1. Versatility: Craft beer is available in all manner of styles, sizes, colors and flavors. This tremendous variety of style makes craft beer easy to pair with different foods, and simplifies the potentially daunting task of menu pairings for the amateur Chef or Cicerone.
2. Bitterness and structure: American craft brewers are using hops in ways that make Old World brewers cringe (i.e. LOTS of them!). A broader range of potential pairings is now accessible with big, aggressively hopped Imperial IPA's like The Maharaja or Hog Heaven around. Moreover, one can choose just about any level of bitterness that they desire from a beer and match it accordingly with the proper dish. Creamy, fatty dishes or cheeses, which can be difficult to pair with other beverages, are great with hoppy beers. The hop bitterness will cut through the fat and provide a contrasting pairing.
3. Carbonation: It will refresh your palate with every sip, leaving you ready for the next flavor experience.
4. Accessibility: While craft beer can certainly be nuanced and extremely complex (Brabant, anyone?), it certainly doesn't have to be that way. Sweet, nutty, citrusy, bitter, roasty; these flavors are obvious to anyone, and you need not spend decades training your palate in order to pair them properly with foods.
To paraphrase the original American homebrewer, Charlie Papazian: relax, have a craft beer (or homebrew)...and enjoy yourself while choosing your menu this Thanksgiving! Below are a few recipe ideas utilizing Avery brews to make the pairing even easier.
Cheers!
C.V. Howe
White Rascal Turkey Stuffing
Ingredients:
2 French Baguettes (Whole Wheat or White) cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1/2 Stick)
2 Cups of medium diced yellow or Vidalia onions
2 Cups of diced celery (3 stalks)
2 Granny Smith or Fuji apples large diced
½ cup of dried cranberries
2 tablespoons of chopped flat leafed parsley
1 ½ teaspoon of minced rosemary
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of ground pepper
½ cup of roasted chopped almonds or nut of choice
1 ½ cups of White Rascal
Directions:
1. Crack a cold White Rascal to get in the right mindset.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
3. Put bread cubes on a 13X18X1 inch baking sheet. Bake in oven for 7 minutes
4. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, apples, cranberries, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes, until the mixture is soft.
5. Combine the bread cubes and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and add the Avery White Rascal and almonds, if desired.
6. Place the stuffing into the main cavity of the turkey. This is for a 12-pound turkey for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F in a preheated oven. Make sure the stuffing in the cavity is secured by wrapping the legs tightly with string.
Avery IPA Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
Cold Water
Sea Salt
2 Heads of Garlic
2 T Olive Oil
8 Sprigs of Thyme
Sea Salt and Pepper
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2-4 T Avery IPA
Directions:
1. Cook mashed potatoes according to your favorite recipe, but hold off on adding too much butter or milk.
2. Preheat oven to 300° F.
3. Take each head of garlic, remove papery skin. With a sharp knife, cut the top 1/5 of the head off, exposing the tops of the garlic cloves. Take a small square piece of foil and place the cut head in the center. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top of each head then a sprig of thyme. Season with a touch of salt and pepper; wrap each up and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the smell of garlic fills your kitchen. Remove from the oven, open each pouch and let cool for 5 minutes. Squeeze insides into a bowl and mash with a fork.
4. In a medium pan, add butter, cream and 2 sprigs of thyme and turn heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil, turning down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the sprigs and add garlic paste and simmer another 3 minutes, using a whisk to stir and breakup the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and add Avery IPA.
5. Add 1 cup of the garlic cream to the mashed potatoes and fold in. Taste and see if you need more flavor, depending on your garlic and hop need!
Thanks to Sean Z. Paxton, The Home Brew Chef, for this recipe! Go to www.homebrewchef.com for more of Sean's creations.
Old Jubilation Ale Wild Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients:
4 Ounces Butter, unsalted
2 Each Shallots, peeled and diced
2 Pound Mixed mushrooms: Crimini, Button, Chanterelle, Oyster, Black Trumpets, Morel, Puffballs, Portobello, Porcini Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
12 Ounces Old Jubilation Ale
2 Quarts Stock, Chicken, Turkey or Mushroom, reduced to 4 cups
Sea Salt and Pepper
Directions:
1. To prep and clean the mushrooms: use a wet paper towel to help remove some of the dirt, pine needles and any other debris.
2. In a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, add butter. Once melted add the shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the mixed mushrooms, a pinch of salt and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their water and start to caramelize. If the pan isn't large enough, saute mushrooms in batches.
4. Deglaze the pan with the Old Jubilation Ale, stirring 'til the beer has reduced by half and then add the reduced stock.
5. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to a low simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. We do not to use a roux (butter and flour) to thicken the gravy, preferring to condense the flavors instead of just thickening them. This will yield a richer tasting gravy.
Thanks to Sean Z. Paxton, The Home Brew Chef, for this recipe! Go to www.homebrewchef.com for more of Sean's creations.
For further reading:
Thoughts on craft beer and Thanksgiving from Philly: http://www.philly.com/philly/restaurant/beer/20101119_Joe_Sixpack__Skip_the_wine_and_pair_beer_with_your_bird.html
An entire Thanksgiving menu from The Home Brew Chef, Sean Z. Paxton: http://www.homebrewchef.com/ThanksgivingBeerMenu.html
Principles of pairing craft beer with food from our friends at The Brewers Association: http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/beer-and-food/pairing-tips/principles-of-matching
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