3 Unique Ways To Infuse Beer Into Your Thanksgiving Meal
Thanksgiving is an ideal time to introduce new flavors, share recipes, and explore your culinary prowess. Along with traditional ingredients, you can elevate your Thanksgiving dinner with the use of beer. Besides serving your favorite beer on the side, you can spend a little extra time at a liquor store to purchase beer specifically for Thanksgiving dinner.
Check out some of the unique ways to infuse beer into the meal and create some new holiday traditions.
1. Turkey Stuffing
Enhance the flavor of the main course when you stuff the turkey with some fresh beer flavors. When you shop at a beer store, purchase a few bottles of smooth beer. Pour the beer directly into the cavity of the turkey. As the turkey cooks, the beer flavors will naturally infuse into the turkey and add a nice kick with every bite.
As you baste the turkey, the beer flavors will naturally flow across the turkey skin and cover the whole bird. If you actually stuff the turkey with stuffing, then you could soak the stuffing with beer first and then place it inside the turkey.
2. Thanksgiving Flavored Beers
As you browse a selection of alcoholic beverages, look for crafted beers with unique flavors that directly relate to Thanksgiving. For example, you could purchase beer with pumpkin flavors. Look for a fruit-based beer like apple pie or cranberry. The beers can add to the meal, create some fun talking points, and become a staple each year.
In many cases, you could purchase individual cans of specific flavors so you are not stuck with a whole case of beer that you are unsure if you enjoy or not. Mix and match to have a wide selection that you can offer guests.
3. Beer-Flavored Appetizers
If you don't want to get too risky with your main course, then you can slowly introduce beer at Thanksgiving with some appetizer recipes. Consider serving up some beer and cheese dip. Infuse cheese with beer flavors to create a nice mix and great aftertaste. Serve the cheese dip with sides like chips, crackers, or fresh vegetables.
You could also add a little beer to batters you create for homemade rolls or any type of meats you serve like mini sausages. Try out different beers with the recipes to see which flavors work best. For example, you may like making cheese dip with a darker ale rather than a lighter ale.
Surprise family and friends with some of these Thanksgiving ideas and see which ideas you like the best.
Visit a beer store to view your options.