Did you know that November 1 is Learn to Home Brew Day? If you have noticed the prices of beer in the grocery store, you might be considering this new hobby. I did brew my own beer in the past and it was an enjoyable hobby, but then craft brewing took off and there were many excellent beers to choose!
If you would like to try home brewing your own beer, there are many kits available from simple to spaceship level brewing. When I home brewed, I had a 5-gallon stockpot, a 5-gallon glass carboy, a sieve, some used glass bottles, and some vinyl tubing. Pretty simple equipment. Now you can purchase all stainless-steel vats with computer technology that does it all, heats, cools, and controls fermentation – almost everything but the drinking of the beer. Since it is November, might be good to hint around that home brewing equipment would be a great holiday gift. Once you have the equipment, there is a great shop in Fort Myers to find all your ingredients!
Happy Thanksgiving! Many of you will be hosting or traveling to be with friends and family for the Thanksgiving holiday. This holiday is all about giving thanks and sharing great food and drink with those that you care about. And guess what – beer goes really well with Thanksgiving dinner!
If you are hosting, be prepared for beer lovers at your table that might prefer beer over wine with dinner. What to serve with dinner?
You could consider beers specific to the holiday, a cranberry-themed beer or a pumpkin-themed beer. Some cranberry-themed beers include styles that are light and effervescent and would pick up on the cranberry sauce and would act as a palate cleanser between bites. Bubbles in beer help to cleanse the palate! Here are some examples of cranberry-themed beers: Creature Comforts Brewing Company Athena Paradiso Berliner Weisse from Athens, Ga., and Jack’s Abbey Cranberry Berliner from Framingham, Mass.
For pumpkin-themed beers, try Samuel Adams Jack-O Pumpkin Ale from Boston, Mass., and Elysian Brewing Night Owl Pumpkin Ale from Seattle, Wash.
Thanksgiving dinner has many delicious flavors – roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, squash, cranberry sauce, and casseroles – all of these flavors allow for many beers to complement dinner. I would suggest something lower in alcohol but with still enough flavor to match up with dinner. Session IPAs have enough malty flavors to match up to the roasted turkey, stuffing and gravy and a snap of bitterness from the hops to cleanse that palate between bites. Founders All Day IPA and Cigar City Jai Low are two well-known examples. Another possible pairing is German Dunkel – this is a low in alcohol beer that has a light toasted and roasted flavor that would pair well with stuffing and turkey. Spaten Dunkel and Ayringer Dunkel are two great examples.
Have fun preparing for Thanksgiving and if you are unsure what your beer drinking guests would like, just ask! Beer drinkers are always willing to share what their favorite beer is! As always, drink responsibly and enjoy the holidays in November!
