Beers for the Big Feast

by Matt DeMarco

I have compiled a list of crowd pleasing beers to stock the fridge with for Thanksgiving. If you come to our Thursday tastings, many names will look familiar. It is very important that you know your audience. You do not want a fridge full of IPAs and Stouts when you have all Lager drinkers coming over. If you are not sure what kind of beer everyone drinks but you want to have some sort of craft, I recommend having something lighter like a Lager or Pilsner and a Variety Pack. Also, there is nothing wrong with having Belgian style ales next to Yuengling or Miller Lite in the fridge. Here is a list of beers to stock the fridge with for all different palates:

Lagers/Pilsners:

Bell’s Lager of the Lakes – A crisp Bohemian style lager with a firm malt backbone and just enough hop

bitterness. This will please even the pickiest beer drinker. 5.0% ABV
Brooklyn Lager  - A Vienna style lager with a rich amber color that is malty with a mild floral hop aroma and a caramel finish. A little richer than your average lager but not overwhelming. 5.2% ABV / 30 IBUs
Lagunitas Pils – Czech style pilsner that is loaded with Saaz hops but it is very smooth. A pilsner with a little grit and higher alcohol than most. 6.0% ABV
Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold – A style that originated in Dortmund, Germany, this lager is a delicate balance between sweet malt and dry hop flavors. Subtle hop bitterness and golden color. 5.8% ABV / 30 IBUs
Susquehanna Golden Cold – A pale lager that has a mass appeal to all beer drinkers. This is a crossover beer that everyone will enjoy. Get this instead of Corona or Heineken. 5.0% / 22 IBUs

Wheats/Wittes:

Allagash White – A traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with wheat and spiced with coriander and orange peel. Fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy. 5.0% ABV
Hoegaarden White – This beer has been perfected over 500 years. A traditional Belgian white ale that is light yellow and murky. Pours with a soft foam head. A very delicate beer that is slightly sweet and sour with subtle citrus notes. 4.9% ABV
Avery White Rascal – Another Belgian wheat beer that is unfiltered. Spiced with orange peel and coriander making for a zesty ale. 5.6% ABV / 22 IBUs
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis – Brewed in open fermentation tanks, this unfiltered Bavarian style hefeweizen has notes of spicy clove and banana bread. 4.8% ABV / 15 IBUs

Pale Ales:

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – This iconic pale ale has piney and grapefruit aromas. It is a bottle conditioned classic that is complex and unmatched. This beer has been around a long time for a reason. 5.6% ABV / 38 IBUs
Deschutes Mirror Pond – A Northwest pale ale that is tawny colored and hop-forward. Pale malts help showcase the Cascade hops but does not let them overpower. This is their most popular beer. 5.0% ABV / 40 IBUs
Southern Tier Live – A light copper colored, bottle conditioned pale ale. Light-bodied so the hops hit you upfront and then fade away with a dry finish. Not aggressively hoppy and definitely a crowd pleased. 5.5% ABV
Cigar City Invasion Pale Ale – Very sessionable hoppy beer with notes of tropical fruit and breadiness from the malts. If you light Citrusy hops, this is a must have. This a beer for the more adventurous drinker. 5.0% ABV

IPAs:

Bell’s Two Hearted – One of the best IPAs you can get and it is very highly regarded. Massive additions of Centennial hops give this beer an intense grapefruit and pine resin aroma and flavor while the malts balance it out. This beer is dangerously good. 7.0% ABV
Sierra Nevada Celebration – This seasonal IPA is one of the original American style IPAs that is bottle conditioned and brewed with fresh hops. It has an intense citrus and pine aroma and is very hop forward. This is one of the few holiday beers brewed without spices. A must try IPA. 6.8% ABV / 65 IBUs
River Horse IPA – An American style IPA brewed with American and New Zealand hops. Notes of tropical fruit and citrus. This is a very drinkable IPA with complex hop flavor. 5.7% ABV
Yards Cicada – A dry hopped Belgian style IPA brewed with local wildflower honey. Subtle bubble gum notes from the yeast with a smooth caramel maltiness. Both citrus and earthy flavors round out this beer. A nice balanced IPA with a dry finish. This beer is a treat while it is available. 8.5% ABV / 60 IBUs
Hardywood Park Great Return – An excellent example of a West Coast style IPA with a big grapefruit aroma. This beer is highly rated and should not be passed up. This is brewed on the East Coast and rivals most West Coast IPAs.  7.5% ABV / 70 IBUs

Imperial IPAs:

Uinta Dubhe – This Imperial Black IPA has toasted, chocolaty dark malts that balance with an astronomical amount of hops. Sticky resiny hops with mild chicory and cocoa flavors and a bit of hot alcohol on the backend. This beer balances the best of dark and hoppy in one glass. 9.2% ABV / 109 IBUs
Evolution Lot 6 – Loaded with tropical fruit and citrus notes and deep gold in color. Sticky hops with a nice caramel malt base. Crisp and dry. A very good DIPA that does not disappoint. 8.5% ABV / 75 IBUs
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid – A DIPA that pours golden with a fruity and juicy aroma. A sweet malt backbone helps balance the hoppiness of the beer to make it very drinkable. A little lingering bitterness on the tongue reminds you that you are drinking a hoppy beer. Hoppy without being overpowering is what makes this a go-to Imperial IPA 8.0% ABV
Firestone Walker Double Jack – This is a dangerously drinkable Double IPA. It opens up with bright grapefruit and tangerine aromas. At first sip there are undertones of stone fruit followed by basil and pine. A solid malt backbone brings balance to the hopiness. This is a flawless, world-class beer. 9.5% ABV / 85 IBUs

Belgian Style Ales:

Victory Golden Monkey – Made with whole flower European hops and coriander seed, this Belgian style Tripel is rich and smooth with a light body but with considerable depth. It is dangerously smooth and satisfying. Fear the monkey. 9.5% ABV
Weyebacher Verboten – A Belgian style pale ale with an American twist. It is brewed with pale and wheat malts and then generously hopped with Cascade hops. It is a medium bodied beer that is crisp with a mild bitterness. A very nice Belgian-American hybrid. 5.9% ABV / 30 IBUs
Yards Trubbel De Yards – This beer incorporates the best parts of Dubbels and Tripels. It has the strength and spiciness of a Tripel with the rich malt character of a Dubbel. It has a unique flavor of subtle biscuit, chocolate, and caramel. This is a very unique beer that is a must try. 9.3% ABV / 66 IBUs
Brasserie d'Achouffe La Chouffe – This beer is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Belgium. It is light bodied and has close to a champagne like mouth feel. Dry pale malt with a complex spiciness of clove, cinnamon, black pepper, and a light hoppy presence. This is a great Belgian beer that shows why beers imported from there deserve the hype they receive. 8.0 ABV

Brown Ales:

Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale – A northern English style Brown ale that is made to be paired with cigars or food. Hints of chocolate and espresso combine to make a complex but approachable brown ale. Very easy to drink. 5.5% ABV
Free Will C.O.B. – This is a unique beer. Malt forward ale with notes of caramel, brown sugar, and graham cracker. This beer is aged on coffee. You will want to replace your morning coffee with this beer. 8.3% ABV
Bell’s Best Brown Ale – A smooth toasty brown ale with hints of caramel and cocoa. The malt body had depth to stand up to cool weather but does not come across as heavy. Very balanced thanks to the generous additions of hops. Somewhat sweet with a subtle nutty flavor. Great for this time of year. 5.8% ABV
Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale – This brown ale is named after a chocolate lab and has the color to match it. Chocolate malt gives this beer a brown sugar maltiness with hints of vanilla. It is subtly hopped for an incredibly drinkable beer. Sweet but not too sweet with a wonderful aroma, this is a must try if you like brown ales. 5.5% ABV 28 IBUs

Porters:

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald – A world-class roasty porter that is complex with a bittersweet, chocolate-coffee taste and bold hop flavor. Smooth coffee and chocolate flavor with just enough hops and a dry, chocolate finish. This is one of the best porters you can get in my opinion. 5.8% ABV / 37 IBUs
Stegmaier Porter – This porter is an under the radar beer. It is a surprisingly good full-bodied porter with lightly roasted malt, thin coffee, and chocolate flavors. You will not be disappointed by this sessionable porter. 5.6% ABV / 25 IBUs
Deschutes Black Butte Porter – A dark beer that you can drink year-round, this mildly sweet porter has a creamy mouthfeel and an upfront slight hop bitterness with a chocolate and roasted finish. Delicate and complex flavors make for a beer that you can’t put down. 5.2% ABV / 30 IBUs
Brew Bus Double Decker Porter – An English style porter with notes of chocolate and toffee with a little brown sugar. Slightly bitter with a light roasted flavor and chocolate. Very little hops and almost no alcohol taste. A beer with a nice silky chocolate character. 6.5% ABV / 34 IBUs

Stouts:

Bear Republic Big Bear Stout – A big, black stout with a bold, roast, caramel malt flavor balanced by Centennial and Cascade hops. This is a perfect fireside beer and is one of mine and Joe’s favorites this time of year. 8.15 ABV / 55 IBUs
Sierra Nevada Stout – Black as night and big, rich, bold. This world-class stout has a nice balance between the malts and hops with a creamy body and a dry finish. A real treat to drink.   5.8% ABV / 50 IBUs
Founders Breakfast Stout – This beer is what breakfast should be. Strong coffee with dark chocolate and roasted bitterness. I normally don’t mention number ratings for beer but this beer is rated 100 and it deserves it. This is a big beer and should be served closer to room temperature. 8.3% ABV / 60 IBUs
North Coast Old Rasputin – Borrowing a line from Joe, pours dark as the bottom of the basement stairs. A roasted malt and boozy aroma. Smooth mouthfeel that has a hop bitterness and roasted malt taste with a sweet finish. It is a very complex beer. The best way I can describe it is a flavor explosion. Another highly rated, world-class beer. 9.0% ABV / 75 IBUs

Variety Packs:

Deschutes Variety – Six different beers in one case! Includes: Black Butte Porter, Obsidian Stout, Inversion IPA, Chainbreaker White IPA, Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and River Ale. One of our best sellers.
Great Lakes Sampler Pack – Great Lakes makes great beer. Dortmunder Gold Lager, Elliot Ness Amber Lager, Burning River Pale Ale, and Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. This sampler pack is one of the few that does not contain an IPA.
Fegley’s Brew Works Variety – This case has six of their beers. Steelgaarden Wit, Knuckleball Blonde, Always Sunny Pale Ale, Hop Explosion IPA, Pawnshop Porter, and Devious Imperial Pumpkin. A very affordable variety case with six great beers.
Stone Mixed Pack – One of the best deals in the store. IPA, Ruination IPA, Sublimely Self-Righteous Black Ale, and Arrogant Bastard. These are big beers that are highly rated.
Sierra Nevada Snowpack – New this year and available till they are gone. Features: Pale Ale, Boomerang IPA, Porter, and Coffee Stout. A nice mix of world class beers.
Victory Variety Pack – This pack has there four core beers that everyone loves. It includes Hop Devil, Prima Pils, Headwaters Pale Ale, and Golden Monkey. This case would make any beer lover happy.

Just remember to buy beer you are okay getting stuck with (not that a fridge full of beer is bad thing). If you need any help, Joe and I are available to drink any leftover beer. Whatever you are drinking this holiday, enjoy it and have a happy Thanksgiving!!!