5 Arizona Craft Beer Growlers to Bring to Thanksgiving Dinner This Year

Fall has officially arrived and with Thanksgiving around the corner, seasonal offerings are pouring out of nearly every grocery store, coffee shop and, thankfully, local brewery. These seasonal beers are filling the air with everything from cinnamon to pumpkin, peaches, sweet potato, and coconut. (Coconut? Don’t worry; we’ll get to that.)

So, whether you’re hosting, traveling, or making the required rounds, here are five great seasonal beers to bring along with you this Thanksgiving.


Wren House Brewing Company
Pie Thief
Style: Pumpkin Wheat Wine
ABV: 8.9 percent

Amber in color, this brew hits the nose with big pumpkin pie aroma. Made with a homemade spice blend including allspice, cinnamon, and ginger, this beer makes good on the promise of pumpkin pie flavors. It's a great full-bodied beer to go alongside those extra helpings of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes.


Huss Brewing Company
Peach Pie P.A.
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5 percent 

This brew will hit the taproom — growler-ready — the day before Thanksgiving. The ale is made with peach pie-filling and pie spice, and according to Leah Huss, owner of Huss Brewing Company, “The peaches and spice combined with a slight tart and happy [flavor], making for a very refreshing and warm pale ale.” 


Goldwater
Desert Rose Cactus Ale
Style: Kolsch
ABV: 5.3 percent

This beer pours a bright rose color, and while the sweet aroma hits your nose, the taste is crisp and a little dry with a subtle hint of melon flavor. True to Kolsch style, it finishes very refreshing. The Desert Rose Cactus Ale a great way to add a little local ambiance to your Thanksgiving dinner. Made with 100 percent natural local cactus fruit, this beer will give local and out-of-town guests a real taste of the Arizona desert.


Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company
Sweet Potato Saison
Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
ABV: 8 percent

This rustic ale was released on Wednesday, November 11. And according to Jonathan Buford, founder of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, "This beer is brewed with a unique Belgian yeast profile and raw Sonoran White Wheat," a local ingredient — or what Buford refers to as the “Wilderness twist,” which creates a delicious nuttiness. The richness of the sweet potatoes gives the beer a unique, hearty body while the addition of brown sugar rounds it out with a light sweetness. 


Papago Brewing Company
Coconut Joe Coconut Coffee Stout
Style: Milk/Sweet Stout
ABV: 5.5 percent

We find this beer fitting of Arizona winters because while much of the country will be stuck indoors this Thanksgiving, the Southwest offers up an opportunity to let the fresh air in and maybe even eat outside. This stout hits your nose with the scent of sweet roasted coconut, which continues as it hits your mouth and meets the dark-roasted coffee flavors. There's a touch of bitterness from the roasted coffee beans that rounds out nicely with subtle chocolate notes.