This Thanksgiving don't exclude beer from your list of drinks to offer your guests. After all the pilgrams didn't! Or at least some people think that they included beer on the menu. Some even go as far to say that beer is the sole cause for stopping at Plymouth Rock instead of going further south, because they ran out of beer!
But for your dinner... some think that you can only pair wine with a good meal such as steaks, seafood, or other types. However if you believe this notion, you obviously have not been keeping up with craft brewing over the past century. In recent years the art of creating a fine brew has been refined time and time again to the point where making beer is part art and creativity and part science. To know when to add your hops to the boil, or even the different types of hops and malts mix together creating a type of flavor has all but been perfected giving the world of beers a new look. This new look is being pushed by many homebrewers and craft brewers a like to get this good news out that wine is no longer the drink of choice, with the spitting, and the pinky fingers out. Beer can be just as good if not much better with a meal, for some suggestions try taking a look at this website for Beer Pairing. If you are looking to try some desert beers be sure to check out the Full Sail Imperial Porter I reviewed a couple weeks ago!
I won't be posting anything tomorrow because of the holiday, but I encourage all of you to be safe, drink responsibly, give thanks and enjoy the wonderful meals and brews God has provided us with!
I will leave you with this story of how our country started...(how true the facts are I don't know)....enjoy!
"On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail for the New World on one of the boldest voyages in American history. On board were 102 passengers, including fifty-one Separatists and fifty-one "Strangers" – hired hands, indentured servants and others who came for their own reasons. The history books most remember such prominent figures as William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Myles Standish for their leading roles in the adventure. But it was a young hired cooper named John Alden who held perhaps the most important job – building and tending the wooden barrels which carried the Mayflower's most precious cargo, thousands of gallons of beer that sustained the Pilgrims on their arduous journey to America.
Indeed, beer was the staple drink on board the Mayflower. Unlike water, which quickly spoiled when stored in the hold of ships, beer contained no bacteria, and the then-recent introduction of hops made it keep longer. It was also a terrific source of carbohydrates. Men, women and children drank beer daily, and sailors aboard the Mayflower received a daily ration of a gallon.
After sixty-five grueling days at sea, the Mayflower sighted land along the coast of Cape Cod. The ship headed south towards its planned destination on the Hudson River. But treacherous seas from the Polluck Rip off Monomoy Point forced the Mayflower to turn north and drop anchor at Provincetown. After several weeks of searching unsuccessfully for a suitable harbor on the Cape, the Pilgrims were cold, tired and, most importantly, low on beer. In their words, "we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer."
And so it was that on December 20, 1620 the Pilgrims chose the site for their new colony in Plymouth. Set on high ground and protected from the sea by the natural harbor, the plantation was easily defended and provided a commanding view of the bay and Cape Cod. There was also a great deal of land that had already been cleared and planted with corn by the native Patuxets several years earlier. Most important, the plantation contained a "very sweet brook" and "many delicate springs of as good water as may be drunk." Today, we use that same water to brew our family of Mayflower ales." -Mayflower Brewing Company
Indeed, beer was the staple drink on board the Mayflower. Unlike water, which quickly spoiled when stored in the hold of ships, beer contained no bacteria, and the then-recent introduction of hops made it keep longer. It was also a terrific source of carbohydrates. Men, women and children drank beer daily, and sailors aboard the Mayflower received a daily ration of a gallon.
After sixty-five grueling days at sea, the Mayflower sighted land along the coast of Cape Cod. The ship headed south towards its planned destination on the Hudson River. But treacherous seas from the Polluck Rip off Monomoy Point forced the Mayflower to turn north and drop anchor at Provincetown. After several weeks of searching unsuccessfully for a suitable harbor on the Cape, the Pilgrims were cold, tired and, most importantly, low on beer. In their words, "we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer."
And so it was that on December 20, 1620 the Pilgrims chose the site for their new colony in Plymouth. Set on high ground and protected from the sea by the natural harbor, the plantation was easily defended and provided a commanding view of the bay and Cape Cod. There was also a great deal of land that had already been cleared and planted with corn by the native Patuxets several years earlier. Most important, the plantation contained a "very sweet brook" and "many delicate springs of as good water as may be drunk." Today, we use that same water to brew our family of Mayflower ales." -Mayflower Brewing Company
OK, I will post a comment and be #1. Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you're not brewing the type of beer that requires saliva! UGH. Have a GREAT holiday weekend.
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