We have 7 midwest craft beers for you to drink this Thanksgiving

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Be it friends, family or complete strangers – we promise this Thanksgiving will be #turnt with our 7 midwest beer selections that are PERFECT for one gratitude-filled day. After talking to Chicago’s best bartenders, beverage directors and beer buyers to find the best Midwest beers you should drink with each course of your holiday feast – we think you have a lot to be thankful for.

Videos by Rare

FOR STARTERS…

Flywheel, Metropolitan Brewing (Chicago, IL)
This session beer which “won’t fill you up or slow you down as you juggle the barrage of oven timers, snack trays and touchdowns,” says Chris Coons, former beer manager at Jerry’s Wicker Park. Coons says that Flywheel is “light-bodied with a bready sweetness from the malt and a clean crisp noble hop finish [and] achieves a delicate balance few of its counterparts can equal.” Flywheel is available in 6-packs at local craft beer stores.

THE MAIN SQUEEZE I.E. THE TURKEY

Matilda, Goose Island Beer Co. (Chicago, IL)
According to Goose Island Clybourn Brewpub’s executive chef, Andrew Hroza: This Belgian Pale Ale with Brettanomyces (wild yeast) is a great complement to roasted fowl and rich food. “It has white wine characteristics that make for a great palate cleanser with the crisp hop balance. It is a beer that makes non-beer drinkers reconsider their stance. The Brett acts as an interesting flavor that plays well with dishes that have tons of different spice components and harmoniously brings Midwest side dishes together for a cohesive meal.” says Hroza. Matilda is available in 4-packs at local craft beer stores.

RELATED: ‘Disney World Of Beer’ welcomes Chicagoans for a taste in Lakeview

Woodside, Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis, MO)
Brewed with honey, this Belgian-style Tripel ale is just begging to be served with dinner. “The aroma is floral and fruity, the body is big and rich with a touch of sweetness, but tempered by a bright carbonation that helps keep it balanced,” says Adam Vavrick, former beer manager at Binny’s Lincoln Park. “Smother your turkey, and everything else for that matter, in gravy and then sip this to clear your palate.” Woodside is available in a 750mL bottle at local craft beer stores.

SUPER SIDES

La Roja, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (Dexter, Michigan)
When it comes to the perfect complement to stuffing and cranberry sauce, Vavrick recommends Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja, which he described as a “cross between an American Amber Ale and a Flanders Red Ale. It’s a rich toasty amber that then sits in oak barrels for a good period of time, adding a vinous background and hints of pitted cherries.” La Roja is available in a 750mL bottle at your local craft beer stores.

Scurry, Off Color Brewing (Chicago, IL)
A locally made German-style Kotbusser beer, Scurry, is a favorite of Seth Feldman, bartender at Bar Deville, for pairing with rich sides, like sweet potato casserole. “Scurry is fermented with honey, molasses and oats, giving it a great malty base without being too sweet,” he says. “It has a lot of earthy overtones that will bring out some of the other flavors present in the casserole, such as raisins and spices.” Scurry is available in 6-packs at local craft beer stores.

RELATED: Cheers to a new Houston beer garden and a generous offer of free brews for life

PUMPKIN PIE AND ETC.

Breakfast Stout, Founders Brewing Co. (Grand Rapids, MI)
Don’t be deceived by the name – because this Imperial Stout works very well with desserts. Drew Larson, former beer manager at Hopleaf and founding co-owner of Leaders Beverage Consulting, describes Founders’ Breakfast Stout as “harmonizing perfectly with chocolate desserts while complementing pumpkin and apple flavors. The bitterness of the intense coffee flavors is great at refreshing the palate from the intensity of American desserts.” Breakfast Stout was just released in six-packs but you’ll have to act quickly to secure a few bottles—it’s a staple in Chicago.

Christmas Ale, Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland, OH)
After the dinner plates are cleared and the desserts start coming out, pour yourself a glass of this winter warmer. Coons likes this “medium-bodied treat” for its flavors of “ginger, cinnamon, toffee and vanilla that will pair wonderfully with bread pudding, pecan pie or perhaps a raspberry tart.” Christmas Ale is available in six-packs at local craft beer stores in November.

Malevolence, Spiteful Brewing (Chicago, IL)
Melani Domingues, owner of the Green Lady, says rich, spiced desserts like pumpkin pie can handle a big, dark beer. She recommends Spiteful Brewing’s massive Russian Imperial Stout, Malevolence. “With notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee and dark fruit, it accentuates and brings out the flavors and aroma of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove in the pie,” Domingues says. Malevolence is available in 650 mL bottles at local craft beer stores.

Looking for more suggestions – including wine? Check out the video below for even more bubbly to serve your guests this Thanksgiving.

What do you think?

Kathy Griffin unleashes on “Billy McRapey” after Bill O’Reilly reached out for an interesting request

If you’re headed to Houston for turkey, we hope this flight attendant gets you there