This year I am thankful for the 5 senses...

    "I can't believe we celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday of unity and peace. If I had my way we'd all dress in black, and daddy would serve up the white meat..."
- Everything I Ever Wanted to Learn About Genocide I Learned in the Third Grade, by The Broadways

    Ah, it's that time of year again... The time when we sit around and gorge ourselves on food, pretending to remember that we're celebrating something. Me, I cut to the chase. We raped, pillaged, and outright stole this land from native people, so I don't celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday of unity and peace. I do, however, take the time to enjoy being with my family. And my family is awesome; we don't fuck around. My wife, son and I love to cook and create, we love to eat together, and we love the shit out of some beer. This year, on top of being thankful that I have such a beautiful, loving, and supportive wife, and a rad, fun, amazingly deep son, I am thanking the heavens for the 5 senses. What is enjoyment if we had no senses with which to enjoy??

Image borrowed from somewhere online...

    So, I have here before you our Thanksgiving day menu. Much of our menu is inspired by the Homebrew Chef (though we have taken artistic license on quite a bit), and the rest is inspired solely by flavor. The stuffing we are making we made the last two years, and it is amazing. The spicy, dry, herbal character of a true Belgian tripel combines in a heavenly way with the earthy spice of fresh sage. I love me some sage. For dessert this year, we are skipping the pumpkin pie and the sweet potatoes and going comfort food, plus we had to figure out an awesome way to incorporate our Mesquite Smoked Porter. You only have a few days of preparing left, so here it is. Get going, goddamit!


Ranger Creek Belgian Dark Strong Ale Brined Free Range Turkey (serves ~10, depending on size of bird)
    The rich flavor of turkey pairs wonderfully with malty beers like Oktoberfest, Munich dunkel, brown ales, etc. However, there is also a succulent sweetness in the meat and a rich gamey character that tastes incredible with earthy vegetables and herbs. To highlight these flavors we are using our Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale which has subtle herbal notes, peppery spice, earthy yeast complexities, and deep, dark fruit character from the malt and candi syrup that compliments the bird's sweetness. Adding just a little more of the candi syrup helps the brine to have a rich pruny sweetness, and also gives the bird a bit of glaze.
1       gallon    Ranger Creek La Bestia Aimable
1       gallon    ice water
1/4    C.          sugar
1/4    C.          Dark Belgian Candi Syrup
Handful          fresh picked sage leaves
Handful          fresh thyme sprigs
3       ea.         Bay leaves
2/3    C.          sliced carrot
2/3    C.          sliced celery
1/2    C.          sliced leeks
1 1/2 C.          chopped onion
2       ea.         tangerines, halved
6       ea.         garlic cloves
In a large pot simmer beer, sugars, herbs and vegetables for 10 min. Remove from heat and add ice water. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until cold. Place turkey into brine bag (or ice chest) and fill with brine. Refrigerate for 48 hours (add ice if using ice chest). Remove turkey and dry well. Roast turkey at 350º F until internal temperature of thickest part of leg is 165º F. Let sit for 30 minutes for juices to distribute evenly, keeping the turkey moist.

Sage and Tripel Stuffing (serves 8-10)
    As mentioned above, the herbaceous, earthy spice of a Belgian tripel pairs swimmingly with sage. This rustic stuffing allows these flavors to perfectly marry, and is an excellent accompaniment to the above turkey recipe, though stands alone as a tasty dish. The addition of sausage or giblets can add more complexity and flavor, but believe me when I say this stuffing is the shit.
8      C.      crusty bread, cubed (we use locally made French-style Batard)
4      C.      cornbread, cubed

• 1/4   C.      chopped Italian parsley
• 3      Tbsp  chopped fresh sage
• 1       tsp    sea salt
• 1/2    tsp    fresh cracked black pepper
• 1       C.     unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 C.     onion, chopped
• 1       C.     celery, chopped
• 2      ea.     eggs, beaten
• 1/2    C.     chicken broth
• 1/2    C.     heavy cream
• 1/2    C.     Belgian tripel, preferably Westmalle

Place bread, herbs, salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Melt butter in skillet, then add onion and cook until softened. Add celery and cook about 5 min. Pour into bread bowl and toss. Add eggs, stock, cream, and beer mix thoroughly. Place in baking dish and bake at 325º F covered for 30 min. Uncover and back 30 min more or until browned. 

Mesquite Smoked Porter Bread Pudding (serves 8-10)

    Seriously, this recipe speaks for itself. Dark chocolate, smoke, custard and cream...

1 loaf rustic bread, cubed (we used Central Market's cranberry walnut bread)
2 C. Ranger Creek Mesquite Smoked Porter
1 pint heavy cream
4 eggs

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. white sugar
 Beat eggs, beer, cream, and sugar to combine. Toss in bread and hand mix. Allow to sit until bread absorbs the custard. Spread evenly over buttered baking dish. Bake at 350º F for 45 min. 

    In addition to these dishes we will also be making the Homebrew Chef's Garlic IPA mashed potatoes, using Ranger Creek OPA, and his Cranberry Wit Sauce. 

    Enjoy your Thanksgiving, don't celebrate our horrible American past, but do be thankful for your loved ones, and for craft brewers.