Beer GuideN.W. Beer GuideNovember 21, 2012Beer Pairing, Pairing Guide, British Columbia Beer Guide, Idaho Beer Guide, Oregon Beer Guide, Washington Beer GuideComment

Pairing Guide: Thanksgiving/Christmas: Dessert with Dessert Beers

Beer GuideN.W. Beer GuideNovember 21, 2012Beer Pairing, Pairing Guide, British Columbia Beer Guide, Idaho Beer Guide, Oregon Beer Guide, Washington Beer GuideComment

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and boy did you ever mess up. That is, assuming that you haven't been the grocery store for anything remotely related to Thanksgiving drinks. Today we give you the third installment of our series of suggestions for Thanksgiving beer pairings--this one focusing on dessert. Here are some suggestions to enjoy with that fresh-baked pie (or store-bought cake).

Apple Pie (mom's or otherwise). As American as this dish is (brought from England by the colonists) it has many variations from the crust (graham cracker?) to the filler (Granny Smiths rock). Try it with:

Pike's XXXXX Stout
Port Brewing's Santa's Little Helper
Port Brewing's Old Viscosity
Two Beers Jive Espresso Stout
Maritime Bosun Black
Silver City Imperial Stout
Deschutes Jubelale

Pumpkin Pie. With filling (canned) or from scratch, you can't go wrong with matching spice with spice.

Elysian Night Owl (if it's still around)
Anchor Christmas Ale

Chocolate Cake or Brownies: Rehashed from last year's suggestion, shoot for something dark with chocolate and coffee. Here are some morning joe and chocolate in a glass suggestions.

Elysian Dragonstooth
Hale's Troll Porter
Pike's XXXXX Stout
Silver City Imperial Stout
Southern Tier Mokah
Flyers Pacemaker Porter

Finally, we turn our attention to the morning after Thanksgiving with a recipe for spent grain pancakes, made from grains that previously were used to produce beer. All you need to do is contact a local brewery (ie, Elysian, Maritime Pacific, Hales, Big Al, Pikes, Big Time, Fremont, Two Beers, Schooner Exact). Warning, breweries dispose of grain all the time, so call and find out the day they are brewing in order to get the freshest leftovers. The recipe will work after you have dried the grains (in the oven on low heat). Combine the ingredients below and make them the same way you make your garden-variety pancakes.