Eric Cripe,
Certified Cicerone and Beer Manager, The Jug Shop, San Francisco
Thanksgiving:
Turkey and the
Trimmings:
Ommegang
"Scythe and Sickle" Harvest Ale
The rich malt character is balanced beautifully by the spicy
and earthy yeast character making it a perfect accompaniment to
traditional Thanksgiving fare.
Pumpkin Pie:
Midnight Sun
"TREAT" Chocolate Pumpkin Imperial Porter
Dominated by a huge pumpkin nose that is contrasted by
roasty malt, a touch of chocolate and a bit of clove and cinnamon. Makes
pumpkin pie taste more pumpkiny.
Christmas:
Ballast Point
"Indra Kunindra" Indian Export Stout
Imperial stout brewed with Kafir lime, curry, coconut and cumin.
The spices make this beer incredibly complex and it has me thinking about the
holiday season and the exotic aromas of the east.
New Years:
Dungeness Crab:
To Øl
Snowball Saison
Super-clean and dry saison from Denmark. Perfect to cut the
richness of Dungeness crab.
Christian Albertson, Monks Kettle, San Francisco
“My all-around
pick for the holiday season is Avec Les
Bons Voeux from Brasserie Dupont. My wife's family is very large and
we all get together and bring different dishes, so I bring items with me that
pair well with a variety of foods:
Thanksgiving: I'm bringing The Bruery's
Autumn Maple (it's excellent aged 2 years).
Christmas: This will be after the release of FiftyFifty's Eclipse series this year, so I'll bring one of those:
not sure which barrel-aged version I'm bringing, but again it's probably going
to be vintage. This is the after dinner drink. For during dinner (ham),
I'll probably bring a biere de garde like La
Bavaisienne or Gavroche.
New Year's: DeuS
Fraggle,
Co-Owner, Beer Revolution, Oakland
Deschutes
the Abyss
As a main dish: “portebello mushrooms with
grilled grazed veggies. Roasted brussel sprouts, that sort of thing.”
With dessert: “Something heavy. A big
chocolate cheesecake or tiramisu.”
Het
anker Gouden Carolus Noel/Xmas
“Going out on a limb here, but I really think it would go well with braised/roasted leeks. I'm crazy. It’s OK. I know. Also with truffles, a fruit bowl with dark grapes, figs, dates, sliced plums.”
“Going out on a limb here, but I really think it would go well with braised/roasted leeks. I'm crazy. It’s OK. I know. Also with truffles, a fruit bowl with dark grapes, figs, dates, sliced plums.”
Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux
Banana bread, pumpkin pie.
Banana bread, pumpkin pie.
d'Achouffe
N'Ice Chouffe
“I'd go with a rich vegetable stew, with heavy savory spices. Lotsa potatoes and hearty mushrooms. Mushrooms never let you down.”
“I'd go with a rich vegetable stew, with heavy savory spices. Lotsa potatoes and hearty mushrooms. Mushrooms never let you down.”
Sierra
Nevada Celebration
“Mixing it up a bit here. Squash ravioli with fennel, with lots of Italian spices—something with a little zing to complement the hops.”
Mahrs Xmas Bock
“I think I’m the only one at Beer Rev to adore this beer. Pair with apple sausage from Field Roast or chocolate torte.”
Jen Muehlbauer, Beer Revolution Server and Beer Blogger
“Keep your holiday spice beers that taste like cinnamon, mistletoe and reindeer butt! I'll just take something dark and strong.
“Mixing it up a bit here. Squash ravioli with fennel, with lots of Italian spices—something with a little zing to complement the hops.”
Mahrs Xmas Bock
“I think I’m the only one at Beer Rev to adore this beer. Pair with apple sausage from Field Roast or chocolate torte.”
Jen Muehlbauer, Beer Revolution Server and Beer Blogger
“Keep your holiday spice beers that taste like cinnamon, mistletoe and reindeer butt! I'll just take something dark and strong.
“I look forward to Drake's Jolly Rodger every winter. It changes style every year, and
this year I'm extra excited because it's an American barley wine. I said ‘American’
and ‘Drake's,’ so prepare for a full-on hop assault along with the dark, sweet
malt. If there were hop-haters coming to dinner, I'd substitute an
English-style barley wine like Pretty
Things' delicious Our Finest Regards.
“It's not a holiday seasonal (yet?), but
I'm in love with Ale Industries' new Dueling
Pipers, a cranked-up version of their brown rye ale Rye'd Piper. At more than 12% ABV, this would
normally be too boozy for me, but the Heaven Hill rye whisky barrels it aged in
did some freaky voodoo on it. My husband's exact words upon tasting it were,
"Buy every bottle you can find."
Finally, this may lose me cred in beer geek circles, but I buy the hell out of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale every single year. This off-label Unibroue is a tradition from back when $5 was a lot of money for me to be spending on a fancy beer bottle. It's not the most complex Belgian dark strong ale out there, but it's a good solid value and it reminds me of times gone by, which makes any beer taste better.
Food pairings? Eat first, then have any of these for dessert. Problem solved. Happy holidays!”
Finally, this may lose me cred in beer geek circles, but I buy the hell out of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale every single year. This off-label Unibroue is a tradition from back when $5 was a lot of money for me to be spending on a fancy beer bottle. It's not the most complex Belgian dark strong ale out there, but it's a good solid value and it reminds me of times gone by, which makes any beer taste better.
Food pairings? Eat first, then have any of these for dessert. Problem solved. Happy holidays!”
Bryan
Brick, K and L Wine Merchants, Redwood City
West County Cider
"Redfield" Cider, Massachusetts 750ml ($15.99)
“I'm really looking forward to drinking this on Thanksgiving
day. After a two-year absence in the market due to a tragic accident at the
facility, this cider is back and as good as ever. From an heirloom apple
variety called Redfield, this cider is rose in color due to the fact that the
flesh of the apple is pink in color. Aromas of fresh yeast, pomegranate and
clover lead to a dry, tannic body with snappy acidity and surprising flesh.
This is a perfect foil for a brined and smoked Turkey stuffed with duck sausage
and portobello mushroom stuffing.”
Brasserie Dupont "Avec les Bons Voeux" Saison, Belgium 750ml
($10.99)
“This is probably my all-time favorite ‘holiday’ beer. Let
me explain: Generally holiday beers are dark, dense and made with of spices
like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, etc. This is anything but heavy and spicy. A
stronger and fuller saison from arguably the king of saisons, this is a perfect
beer in my opinion. From its heady, solid pour to the estery, bready nose to
the grassy and vibrant flavors of stone fruit and lemon zest, this is a beer
that I could drink year-round without issue. I love this with a simple dish of
Pernod steamed mussels or some fresh crab. Traditionally, since 1970, the
brewery gives this bottle as New Years gifts to their best clients. I've done
the same, with wonderful results.”
“When I do want the spice-driven holiday beer, this is where
I head. A rotational recipe depending on the year, this year's beer has
certainly been hopped up a bit and has a lovely piney bitterness to go with
layered flavors of grated nutmeg and gingerbread. Magnums of this make great
gifts and are wonderful party favors. I love passing a magnum of this around a
holiday party while hors d'oeuvres are served.”
Ken Weaver, Beer Writer
“For the Thanksgiving table, we'll
typically serve New Glarus Raspberry
Tart, a saison from Brasserie Dupont (Avril,
Saison Dupont, Avec les Bons Voeux), and something sour and effervescent as
an aperitif (Russian River, 3 Fonteinen).
Winter seasonals I always look forward to: Sierra Nevada Celebration, Hair
of the Dog Doggie Claws, Moonlight
Toast, FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse
and Bell's Expedition Stout, for
sure. Most of those are more of a nightcap.
Cheers!”
David
L. Hauslein, Healthy Spirits, San Francisco
“As holiday beers go, I'm partial to the De Dolle Stille Nacht. With its five-hour
boil time and copious amounts of pale malt, it has as much in common with an
English barley wine as it does with a Belgian strong ale. Rich and lush, with
flavors of brown sugar, figs and cognac. There's a significant hoppy backbone
running through to keep it from ever approaching cloying sweetness. If you have
the patience to age a bottle for five years or so, it is well worth the investment.
“Like an English barley
wine, the sticky caramel sweetness of Stille Nacht is an excellent foil for a
sharp, salty piece of Stilton. I recommend anything from Colston Bassett.
“If you want
something lighter that will pair with a wide range of sweet and savory holiday
foods, I'd try a saison or biere de garde. Biere de gardes are slightly darker
than saisons, with a soft, nutty sweetness. They are usually moderately hopped,
which makes them great with anything spicy or fatty. Saisons are spritzier,
with more of the flavor profile dominated by the fruit esters imparted by the
yeast. Both are versatile, and refreshing enough that you could drink them
throughout the day. For a biere de garde I would try Lost Abbey's Gift of the Magi. This 10% abv is higher in alcohol
than the regular version (Lost Abbey's
Avant Garde) but benefits from a striking burst of earthy, sour funk on the
back end. For a saison, I would always recommend Saison Du Pont's holiday
release Avec Les Bons Voeux for
starters. It's a classic. Or you could try Jolly
Pumpkin.”
Jade
and Roberto, Co-Owners, Hoptech Homebrew in Dublin and Avid Home Brewers
“Wow, lots of
questions. Not so good at pairing. Love Anchor
Christmas Beer, St. Bernardus
Christmas Ale. Ninkasi Sleigher
is a fav. Holiday beers have a little something extra in them that makes the
difference‑-or is it just because we can only get them at holidays?”
Brian Yaeger, Beer
Writer, Portland
“Some favorites include Anchor OSA of course! The
Bruery's Autumn Maple is a Thanksgiving classic, as is a small Portland
brewery called Coalition that does a
maple porter (both a co-owner and the syrup they use are from Vermont). My
favorite Portland beer festival is the Holiday
Ale Fest (Nov. 28-Dec. 2 this year), which features around 50 distinct
beers (all debuting at the fest). It takes place right in Pioneer Square and
it's one of the few beer festivals where it's hard to find a bad beer in the
bunch. As for pairing, I'm sort of a classicist. My table isn't complete
without Anchor OSA with turkey and all the trimmings. Of course, it's my mom's
(and now my wife's) chocolate chip pumpkin bread that steels the show. And Midnight Sun's TREAT is the obvious and
perfect compliment to it.
