To complement an appetizer assortment of tart or vinegary items such as pickled vegetables or herring, a strong and acid-tinged beer should be offered. Flemish ales (Flanders red and Flanders brown) from western Belgium are ideally suited for this. As these Belgian imports may be difficult to locate, an English old ale (very malty and fruity, with plenty of hops) or an American-made equivalent should prove more than adequate.

If you'll begin with salad or seafood, see my suggestions on the Christmas page.

MAIN COURSE
American cooks who choose to honor Thanksgiving tradition with turkey (or perhaps chicken for smaller gatherings), can call for richly malted beers with confidence. The lagers known as Munich Helles and Märzenbier, for example, are golden to amber-colored brews that offer soft, malt-accented flavors to match the sweetness of the birds' white meat. Additionally, these beers boast ample body and richness that stand up to a turkey's dark meat.

For those who prefer to explore Epicurean alternatives with other fowl — such as goose, duck, pheasant, or quail — as birds get progressively smaller and gamier, their darker and oilier meats require an accompanying beer with more flavor and depth. Consider serving English and American pale ales. These coppery beers are defined by their toasted malt flavors and, especially, by their hop-infused complexity. The hop's aroma, bitterness, and flavor dominates the flavor profile of pale ales. The English style showcases the herbal qualities of British-grown hops, while most American brands are redolent of that pungent, grapefruity character of hops grown in the Pacific Northwest. Another good companion to fowl and game birds is the exotic — and often more potent — dubbel. Rich in body, dubbel is a Belgian Trappist beer style with a fruity and nutty taste, which is augmented by the flavor of ancient strains of yeast used at the monastic breweries. These beers are typically reddish-brown in color and sport elevated levels of alcohol (six to eight percent).

DESSERT COURSE
Conventional desserts of pumpkin, mincemeat, or pecan pie are a natural marriage for English brown ale, ESB (Extra Special Bitter), or mildly sweet Scottish ale. Nutty flavors and aromas, with hints of brown spices, in these beer styles meld naturally with such pies, and the beers' malt-accented flavor is just bold enough to stand up to their richness.

PUMPKIN BEERS
Finally, of course there's no better time than Thanksgiving to treat your guests to one of the whimsical pumpkin beers that are marketed by microbrewers during this season. Whether of the ale or lager variety, very few of these amber beers are in fact made with pumpkin as part of the recipe. Most are simply laced with warm spices reminiscent of pumpkin pie (cinnamon, ginger, or cloves), but they may lend an amusing and suitably flavored finish to your feast.