Save room for dessert (beer). Try these beer and pie pairings when you polish off your Thanksgiving feast.
Jester King Le Petit Prince with Cherry Pie (Austin, Texas)
Jester King’s table beer, Le Petit Prince, will complement a cherry pie made from sweet or sour cherries, or just about any item on the Thanksgiving table for that matter. This delicate, highly attenuated ale is brewed with two-row malt, wheat, Czech Saaz hops, and farmhouse yeast. It has a bright, dry finish that makes it versatile, and extremely drinakable at only 2.8 percent ABV.
Commons Brewery Urban Farmhouse with Apple Pie (Portland, Oregon)
Mirror the funky earthiness of apples with a hops-forward farmhouse ale from Common Brewery in Portland, Oregon. This golden Belgian-style ale is another beer that would pair well with most foods at the Thanksgiving table—it’s a drinkable 5.3 percent ABV with a fresh floral nose and a refreshingly dry, hoppy finish.
Wicked Weed Brewing Black Angel with Boysenberry Pie (Asheville, North Carolina)
The flagship sour ale by Asheville’s Wicked Weed Brewing is brewed with more than a pound of sweet and tart cherries per barrel and aged with souring bacteria in bourbon barrels. It’s sweet, tart, earthy—just like fresh boysenberry pie.
Alaskan Brewing Heritage Coffee Brown Ale with Pecan Pie (Juneau, Alaska)
Rich pecan pie calls for a beer that’s just as complex that finishes dry to cut its intense sweetness. Go for the big cocoa, hazelnut, and roasty flavors in Alaskan’s Heritage Coffee Brown Ale brewed with Brazilian Paixao coffee from Heritage Coffee Roasting Company in Juneau. Heritage belongs to Alaskan’s Pilot Series of limited-edition bombers.
Great Divide Brewing Yeti Imperial Stout With Chocolate Cream Pie (Denver, Colorado)
Decadent chocolate pie seems to scream imperial stout. This dish calls for a beer of brawn that’s roasty enough to contrast the intense sweetness of chocolate and cream. The famed Yeti can take on this big dessert with its bold roastiness and hefty dose of American hops. Bonus points if the pie has a graham cracker crust—it will accentuate Yeti’s rich caramel and toffee notes.
Boulevard Brewing Unfiltered Wheat With Strawberry Pie (Kansas City, Missouri)
The already fruity notes in crisp American wheat beers are a great pairing for anything strawberry, especially sweet strawberry pie. Contrast its juicy sweetness with the mild hops character and zesty citrus notes of Boulevard Brewing’s unfiltered wheat beer.
Yazoo Brewing Hefeweizen With Banana Cream Pie (Nashville, Tennessee)
The fruity ester, sweet vanilla, and phenolic flavors from Hefe yeast add complexity to banana cream pie. Try Yazoo Brewing’s Hefeweizen, brewed with mostly wheat and authentic Hefeweizen yeast for its tart finish that will cut the richness of bananas and cream.
Port City Brewing Porter With Pumpkin Pie (Alexandria, Virgina)
The many spices found in classic pumpkin pie make it a tough dish to pair. Its beer match is one that’s sweet enough to hold up to pumpkin spice but that doesn’t overpower the pie’s already intense sweetness. The silkiness and the roastiness of Port City’s robust porter are up for the challenge.