Last week Geoff at Seattle Beer News wrote an article about pairing beers with Thanksgiving dinner. I left a comment on his post, with my beer choices for this Thanksgiving. Since then, my dinner plans have changed and as a result, by beer choices. My wife and I are now preparing a small Thanksgiving lunch for the two of us and her mother.
With a scaled down guest list, we also scaled down our meal, opting for fish over turkey. My wife, being a pescetarian, wasn’t heartbroken.
The new menu is:
Pumpkin Ravioli w/ Hazelnut Cream Sauce
Fried Mashed Potatoes
Dijon Crusted Halibut
Asparagus with Capers
To accompany the new menu, I now plan to serve:
Rogue – Hazelnut Brown Nectar
While this is an beer more commonly paired with meat dish, I think it will pair nicely with the heavy body of the ravioli. The low bitterness and nutty flavor of the Brown will work well with the sweetness of the dish.
Ommegang – Hennepin
This farmhouse with be served with the halibut. The crisp fruity taste should compliment the lemon and spices used in the fish. It also has the carbonation and light body that I am looking for.
I will also be purchasing some winter ales this weekend. Tiffany and I decided to round up a group of seasonals for a winter themed Weekend Haul. Our plan is to hold a taste-off using all the common Oregon winter ales (those easily available in six packs).
Unfortunately, that gave us only eight beers to work with.
BridgePort – Ebenezer
Cascade Lakes – Santa’s Little Helper
Deschutes – Jubelale
Full Sail – Wassail
McTarnahan – HumBug’r
Pyramid – Snow Cap
Rogue – Santa’s Private Reserve
Widmer – Brrr
We filled our group out to twelve by adding a few more from the region.
Alaskan – Winter Ale
New Belgium – 2 Below
Redhook – Winterhook
Sierra Nevada – Celebration Ale
Our results will be posted shortly after the taste-off this weekend. If there are any beers I overlooked, let me know and I will try to squeeze them in. I am trying to stick with common winter ales from the west. I already have Sam Adams Winterfest as the emergency backup, in case one of our picks is not available. I am also taking suggestions for a future winter themed Weekend Haul, devoted to some of the less common seasonal bombers.
Cheers!
Kevin