills honey. Fermented with both of our unique house yeast strains, this complex and satisfying ale embraces the hive mentality.

This is one of the latest offerings from Blackberry Farm. I do believe all their beers are fantastic food beers, but I'm looking forward to taking this one home with me for Thanksgiving. With the addition of honey to the beer, you are going to get that added body without the sweetness. The aged Noble hops will add just a touch of grassy aroma but mostly act as a bittering agent for the beer. The honeyed malt profile is going to especially complement the roasted skin of the turkey without being too dry. The beer has enough body and cutting power to stand up to most of the rich dishes without being overpowered.

​Wine it relates to: Extra Dry Sparkling Wine 

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PERENNIAL SAISON DE LIS (5%abv)

Another farmhouse ale, Lana? Well, other than being my favorite style, they typically make perfect food beers, especially the Thanksgiving meal which is bursting with sweet, savory and herbal flavors...much like the flavors found in Saisons. This beer is Belgian style, so you'll be getting more of the fruity esters on this one along with the floral tea-like component from the chamomile. It is yeasty and slightly tart making it a refreshingly dry beer. Try this one with your traditional stuffing: the fruity/spicy profile of the beer will find solace in the herbs of the stuffing while the tart effervescence will cut thru the richness of the bread and stock.

Wine it relates to: Albarino

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PERENNIAL GLITTER & GOLD (6.5%abv)

ANOTHER Perennial, you say!? Oh, yes! This Belgian style ale brewed with honey is another wonderful, food-friendly release from the fellas in St. Louis. 

a Midwest bier de miel brewed with Missouri honey, a good grip of spelt, and flaked oats. Soft and billowy, yet intensely floral.

This beer is different than the previously listed beer from Blackberry Farm above because of the use of a Belgian yeast strain. In this beer, you get more of the banana, clove, spice on the nose and palate along with a honeyed malt profile without being cloyingly sweet. Bread dough, hay, citrus, fruit, and spiciness along with a medium-level effervescence are some of the things you should expect from this beer.

Imagine it as the fresh bread to your meal. It goes with everything!

​Wine it relates to: California Chardonnay

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SIERRA NEVADA GINGER BIGFOOT

Last but not least....you gotta have the dessert beer! Whether you pair this with pumpkin pie or enjoy it by itself, you will not be disappointed.

Sierra Nevada took their classic Bigfoot Barleywine and aged it in bourbon barrels with fresh ginger. What you get is a rich beer with flavors of vanilla, toffee, brown sugar and spicy ginger clocking in at a hefty 11.4% abv. Imagine this paired with chess pie (my favorite)!

​Wine this relates to: Vintage Tawny Port

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There ya have it, folks!

There's a lot of great beers out there, so choose your Thanksgiving beer based on your preferences. But I hope my suggestions have helped get the gears in your brain turning!

Looking forward to this week of helping customers pick out what they're drinking next Thursday. One of the joys of working in a small business is being able to help customers choose the libation they will share with their families whether it be to accompany the meal or to make a toast to celebrate this season of giving. Oh, the feels!

And of course...

**Remember to SHOP LOCAL. It is very important to keep YOUR dollars in YOUR community. That way, small business can keep bringing in new beers, wines, liquors for you...our customers.** 

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Happy Holidays, everyone!

I shall leave you with a picture of my little turkey, Pliny.

Cheers! - Lana