It is the most wonderful time of the year!  Pumpkin pie spices and winter warmers are the best dessert pairings, IMHO.  

General description and suggestion: Winter warmers are meant to do just that, warm you up! These full-bodied beers will often have pronounced caramel or molasses-like aromas and flavors as well as a warming alcohol presence.  These beers also have a wide range of alcohol presence so be sure to check out the ABV before you pour yourself big ole pint.

Often times Winter Warmers or Holiday Ales, as they are sometimes called, are brewed with special spices such as clove or cinnamon.  These spices can make them a perfect for pairing with holiday deserts such as pumpkin pie. If you don’t see a description on the packaging look at the brewery website or BeerAdvocate.com for ingredients or taste descriptions.

Specific description and suggestion: First, let me start by saying that this recipe tastes so good but it is so bad for you, as many holiday desserts are. Also, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort with this recipe if you use the canned pumpkin mush but please don’t short change yourself.  Mashing the fresh baked pumpkin with a fork then whisking it until it is smooth gives this dessert a much better texture (the best in my opinion) than canned pumpkin.  You won’t regret the time or the effort.

You will be able to find Old Fezziwig Ale in the Sam Adams mixed winter 12 pack just about anywhere. This beer pairs so well with this dessert because its residual sweetness and spicing makes it a dessert to begin with!   The spices resonate with the pumpkin crisp spices and the full-bodied mouthfeel enhances the dessert's creamy goodness.  The cayenne pepper spiced pecans add fun little kick that will only linger until your next bite crisp

CLICK IMAGE FOR RECIPE FROM ALLRECIPES.COM

Pumpkin Crisp

1 Sugar Baby Pumpkin or 32oz of can of pumpkin
4 eggs slightly beaten
3 cups evaporated milk
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 (2-layer) yellow cake mix
½ cup butter melted
1 cup chopped and spiced pecans

Cut and clean pumpkin into thin slices and roast them in the oven at 350° to develop an intense pumpkin taste and tender.  Poke with a fork to test. This could take as long as an hour.  If you need to speed up the process put slices in the microwave for a couple of minutes, before you bake it, until tender.

Put baked pumpkin flesh in a bowl (stand-up mixer is best) with whisk and beat on high until the pumpkin texture is smooth without any lumps.

Combine all but the last three ingredients.  Pour into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle pecans on top of cake mixture. Drizzle melted butter over the top.

Bake for 350° for 1 hour

I love pairing beer with holiday season desserts.  These deserts always have a resonating sweetness that helps them pair with just about any beer. The spices that are often used in these desserts also pair well with traditional German wheat beers and many Belgian beers.  In short, it would be really hard to find a beer that doesn't pair with a holiday dessert.

 Weizenbocks are BIG wheat beers, meaning they are BIG in taste and BIG in alcohol, usually 7% – 10%.   These dark beers are quite complex in aroma and taste, as well.  

The aromas in a weizenbock can hint at dark fruits like raisins or prunes as well as light banana and clove.  The weizenbock tasting experience can be just as complex with spicy clove, tart fruit (think cherries) and/or bready flavors present.  

This beer styule is all about the malt with little or no hop bitterness present.  The beer’s malt sweetness is balanced by it’s alcohol content, spicy flavors (from hops and yeast)  and carbonation. This medium to full body beer pairs well with grilled meats but I prefer to pair Weizenbocks with spiced desserts.

I paired this beer with a pumpkin roll recipe I found onAllrecipes.com. Scuttlebutt’s Weizenbock is a perfect pairing for this dessert.  The sweet caramel malt flavor matches the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting while the pumpkin and cinnamon in the cake mixture complement the clove spice in the beer.  While all these flavors are melding in your mouth a tart cherry flavor begins to emerge and helps to cleanse the sweetness before it can become too cloying.

I love pumpkin pie but I also love pumpkin pie alternatives and the pairing/recipe below is one of my favorite alternatives.  The best part of this recipe is that it is really easy not to mention delicious.

General description and suggestion:  Winter warmers are meant to do just that, warm you up! These full-bodied beers will often have pronounced caramel or molasses-like aromas and flavors as well as a warming alcohol presence.  These beers also have a wide range of alcohol presence so be sure to check out the ABV before you pour yourself big ole pint.

Often times Winter Warmers or Holiday Ales are brewed with special spices such as clove or cinnamon.  These spices can make them a perfect pairing with holiday deserts such as pumpkin pie. 

Specific description and suggestion:  First, let me start by saying that this recipe tastes so good but it is so bad for you, as many holiday desserts are. Also, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort with this recipe if you use the canned pumpkin mush but please don’t short change yourself.  Mashing the fresh baked pumpkin with a fork then whisking it until it is smooth gives this dessert a much better texture (the best in my opinion) than canned pumpkin.  You won’t regret the time or the effort.

I love it when a single beer pairs so well with a recipe but I get down right giddy when two beers fit the bill so well.  You will be able to find the Sam Adams mixed winter 12 pack just about anywhere. These two beers pair so well with desserts becauset heir residual sweetness and spicing makes them a dessert to begin with!   Their spices resonate with the pumpkin crisp spices and their full-bodies resonate with the dessert's creamy goodness.  The cayenne pepper spiced pecans add fun little kick that will only linger until your next bite crisp Pumpkin Crisp

1 Sugar Baby Pumpkin or 32oz of can of pumpkin
4 eggs slightly beaten
3 cups evaporated milk
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 (2-layer) yellow cake mix
½ cup butter melted
1 cup chopped and spiced pecans

Cut and clean pumpkin into thin slices and roast them in the oven at 350° to develop an intense pumpkin taste and tender.  Poke with a fork to test. This could take as long as an hour.  If you need to speed upt he process put slices in the microwave for a couple of minutes until tender.

Put baked pumpkin flesh in a bowl (stand-up mixer is best) with whisk and beat on high until the pumpkin texture is smooth without any lumps.

Combine all but the last three ingredients.  Pour into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle spiced pecans on top of cake mixture. Drizzle melted butter over the top.

Bake for 350° for 1 hour

6A. Cream Ale examples: Genesee Cream Ale, Little Kings Cream Ale, Anderson Valley Summer Solstice, Sleeman Cream Ale.

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Glassware: Mug, Pint Glass

Food Pairings: Sweeter Fried foods (corndogs, onion rings,
Cheese: Milky Flavors ((Burratta, colby, mozzarella)

6B. Blonde Ale examples: Redhook Blonde, Rogue Oregon Golden Ale, Russian River Aud Blonde, Widmer Blonde

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Glassware: Mug, Pint Glass

Food Pairings: Cuisine: Italian, Middle Eastern. Cheese: Milky Flavors (Burratta, colby, mozzarella)

6C: Kolsch examples: Alska Summer Ale, Harpoon Summer Beer, Shiner Kolsch

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Glassware: Mug, Pint Glass, Stange

Food Pairings: Cuisine: German. Meat: pork, sea food. Cheese: Sharp Flavors (Blue, Cheddar, Feta)

6D. American Wheat or Rye examples: Harpoon UFO, Three Floyds Gumballhead, Pyramid Hefe-Weizen, Anchor Summer Beer, Redhook Sunrye

Serving Temp: 40°- 45°

Glassware: Mug, Pint Glass

Food Pairings: Cheese: Earthy Flavors (Blue, Brie Camembert), 

I know, I know. This event was a couple of weeks ago, but I feel it is important to spread awareness about these great events so you don't miss the next Beer Appreciation dinner.

One of the best things about these dinners is the price. They range from the $25-$35 (includes small bites, beer samples and parking)! This particular dinner featured a 6 course small bite menu.  Each menu item was paired with a rare/hard-to-find beer by Larry James, specialty beer manager for Wine Warehouse.  

These dinners last 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but if you want to make a full evening of it then you should get there early and check out the regional beers on tap at Brewsters (the hotel bar) or at the pool side bar (weather permitting). 

Or ... if you want to make it a date, this is a hotel.  Order the beer turn down service and when you retire to your room after the dinner you'll find a special nightcap beer chilled and waiting for you. 

Unfortunately, that menu was created especially for the pairing dinner so you won't be able to re-live these pairings at the Four Points LAX anytime soon. These special menus may be the best reason to attend these beer appreciation dinners!

The good news is, a new menu is being developed for Brewster's bar and it is delicious! The beer advisory board was lucky enough to get a tasting of these new menu items.  Keep checking the Brewsters topas menu for updates!

None of the menu items are officially paired with beer yet, but when the menu is released it will contain pairing suggestions.

What you see to the left is the BLT Salad. It may be the best way to get your daily dose of veggies.  The iceberg wedge is topped with Brown sugar-braised bacon, roasted tomatoes and a jalepeno ranch dressing.  The bacon was so good we begged for more!

Breakfast, anytime!  This is a braised pork hash. Mushrooms, apples, and potatoes are all mixed in with the tender braised pork. The apple chunks are genius as they added a wonderful counterpoint to the savory pork and buttery potatoes.  And just because that wasn't enough, it is topped off (quite literally) with a fried egg and drizzled with salsa verde. Delicious!

Then, there is dessert. If you like bread puddings then you will love this version. Candied pecans, dried cranberries and a stout glaze are all screaming to be enjoyed with a beer! I was thinking a big, bold, dark beer would pair with this nicely.

Dunkin’ Donuts beer pairing: Chocolate Frosting Glazed: Milk/Oatmeal Stouts, Brown Porters.  The sweet chocolaty flavors and velvet textures found in these beers are perfect matches for donuts with or without chocolate frosting but why would you want to eat a donut with out chocolate frosting? 

 Examples: Sam Adams Cram Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, Young’s Oatmeal Stout, Fullers Porter.

Witbier beer pairing:  The mild wheat and subtle spice and/or citrus flavors can complement the mussels especially if they were steamed in that particular beer. The beer’s flavors won’t cover up and of the mussel flavors, however, the elevated carbonation and dry finish will cleanse the palate.  

Examples: Hoegaarden, Allagash White, Avery White Rascal, Unibroue Blanche de Chambly.

Dry Stout beer pairing: The intense roasty flavors (coffee, bitter chocolate) in these stouts can briefly intensify the saline, sea tastes in the oysters while the subtle chocolate flavors and perceived bitterness cleanses the palate.  

Examples: Guinness Draught, Beamish Stout, Oyster stouts are a double whammy (Rogue, Dogfish Head)

Pairing Suggestion: Lamb Skewers

I know, I know, this isn't a beer. But, it is a delicious pairing. I found this pairing suggestion while I was researching beer pairings for Harpoon Brewery. 

I deliberately left the description vague because anyway you prepare your lamb it is gonna taste great.  Skewers just make it really east to eat lamb and watch a Patriots game at the same time. The light body and fruity tastes of the cider will cut through all the savory flavors and mouthfeel of the lamb. Those fruity flavors, light body, carbonation and alcohol will also scrub your palate clean.

Pairing Suggestion: Double Chocolate Cake

I found this beer pairing suggestion while I was researching food pairings for Harpoon Brewery. I like this pairing because it isn't your usual stout and chocolate cake pairing.  Mostly because this isn't a stout but more of a Cascadian dark ale. It's subtle chocolate malt flavors resonate with the chocolate cake. The assertive hopping keeps the chocolate cake from becoming too chocolaty. This might be the best way for a non-hophead to drink this beer because the cake also keeps the hops from becoming too pronounced.