Top 10 Local Beers for Thanksgiving

By David Liebenson and Paula Skaggs

Bringing a beer to your family’s Thanksgiving celebration next Thursday? With hundreds of craft brews on the market now, it can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, we came up with a list of 10 Chicago-area beers that will be sure to impress everyone at your Thanksgiving meal — from your hipster cousin to Grandma.

Dryhop’s Batch 001 Cream Ale: This Lake View-brewed beer is the perfect “entry-level” craft beer — the perfect choice if you’re trying to introduce a fancier beer to a family of Miller Lite lovers. This pick is very light and won’t overpower any food, but there’s still a slight hoppiness to it.

Half Acre’s Gossamer: This Golden Ale is another great transition from Mass Market beers (think Budweiser, Coors, etc.) into the world of craft. It’d be great to have while watching the big football game (or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, if your family starts happy hour very, very early). You can also have it with the meal itself, as the flavors are light enough to not overwhelm the food.

Two Brothers Ebel’s Weiss: This beer, from Warrenville Illinois, is a good next step into more complex flavors. There’s a hint of banana to it, which should pair well with everyone’s Thanksgiving favorites. There’s also a unique dry finish to it, so even a Grandma who only drinks wine may enjoy this one.

Revolution Brwery’s Bottoms Up Wit and 5 Rabbit’s 5 Lizards: Both of these brews are Witbiers are similar to the Hefeweizen’s, but with a slightly more citrus-y taste. Its another great pick to convert the wine drinkers in your group into beer lovers.

Half Acre’s Over Ale: This brown ale is very carmel-y and malty, without the big hop presence that a lot of craft beers have. It’s a great autumn or early winter beer, and is the perfect choice for cold weather.

Goose Island’s Matilda: This Belgian Pale Ale has a larger hop profile, so its good if you like that sharp taste in your beers. This also has biscuit flavors in it, and it’d pair very well with traditional Thanksgiving foods like turkey and stuffing.

Half Acre's Daisy Cutter: American pale ale, This one is going to have a big citrusy hop aroma and a better after taste. I’d pair with the meal itself – turkey and gravy or hearty stuffing. The strong flavor will overpower anything that’s on the blander side (so stay away from it if you’re just having the mashed potatoes)

Revolution’s Anti-Hero and DryHop’s Shark Meets Hipster: Both of these are IPAs, which is the most popular style of beer in the world of American craft beer right now. These two aren’t as hoppy as some beers, and they’d go very well if you’re a group that has ham for Thanksgiving (the saltiness would match up very well) or for watching football, although the flavors are too strong for a traditional turkey.

What’s your favorite local brew? Let us know in the comments below!