Gobble Gobble

First, a sad note, then I'll get into my weekly diatribe. This time the rumors appear to have been true. At the end of the month Rio Salado Brewing will be closing down. It will be sad to see Tim go and I'd like to wish him the best in his future brewing endeavors. As of this writing the deal hasn't been closed but Four Peaks is attempting to buy Rio Salado. The plan as I understand it is to keep the Rio Salado taproom open and to add to their brewing capacity by brewing at two locations.
Now then for my weekly words of wit. The holidays are here already. I have to say that I love Thanksgiving, good weather, good football, good food and of course good beer. Everyone knows what to eat on Thanksgiving, but what to drink? Wine is considered more than acceptable at this feast, but for myself I prefer beer or as an alternative to wine a good mead will also do. Redstone's apricot mead is a good substitute for white wine and their black raspberry is a good alternative to red wine. If wine is your beverage of choice come on in to Papago and load up as we have most of them at 25% off.
Any idea what the Pilgrims had at the first Thanksgiving? Well, guess what, it was beer, not wine. In case you didn't know it the main reason the Pilgrims are said to have landed at Plymouth Rock is that they need to stop the ship to get off and make a batch of beer. On the choice between wine and beer, there is a snobbism which is particularly American. In Europe, whether you drink wine or beer with your meal may depend simply upon where you live. Wine is the natural drink in the warm, grape-growing countries of the south, like France, Spain and Italy. The people who lived in Northern Europe from where the Pilgrims came from in England grew grain and made beer.
Now during your Thanksgiving feast you will need to decide what to drink with your meal. For both wine and beer, one of the most difficult drink pairings is with salad. I can't help you on the wine side but with beer I think a good way to decide on what to drink with a salad depends on the type of salad dressing you are choosing and if it is creamy or made with vinegar. With a vinegar base a good sweet fruit lambic, such as Lindemans Framboise or Boon Oud Beersel are good choices but with a creamy salad dressing I think I would opt for an American Pale Ale.
With the centerpiece of the meal, which is usually turkey, I would opt for a German hefeweizen that is refreshing and can help counter balance the dryness of a turkey. Last year I had my Thanksgiving meal at the Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas and really enjoyed the meal and the beer. I liked it so much that I am going to repeat it again this year. Paulaner, Ayinger and Weihenstephen would be my top choices locally for a good hefeweizen. If a wheat beer isn't to your liking then maybe go with a creamy porter or a milk stout like from Ska or for a little bit of smoke flavor a Kiltlifter from Four Peaks.
For dessert you can go crazy. A more pronounced sweetness is clearly required to go with pies, beers like Kasteel Brown or Rochefort 10 are a dessert in themselves and will pair up with almost any dessert. You could also go with a German Dopplebock like Korbinian or Salvator. And after dinner I can't think of a better after dinner beer than Avery Samael. It is big (14%), sweet and delicious.
Gobble Gobble,
Ron