Wow. The beer brine recipe was spectacular. It was probably the best turkey my relatives, family and I had ever tasted. I used a Trader Joe's Hefeweizen. Nice, bright, wheat flavor to the turkey.
For Christmas I'm thinking of doing a darker, malty brine based off of the "Tipsy Turkey" recipe there.
For the Gravy, I used Sam Adams Boston Lager, and various mushrooms. Added some cream to round out the saltiness of the broth. Also excellent. I had never made gravy "from scratch" before, so that was exciting.
For the mashed potatoes, went with a Goose Island IPA. If I did this again, I'd tone down the garlic and butter, and do more IPA. It was a wonderful flavor that went well with the gravy.
Thanks again for the links! I hope everyone's thanksgiving was flavorful and full of good family time.
