To pair with that Thanksgiving bird, consider beer

In all the meticulous course planning for Thanksgiving, wine tends to get top billing on the beverage list. But beer - with its versatility, approachability, carbonation and broad range of flavors - may be just as happy a pairing.

After all, Thanksgiving is a symphony of browns - all those casseroles, bakes and gravies - and the Maillard reaction that gives beer its amber glow is also providing the burnish on your turkey. The onset of jacket weather and the seasonal sweet tooth pave the way for malty, chestnut-hued styles from Germany and Belgium, the neglected middle of the beer spectrum.

The dishes of Thanksgiving call for beers that are medium-bodied, neither summery nor heavily roasted.

"It's not really a time for contrast pairing," said William Carroll, beverage director for the restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. "I think things that are complementary are better."

Opt for bready flavors over hop bombs, as hoppy bitterness is better for spicy or sharply flavored foods. Rather than getting swept up by beers with kitschy additives like fruit or spice, stick to age-old standbys that harmonize with the food rather than upstage it.

Here are some general principles and a few good picks for your dinner.

Snacks, Appetizers

While your guests graze, start with something light and easy to drink. This is a good time for dry, grassy, European-style hops. Used judiciously in a sharp, golden lager, they whet the appetite without bowling you over with big flavors or alcohol; these tend to clock in at 4 to 5.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Don't be afraid of cans - they're the vessel of choice for many innovative breweries, and they chill down more quickly than glass bottles.

» Styles to look for: Pilsner, helles lagers, dunkel lagers and light saisons.

» Brands to try: Industrial Arts Metric, Stillwater Artisanal Extra Dry, Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel.

Turkey, Sides

For the main event, stock up on big bottles (750 milliliters) in two styles, and let guests pour for themselves. This lets them try both, allowing an option without overwhelming a table already filled with attractions.

On the light end, look for classic saisons, also called farmhouse ales. They have a spice-like tingle thanks to Belgian yeast, with no actual spices added. For the meal, you'll want a beer that's heftier than for the appetizers, in the range of 6 to 8 percent ABV, which will lend enough body to stand up to gravy and sweet potatoes.

On the dark end, weizenbock is your secret weapon, a beer that will pair with everything on the holiday table. It's a cross between a hefeweizen (German wheat beer) and a doppelbock (a strong brown lager), and its caramel sweetness is braced by faint acidity from the wheat and the frothy, celebratory carbonation.

» Styles to look for: Saisons, weizenbocks and Belgian dubbels.

» Brands to try: Sly Fox Saison Vos, Saison Dupont, Schneider Weisse Aventinus, St. Bernardus Prior 8.

Dessert

Beer with dessert is tricky, unless you stick to the basics. Imperial stouts, rich and roasty ales that can exceed 10 percent ABV, are one of the few styles that have enough sweetness to match a pumpkin or pecan pie. Skip today's trendier imperial stouts, which are often laden with gobs of heady vanilla and coconut. Try stouts brewed with coffee, or even better, with no frills at all.

» Styles to look for: Imperial stouts.

» Brands to try: Grimm Double Negative, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, Evil Twin Even More Jesus, Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel.

Serving Tips

Banish all hand-wringing over glassware. The appeal of specialized beer glasses is largely aesthetic. Wineglasses are a nice choice because their small size invites guests to taste different beers, even switching between beer and wine if both are served.

The ideal serving temperature for these beers is around 45 to 55 degrees. If you pull them from the refrigerator when the turkey comes out the of the oven, they're safe to keep tableside the rest of the night.

As with any beer, buy only at stores that keep their inventory refrigerated. The styles listed here are slow sellers, so if the beer has been sitting around for a few months, make sure it's been kept properly.