Delaware beer experts: Best brews to pair with turkey

It's that time of the year when Delaware's love affair with craft beer moves from the bar to the dinner table.

The seemingly endless supply of new brews can create a dilemma when it comes to the biggest meal of the year: "What brew should I pair with Thanksgiving dinner?"

If you lean toward pumpkin and other fall flavors, feel free to pick from our list of 21 autumnal offerings from the state's craft breweries that we published last month.

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But we wanted to know what some of the state's hardcore craft devotees will be drinking.

So we asked five Delaware beer geeks -- beer podcasters, bloggers, historians, drinkers and brewers -- to share their gulpable Thanksgiving plans with us.

Who knows? You may be inspired to try something new this year.

Craig Wensell, owner of Wilmington Brew Works, a brewery slated to open this spring on Miller Road

"Our Thanksgiving dinner is turkey and rye stuffing with garlic rosemary mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and almond cranberry sauce with a sour beer. Everything is so rich and buttery, I really enjoy something that cleanses the palette. Rodenbach Grand Cru (6% ABV) is a classic Flanders Red that has a bright acidity with tart cherry notes and a hint of the oak it is aged in. Beautiful combination! Evening cocktails are black and tans with Tröegs' The Mad Elf (11% ABV) and Southern Tier Brewing Company's Chocolat (10% ABV)."

Anthony Russo, Delmar, Maryland-based author of "Delaware Beer: The Story of Brewing in the First State" (American Palate, $21.99) and host of the “Beer with Strangers” podcast

"Because it is Thanksgiving, I like to have a bottle of something that isn’t an everyday beer to have with dinner. I usually recommend a big, boozy, barrel-aged stout because there is so much flavor. Also, stouts warm up nicely. So as you’re sitting and talking and passing things around, your beer’s flavor is improving. We brine our turkey so it’s a little salty and citrus-y and the stout holds up to that, as well as the sweet potatoes, lasagna, turnips, etc. This year I’m bringing 3rd Wave’s Big Barrel Bourbon Barrel Aged (8.9% ABV), which is aged in red wine barrels. It’s got a deep flavor, but it isn’t so heavy that it will kill you. For dessert, I’m bringing along 3rd Wave's Dawn Patrol Coffee & Cream Stout (6.8%-7.1% ABV), which is aged in whiskey barrels. The whiskey enhances the sweetness, but doesn’t make it cloying. And the coffee adds just enough bitterness to take the edge out of the coconut custard pie."

Steve Szymanski, Wilmington-based craft beer drinker

"I go with Newcastle Brown Ale (4.7% ABV) because it pairs well with traditional Thanksgiving foods such as turkey with all of the fixings. It also has the color of rich, brown gravy!"

John Medkeff, Jr., Delaware beer historian and Wilmington-based author of "Brewing in Delaware" ($21.99, Arcadia Publishing)

"For me, Thanksgiving is my time to let loose and eat whatever I want. I don’t like to limit that ability by drinking heavy beverages. This year I plan on drinking Liquid Alchemy’s hop-infused mead, Overly-Hoptimistic. The fruity notes of this beverage and light effervescence perfectly compliment any Turkey Day meal. At 12.5% ABV, it packs a little punch, but won’t fill me up. No doubt I’ll have a Dogfish's Punkin Ale (7% ABV) earlier in the day to get the juices flowing."

Lindsey Timberman, Pike Creek-based publisher of Delaware Hop Scene

"For the last I don't know how many years, we've ordered holiday pies from the Hotel du Pont bake sale. The pumpkin pies are great, but a family favorite is the Chocolate Cream Pie. I love how a rich, dark stout like Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout (15%-20% ABV) stands up to a pie like this, though this year I might pull out of our Dogfish Oak-Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout (16%-17.5% ABV)  instead. I think the two are going to go perfectly together!"

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).