A Homebrew Thanksgiving Holiday

Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate our family and friends, good health and all the wonderful things that have happened in the past year. It is a traditional holiday for us, from holding hands around our dining room table and expressing our thanks, to brewing and enjoying a special holiday beer. It is a day of festivity, activity and relaxation; everyone is welcome and the house is always full.

Of course, homebrew is the drink of choice. The only criteria we have for our holiday beer is that it must appeal to a wide range of family and guests and be a good beer to cook with, since all of our favorite recipes include beer as a key ingredient. This year we have found the perfect Thanksgiving beer: Hobgoblin, a deliciously malty English ale that should please all of your holiday guests.

The malt profile and mild bitterness make it a perfect beer to cook with. It has a long-lasting head and a copper color with plum highlights. The nose is malty; roasted grains and a hint of spicy hops lead to a mouth-watering bloom of malt on the palate, followed by rich dried fruit and hops. The finish is a well-balanced blend of malt and hops Plan ahead to make sure you have plenty of this beer available on Thanksgiving Day.

Hobgoblin will take approximately three weeks to ferment. You can keg it to be sure that it will be ready for your feast, or bottle and keep it at an even 72° F until carbonated (ten days to two weeks).

Here are our recipes for Hobgoblin Ale and a mouth-watering holiday feast. As you’ll see, almost every dish is accented by a dash of homebrew.

Homebrew Holiday Recipe File:

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Hobgoblin Ale clone

5 gallons; OG =1.059 FG =1.016 SRM = 17.5 IBU = 28

Ingredients

• 6 oz. British crystal malt
• (55° Lovibond)
• 1 oz. British chocolate malt
• 0.5 oz. British black malt
• 6.5 lbs. Muntons extra light dry malt extract (DME)
• 4 oz. malto dextrin
• 7 AAUs Progress bittering hops (1 oz. of 7% alpha acid)
• 3.4 AAUs Styrian Goldings flavor hops (0.66 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
• 2.5 AAUs Styrian Goldings aroma hops (0.5 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• London Ale yeast (Wyeast 1028) or English Ale yeast (White Labs WLP002)
• 0.75 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step

Heat 1 gallon of water to 155° F. Add grain and steep at 150° F for 30 minutes. Strain the grain water into the brew pot. Sparge the grains with 0.5 gallons of 150° F water. Add the malt extracts, malto dextrin and bittering hops. Add water until the total volume is 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes then add 0.66 oz. of Styrian Goldings flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 13 minutes and add 0.5 oz. of Styrian Goldings hops. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and cool for 15 minutes. Strain the cooled wort into the primary fermenter and add cold water to obtain 5 gallons. When the wort is below 80° F, pitch the yeast and aerate well. Ferment in the primary at 68° to 72° F for 5 to 7 days.

Rack to the secondary and let ferment at 70° F for 2.5 to 3 weeks until target gravity is reached. Bottle and let prime at 70° to 72° F for 2 weeks. Store at cellar temperature. Serve in a pint glass at 50° F.

Partial-Mash Option

Mash 2 lbs. Maris Otter two-row pale malt with specialty grains at 150° F for 90 minutes. Then follow the extract recipe, omitting 1.5 lb. Muntons extra light dry malt extract at the beginning of the boil.

All-Grain Option

Mash 10.75 lbs. Maris Otter two-row pale malt with the specialty grains at 150° F for 90 minutes. Add 5.3 AAU Progress bittering hop (24% less than the extract recipe) for 90 minutes. Add the Irish moss, flavor and aroma hops as indicated in the extract recipe.

Fast Fermentation

Here are some tips to ensure a speedy fermentation, so your Hobgoblin is ready for the holiday. Oxygenate-aerate your wort very well. This will ensure that your yeast will get off to a quick start. Use one of Wyeast’s ready to pitch XL packs. If you keg this beer it will be ready to drink in 24 hours. If you are priming, make sure the beer is kept at 72° F for 2 weeks so that it will carbonate.

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Sweet Potato Hobgoblin Biscuits

When our children were little, this was the only way we could convince them to eat sweet potatoes. If you want to maintain the tradition of sweet potatoes on the holiday table, try these delicious biscuits (just don’t tell the kids what’s in them). These are quick and easy to make. Just boil and mash the potatoes the day before.Makes 12 biscuits. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp. light dry malt extract
• 2-1/4 cups sifted flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp. Hobgoblin Ale
• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Step by Step

Heat oven to 375° F. Measure 1 cup of sweet potato puree into a bowl. Add butter, brown sugar and malt and beat until smooth. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with the buttermilk to the potato mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Transfer the dough to a well-floured board. Knead 5 to 6 times and roll to 1-inch thickness. Cut out with a round or fluted cookie cutter of roughly 2.5-inch diameter. Place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Combine the beer with the maple syrup and brush onto the biscuits. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and puffed. Serve warm with whipped butter and drizzled with maple syrup.

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Hobgoblin Turkey

This is one of the most delicious recipes you will ever make. We use a Cajun injector, available at Metal Fusion (800-783-3885) for $6.45. They also are sold at Walmart and K-Mart stores. This is optional, but it’s a great way to have a butter (and beer) basted turkey. If available, purchase a natural, free-range bird. Don’t count on many leftovers from this turkey! Serves 10 to 12.

Ingredients

• One 20 lb. fresh turkey
• Kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large head of garlic, roasted with olive oil and salt and puréed with 1 tsp. salt
• 16 oz. Hobgoblin Ale or a malty, English substitute (Fullers ESB or Young’s Special London Ale)
• 10 oz. best-quality apricot jam (substitutions can be made, such as orange marmalade or blackberry jam)
• 3 lemons
• 1 fresh sage leaf (optional)
• 2 oz. unsalted butter
• 1 lemon sliced thin and 6 sage leaves for garnish
• (Optional injecting mixture: 4 oz. unsalted melted butter, 2 oz. Hobgoblin and 2 oz. strained apricot jam).

Step by Step

Inject the turkey before cooking by plunging the needle into the turkey and slowly pulling it out, injecting the mixture little by little so that all layers of the turkey receive the jam mixture. Inject the turkey’s breast, thighs and legs.

Heat the oven to 375° F. Rinse the turkey and pat dry. Salt the turkey inside and out. Rub the garlic puree over the turkey, in the cavity and under the skin. Tuck the sage leaves and one thinly sliced lemon under the skin of the turkey.

Cut the remaining two lemons in half. Stuff them into the cavities of the turkey. Transfer the turkey to a rack in the roasting pan. Heat the butter, beer and jam until the jam is melted; do not boil. Cook the turkey for 45 minutes. Then pour one half cup of the jam sauce over the turkey. Keep basting with the jam sauce until it is finished.

Cover the turkey if it begins to brown too fast. If the juices in the pan start to caramelize, add turkey or chicken stock to de-glaze. The turkey is done when it registers 180° F in the thickest part of the thigh (the cooking time should be approximately 12 minutes per pound). Cover the roasted bird and let rest 20 minutes before carving. Garnish with sage leaves and lemon slices before serving.

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Hobgoblin Gravy

Ingredients

• Pan drippings from the turkey with fat skimmed
• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 5 cups turkey stock, heated
• 1/4 cup Hobgoblin Ale
• 2 Tbsp. apricot jam
• Salt and pepper to taste

Stock for Gravy

• Neck and giblets from the turkey
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 small onion chopped (with skin)
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 6 cups cold water

Step by Step

While the turkey is in the oven, make the stock for the gravy. Melt
the butter in a saucepan, add the turkey neck and giblets, and sauté
them until brown. Next add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt and
6 cups of water.

Simmer for two hours. Strain and skim off fat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk for two minutes. Stirring constantly, add the gravy stock, Hobgoblin Ale and jam. Simmer for five minutes and add pan drippings with the brown bits scraped from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until thick. Serve in a pre-heated gravy bowl.

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Hobgoblin Stuffing

This is our basic turkey stuffing recipe. Feel free to use some of the options that we list below — or substitute your own favorite ingredients. We love to put hot Italian sausage in ours!

• 24 slices country white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 Tbsp. butter
• 1-1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp. sage powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup Hobgoblin hot turkey or chicken broth to moisten

Step by Step (w options)

Substitute corn bread for white bread, add sautéed sausage, mushrooms (sautéed with the vegetables), chestnuts, pine nuts, dried cranberries or dried apricots. Sauté the onion, celery and carrot in butter until soft. Add the apples and garlic. Sauté for three minutes and add the herbs and spices. Sauté two minutes longer, add the beer and cover. Simmer until vegetables are tender.

Add the bread and enough broth to moisten. Bake covered in a 350° F oven until heated through.Uncover for 10 minutes. To serve, spoon on gravy, sprinkle with parsley and paprika.

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Chocolate Pecan Hobgoblin Pie

makes two 9-inch pies

Make your own crust or purchase them ready-made and frozen.

• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1 Tbsp. Hobgoblin
• 7 cups pecan halves (24 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Add to a blender, in order: 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 2 Tbsp. butter. Blend for 5 seconds and add 2-1/2 cups pecans. Blend until nuts are coarsely chopped. Pour filling into one pie shell. Repeat for the second pie. Arrange 1/2 of reserved pecans on top of each pie. Bake for 20 minutes. Drizzle chocolate mixture over each pie and bake for approximately 15 minutes, until crusts brown and fillings puff. (Cover with foil if they brown too quickly). Pies should be firm around edges and slightly soft in the center. Cool on racks.

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Hobgoblin Gingerbread

This holiday dessert is spicy, moist and delicious!

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups sifted, unbleached flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup Hobgoblin, heated to 140° F
• 1 cup raisins (heat them with the beer so they plump)
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger, 1 cup dried cranberries in place of the raisins, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Heat oven to 350° F. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, molasses and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and add to molasses mixture alternately with heated beer and raisins, beating after each addition. Stir in raisins. Pour into a greased 9 x 12 inch pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with heavy cream whipped with superfine sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of ginger.

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Appetizers

Appetizers should be simple. A crudité platter is perfect and can be prepped the day before and assembled just before guests arrive. Line the platter with kale, then garnish with fresh flowers and gourds for a beautiful presentation. Choose an assortment from the following list: broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrots, green beans, snap peas, button mushrooms, sliced red, green, yellow and orange peppers, celery, jicama, cherry or grape tomatoes, English cucumbers, endive, yellow and green squash, radishes, different varieties of olives, Italian cured sausage (soppressata), assorted cheeses, crackers and breadsticks.

Make some delicious roasted red pepper, smoky tomato or hummus dips and serve them in hollowed-out peppers or cabbage.

Veggies on the Side

Try these dishes to round out your feast. We serve a salad and one or two vegetable dishes.

Tossed salad of baby greens with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette
Broccoli and cauliflower in a brown butter sauce
Roasted root vegetables with a maple glaze
Spinach, tomato, feta cheese and kalamata olive casserole
Sautéed celery, corn and red pepper medley
Whipped butternut squash, sweet potato or yam
Buttered turnips
Brussels sprouts and baby carrots topped with Canadian bacon

Written by Tess and Mark Szamatulski