Happy BEERSgiving to all!

Happy BEERSgiving! 

Our favorite time of the year is around the corner and we couldn't be more thankful. Without beer, we don't know where we would be. Probably sober...but who wants that. 

Like us, you'll most likely head to H-E-B to gather up the goods for your feast this holiday season. As you're zooming down the aisles, going through your checklist, you may find yourself almost forgetting the beer. HOW DARE YOU! (gasp) 

But what beer should you get? We've put together a helpful guide to help you build your H-E-B 'pick six' pack full of beers that will pair perfectly with your homemade Thanksgiving meal!

Let's start with the cranberry sauce. You are going to need something a little bit sour to compliment it's sweet nature. For the perfect pucker pairing we recommend a Berliner Weisse. Keeping it local, we have narrowed it down to three different options:
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• Ranger Creek's Dry Hopped Berliner Weisse - a specialty bomber with a dry hop addition for a tart and clean taste.
• Blue Star's Raspberry Geyser - a two-year aged sour beer that has been blended with fresh organic raspberries. 
• Jester King's Bonnie the Rare - a small batch unfiltered brew that has been allowed to mature for over a year to slowly develop its delicate acidity flavor profile. 

Now, you can't have Thanksgiving without the stuffing, right? A Belgian Witbier with it's light body and citrus characteristics will compliment the spices you'll find in your stuffing. 

We found two beers from Houston, and a local San Antonio brew to enjoy while you stuff your face:
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• 8th Wonder's IntellectuALE - an easy-going and tasty beer with  a crisp body and smartly hopped.
• Buffalo Bayou's Great White Buffalo - a light, crisp, smooth and refreshing beer that is brewed with sweet and seville orange peels and coriander for a spiced citrus taste.
• Busted Sandal's Fire Pit Wit - a refreshing and flavorful beer made with fresh ginger root, coriander and fresh TX red grapefruit peel. 

The last of the side dishes, before the main event, would be the delicious sweet potatoes and casseroles. A Saosin is the most "food-friendly" of all the beer styles. The sage component of the beer is a subtle flavor that allows the aroma and flavors of the food to shine. Here are our top Texas Saosin picks:
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• 903 Brewers' Trotline - a farmhouse saosin with notes of fruit and spices. 
• Adelbert's Philosophizer - a smooth ale with tastes of citrus and a hint of pepper spice.
• Four Corner's El Super Bee - a freestyle saosin using a smashing combination of locally sources honey, Belgian yeast, rye malt and dry-hoops provides a "high-flying smack of citrus and spice."

And now for the man of the hour, or bird... The TURKEY! Experts have decided that a good ol' fashioned American made IPA is only style that will help cut through the richness of your turkey and San Antonio has pretty awesome choices: 
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• Southerleigh's Prince Oberyn Head - a single ma;t and single hop IPA with a dry, bright and beautiful, bold finish.
• Blue Star's Green Tractor IPA - is an American styled IPA that is highly charged with organic English hops grown on U.S. soil. 
• 5 Stones Brew's Sprung - an IPA brewed with Heather tips, dried elderflower and wildflower honey giving a natural balance of natural floral flavors. 

If you don't want to change out your brew throughout the day we have options.. So we found some Brown Ale's with a toasty, roast, and nutty flavors that will fit comfortably with anything on your dinner plate. Here are a few:
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• 512's Nut Brown Ale - also known as "the Seven" is packed with defined aromas and flavors of fresh roasted nuts, toffee and caramel.
• Galactic Coast's Rocket Ride - a classic brown ale with a roasted color and softer palate flavor hinting of caramel and coffee. 
• Grapevine's Sir Williams - is based off the traditional English style brown ale but carriers a heartier malt profile and a more balanced approach to the style for the American palette. 

Now for the icing on top of the cake...or the whipped cream on top of the pie! It's dessert time! Don't go for the obvious choice like a pecan porter with your pecan pie, let's switch it up with a Scotch Ale. A smooth, caramelized malt with savory and sweet characteristics. We picked only the best TX has to offer:
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• Guadalupe's Scotch Ale- is rich in character with some complexity from being aged in an American oak barrel.
• Rahr & Son's Iron Thistle - a bold taste, dominated by a smooth, sweet maltiness balanced with a low/hoppy bitterness.
• Strangeland's Atholl Brose- is an intoxicating mixture of single malt scotch whiskey, flaked  oats, and TX wildflower honey. 

If you like to try new beers you should check out our monthly craft beer tastings! To learn more about this event and more, join our email list. If you're new to list you'll receive an  early Christmas present from us!