A few years ago when I discovered that I really enjoyed the diverse world of craft beer I had an epiphany. I can provide an additional reason for people to come out to TH2. So, I have taken it upon myself to have a large selection of the wonderful stuff at Thanksgiving 2 to offer to my guests (by stuff I mean beer, and not the mind controlling yogurt-like substance from the movie "The Stuff") You would think that with an incredible plethora of food, a ridiculous amount of socializing, games galore and The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade I would be turning people away from the door, but that hasn't been the case yet. I am hoping that the beer, wine, and cocktail selection (wine and cocktails in another entry) will bring in a few people or give someone a reason to come back. I am going to go over the highlights of the beer menu I have put together. Hopefully, in sharing some of my experiences I can inspire a few guests to try some of my favorites. However, if you'd simply like a sneak peak at some of the beers that will be offered, just shoot over to the "Preliminary Beer Menu".
The first two are the 2 that really opened my eyes to this wide new world.
Malheur 12 is a Belgian Quadruple style beer. This may have been the first beer that I liked enough to actively search for after tasting it. We found this when my wife and our friend Sean (of fried turkey fame) visited our first Mount Hope BrewFest.We found a tent that did not have kegs, but many bottles. It was a distributor's tent and not a brewery. They distribute smaller European beers into the states and they had a couple 750mL bottles of Malheur 12 left. When I smelled it in the glass I knew it was something special. It was a whole new world of smells. I had never had a Belgian quad before and I was stunned by the complexity of flavors. You can taste raisins, dates, caramel, plum, and especially to me toffee. I knew that day if there were beers that could taste this good, then this was going to be a worthwhile pursuit. It is also one of the few 12% ABV beers I have ever had where the alcohol can barely be tasted. When I found that the Total Wine nearest us carries it, I was ecstatic. Join me in a sample tasting and see if you like Belgian quads too.
Founders Backwoods Bastard is a bourbon barrel aged Scotch Ale. I found BB while having dinner at a pub that specializes in having a great craft beer selection. I thought the idea of a beer and bourbon sounded interesting and got a glass of it. This started my love for bourbon barrel aged beer. First of all the smell of this beer is equal to the smell of bacon frying in the morning, or the smell of a steak cooking over a campfire. It is incredible. I could sit and just enjoy the scent in the glass. The alcohol content is high, but barely noticeable. The first flavors you notice are the sweet malty flavors, but then the bourbon creeps up on you. It's smooth and the roundness of the bourbon lingers around with the aftertaste. I do not remember what else I had that day, but it didn't matter. I had found a winner.
I can't decide which of those experiences I like more.
After the my two favorites there are many beers that I really enjoy, but I do have to pick and choose what I think will work best for this audience. There are some that I want to be on theme this year, and some that I feel will work with the food selections.
Allagash White is a Belgian style wheat/wit/white beer. I found this around a 2 or 3 years ago when I started my beer re-education. When I found out that Blue Moon is made by Miller/Coors I started looking for a craft/local replacement. My wife and I stumbled upon White at the local Wegmans. Everything that should be in a wheat beer Allagash White has in abundance. You can taste the coriander, orange and bitter orange flavors. It is not as light in flavor as the macro wheat beers, which I know some people don't expect, but if you are a wheat fan please try it at TH2 this year.
Southern Tier Choklat is a Chocolate infused imperial stout. The first time I had this was on St. Patrick’s Day 2 years ago. We were at Fenix in my hometown. I had had a few dessert beers before, but nothing like this. It is like bittersweet chocolate in liquid form. It was incredible. It’s like walking into the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory hand-in-hand with your buddy Guinness. I have had this with ice cream in the form of a float. I will be offering this option because I’ll have ice cream for the pies.
Dogfish Head Pun'kin is a brown ale with pumpkin, brown sugar and pie spices. The first time I tried this was at last years TH2. I had read numerous good reviews of Pun'kin and I appreciate that Dogfish Head is somewhat local (in Delaware). It has the lightest pumpkin flavor of the pumpkin drinks I will be offering. It is slightly sweet, but in a brown ale way, not in a pie way. I think I will start my day with this choice on that fast approaching Saturday.
Hacker-Pschorr's Oktoberfest marzen is one of the many beers that I taste tested over the past year. Out of all of the Marzen style beers I felt that this one could hold its own against the much stronger flavored American beers, and especially the American Oktoberfest I will have. It's balanced, mildly malty sweet and has that great reddish brown color. I want people to try these German beers before their palates get wrecked from the American choices. I don't mean wrecked by hops, just by the other strong flavors. This will go great with any of meat dishes.
Southern Tier Creme Brulee is an imperial milk stout that tastes like you are drinking a dessert. I had this for the first time at a restaurant in Gettysburg. I knew I liked the Chokolat by Southern Tier, but I wasn't prepared for how good this was going to be. It is caramely, malty sweet and creamy. It is one of the few beers that gets 5 out of 5 for me. I wish it wasn't a seasonal offering. Try this with any of the sweet offerings.
There you have the highlights of the menu. It looks like we will have around 18 different types this year. There will be a varied amount of each option. Be watchful of the quantities, especially if you really want to try a particular one. I hope everyone who is curious about beer or who already knows they like it will be satisfied.
You always pick the best beers! it's the one thing both of our palates can agree on!
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