Editor’s note: this post is from 2012! If you’re looking for the pairings, they’re down below

Did you realize Thanksgiving is only a week away? Well, you probably did, because you have a better grasp on time than I do. But it is! This means that it’s time to start thinking about the beer you’ll be drinking with your family.

Just in time for sharing with your family, we have a special brewery-only beer available next week: Funkrays, an American Barleywine with brettanomyces. If you’re not familiar with brett, it’s another strain of yeast that has… unique characteristics. Some people dislike it, but many love its funky/earthy/umami characteristics. It will be available only in half-growlers for $12 ($15 if you need the half growler itself as well)

“But Dan,” convenient straw man says, “You don’t have retail hours until Thursday! How will I get it next week!” I’m glad you asked! We’ve got special Thanksgiving-week hours next week:

• Monday 11/19: 3-6
• Tuesday 11/20: 3-6
• Wednesday 11/21: 3-8
• Thursday 11/22: closed (it’s Thanksgiving, silly!)
• Friday 11/23: 3-8
• Saturday 11/24: 10-8

Plenty of options for getting some beer to go along with your turkey. But which beer should you drink with each course? Two years ago, when CBW was naught but a dream and a blog, Rudy wrote an excellent post about pairing beer with Thanksgiving dinner.

That was then, and this is now. His advice still stands, but I thought we should update it with advice on how to integrate our beer into your feasting. Without further adieu, here’s Rudy again:

Frank. Try it with beans. No beans on your Thanksgiving spread? Not a problem. Frank is going to go with nearly everything – an acidic salad dressing will play nicely against Frank’s light malt profile. The hops are going to help cut through the rich sides like stuffing and mashed potatoes. Frank might not be perfect for dessert, but we’ve got solutions for that. Read on.

It’s Whale-y good! (now I have to put a quarter in our “terrible pun” jar)

The Whale. You know you’re going to end up beached on the couch after stuffing yourself silly this thanksgiving. The Whale’s roast is going to pair wonderfully with turkey skin and deeper flavored dishes like roast brussels sprouts (with bacon, natch) or squash. The Whale is also great with sweets. The coffee flavors really come to the forefront when paired with not-overly-sweet pies & cookies.

De Maas. Formerly our newest beer, De Maas is going to go with absolutely everything except dessert (well, it might actually work with pumpkin pie). The floral & spicy notes from the yeast are going to play really well with the sage and rosemary you (hopefully) used while prepping the bird or non-meat-bird-replacement-product. Like a good rug, De Maas will really tie your dinner together.

The IPA. I’m not going to lie – the IPA isn’t going to politely meld with a rich, earthy thanksgiving meal. The tropical notes & bitterness are going to kind of blow away whatever you happened to be chewing on a moment before. That said, who cares? You like IPAs? Get The IPA and drink to your heart’s content.

Funkrays.  Sometimes you need a little something extra.  Funkrays understands.  A 9.5% American Barleywine with Brettanomyces, Funkrays is sweet but not cloying, loaded with flavors of caramel, tropical hops & a wisp of cherry pits.  Its going to be awesome with cheese, turkey, cherry pie, squash and pastries.  We’re only selling this in half (32oz) growlers, but thats plenty for sharing around the table.  Pour it into a few snifters as dinner is winding down and talk about whatever it is your family & loved ones talk about on holidays.  For us it’s usually computers.  And beer.  And food.