Our turkey was amazing, too. I brined a 12lb turkey for 24 hours. I used a half gallon of my wheaty pale ale home brew and a half gallon of Sam Adams Oktoberfest in the brine. I asked the chef what to do with the brine after the turkey was done and he said to dump it as it had already done its job. I did make a stock out of the turkey carcass and drippings, so at least the briney goodness lives on there.
I also made the mushroom gravy, using Goose Island Mild Winter ale. Everyone loved it.
Tomorrow, I'm meeting my Great Uncle (mom's dad's brother) and his family for the first time. I never got to meet my mom's dad, so I'm looking forward to this get-together. His wife said they'll have some strong Polish beer for me. This is why I substituted half the beer in the turkey brine with Sam Adams. I intended to do it entirely with my homebrew, but the opportunity to share my homebrew with new-to-me family was too important to pass up.
