Does anyone else brew a beer specifically for Thanksgiving? I started this tradition last year with a beer I named “Gravitude.” I classified it as as a double amber. Gravitude 2013 is a foreign extra stout.
I usually start with a basic pale ale recipe, add 3lb of uncooked stuffing to the mash(make sure you account for the absorption, which is much higher than grain). Then with 20min left in the boil I add 1lb thin sliced breast meat(the dark meat kills the head of the beer). Chill and ferment, add 1 can cranberry sauce a week before kegging.
:lol: Just kidding
:cheers:
[quote=“ipa”]I usually start with a basic pale ale recipe, add 3lb of uncooked stuffing to the mash(make sure you account for the absorption, which is much higher than grain). Then with 20min left in the boil I add 1lb thin sliced breast meat(the dark meat kills the head of the beer). Chill and ferment, add 1 can cranberry sauce a week before kegging.
:lol: Just kidding
:cheers: [/quote]
You came up with it, you try it!
I did a pumpkin ale for an after dinner beer that pairs well with spicy food cause it brings out the sweetness of the pumpkin.
I’ve never brewed a beer specifically for Thanksgiving, but this year I have a smoked apple beer on tap that should go perfectly with turkey.
I’m surprised that nobody else does this–judging from the lack of responses. We host Thanksgiving at our house, so it only seemed natural to brew a beer for the occasion.
I think the problem here is that you must get ready for Thanksgiving as early as late August. I am not capable of thinking that far ahead. That is why I will have some Summer Ale for Christmas.
I treat this just like any other seasonal beer I plan to brew. 
I timed my Saison de Noel to be ready for Thanksgiving - I think it’s going to pair nicely with the feast. Timing it was pretty easy - make the last summer brew a saison and reuse the yeast for the noel - age through to Thanksgiving and voila holiday beer.
I have a keg of Patersbier that should go well with the turkey - really just a palate refresher. For after dinner, I’ll open up some IIPA (Duder’s Abrasive Ale clone) that has begun to mellow a bit and is more like a small barleywine. It’s really well-balanced right now. Tons of malt and still a great hop flavor/aroma, but the bitterness has faded quite a bit. The higher alcohol makes it a good after-dinner sipper.
I think a spruce or juniper beer might be nice for this season too.
We have a Maple Pumpkin Ale that was brewed specifically to be shared at thanksgiving. It went over well during the days festivities.
A smoked apple beer?!My hat’s off to you, my good man! That sounds to me like it could be a disasterous experiment, but if you’ve got it on tap, I guess it must be good! Keep on brewing!
I usually just start drinking what ever I have brewed for my Christmas beer. This year it was a Strong, English Brown Ale. A friend brought over a 6 pack of Sam Adams so I just drank a couple of bottles of that. He was pouring and I was busy cooking and trying to get everything on the table at the same time so I appreciated the bar service.
A smoked apple beer?!My hat’s off to you, my good man! That sounds to me like it could be a disasterous experiment, but if you’ve got it on tap, I guess it must be good! Keep on brewing! [/quote]
Wish I could claim credit for the idea, but it’s dmtaylo2’s recipe. You can find it in the following thread:
And yes, it is quite good. Neither the apple nor the smoke dominate, with a really nice blending for all the flavors.
I usually just go with a couple growlers of what I have on tap and then bust into the cellar and break out a few rare or aged bottles. Took a brewing hiatus this summer so currently only had a pale on tap but it turned out nicely.
Only a few real beer lovers in the family so brought a 22 of 2011 Black Gold and a 22 of 2011 Old Stoner (thanks Denny) along for a post dinner drink. The sister in law came up with a Oreo cookie cheesecake that went so well with the Black gold it was ridiculous. The Old Stoner is fantastic and as much as i want to let it age some more I really want to drink a bunch more like right now…
I usually try to have something ready to drink at Thanksgiving, but I don’t really brew something specifically for it. This year we had Denny’s Rye PA and a pumpkin ale.
