Pumpkin pie – Craft Beer Explorer

As you plan your Thanksgiving this year, don’t overlook the most important part… no, not turkey… Great craft beer!

Here are Craft Beer Explorer’s suggestions to complete your perfect Thanksgiving meal.

Aperitif – Saison Dupont (Brasserie Dupont, Belgium)

Think champagne! This saison has just a touch of the classic Belgian funk, but is full of bright fruity flavors that open your taste buds. It has a creamy banana mouth feel, with a dry cider like finish. It is a little more on the bitter side, unlike most of the American made Belgian style ales that seem to be mildly sweet. Saison Dupont would be a perfect light start to your long day of eating.

Alternatives:

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, The Lost Abbey Carnevale, Goose Island Sofie

Turkey Dinner – Oktoberfest (Lakefront Brewery, Wisconsin)

This beer is a great authentic American tribute to the traditional German Oktoberfest Lager. This amber lager has a slightly nutty quality which makes it stand out from others of the style. Most Oktoberfests will compliment turkey or honey glazed ham well, and pair nicely with semi spicy sausage stuffing. The crispness of the lagers is a nice compliment to traditional Thanksgiving fare, but amber ales will work great as well.

Alternatives:

New Belgium Fat Tire, Santa Fe Oktoberfest, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest, Avery The Kaiser

Dessert – Pumking (Southern Tier, New York)

Pumpkin pie in a bottle. Southern Tier has perfected the art pumpkin beer with Pumking, and this year it seems more readily available than ever before. Pair this beer with your Pumpkin, Apple, Sweet Potato or Pecan pies for a perfect balance of sweetness and spice. If you have not tasted “the king”, you have not truly experienced pumpkin beer.

Alternatives:

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Clown Shoes Genghis Pecan, Left Hand Milk Stout, Carton Pumpkin Cream Ale

Digestif – Imperial Russian Stout (Stone Brewing, California)

What better way to finish your day than a big and boozy slow sipper? Stone Imperial Russian Stout evokes flavors such as dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate. The high ABV will help move that turkey right on down and leave you feeling relaxed and warm, just as you would while sipping a fine scotch to finish your holiday. Don’t forget to use a snifter to properly release all of the complexities of these beers.

Alternatives: Sierra Nevada Narwhal, Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout, Marin Brewing Old Dipsea Barleywine

All of us at Craft Beer Explorer wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. Cheers!

Carton Brewing (Atlantic Highlands, NJ)

My name is Brian Russ, and I may be… a bit of a pumpkin addict. What can I say? I’m a sucker for fall. It gets me every time. Coffee, lattes, pies, pancakes, candles and obviously BEER.

Although, with the abundance of the pumpkin beer love that I partake in from September – November, it is far too often that I am left feeling slightly disappointed. Everyone tries, but so many fail to capture that perfect feeling of fall-in-a-glass.

Carton Brewing takes the pumpkin beer to a different level with Pumpkin Cream Ale. A 9% ABV cream ale, with the intention of actually featuring (gasp!) PUMPKIN as the primary flavor. What a novel idea.

Owner Augie Carton says of typical pumpkin beers, that they “end up just being beers that taste like the spices you flavor pumpkin pie with”. Augie and brewer Jesse Ferguson teamed up to create a beer to highlight pumpkin flavor as it is used in other culinary areas, not just pumpkin pie. Augie states that they pulled inspiration from flavors typically found in pumpkin soup for this recipe.

Pumpkin Cream Ale pours a rich golden color, with a thin white head, leaving a nice lacing on your glass. The high ABV is hidden well, there is no noticeable bite. Pink peppercorns, orange zest and ginger round out the flavor profile in this incredibly flavorful, warming beer.

Carton Pumpkin Cream Ale is a limited release, with only 30 barrels brewed this year. You can find Carton’s unique brews at the brewery, and at many restaurants, bars and liquor stores throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.

For more information on Carton Brewing:

www.cartonbrewing.com

https://www.facebook.com/cartonbrewing

For more information on Pumpkin Cream Ale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5WXEVzWxMw

Cheers!