Ale, ale, the gang's all here

Next week when we gather with friends and family to give thanks, let's not forget that all of this thanking wouldn't have been possible without beer.

The Pilgrims never would have landed near Plymouth if it weren't for the fact that they were running out of ale onboard the Mayflower. They had been granted permission to settle on land much farther south, but the critical shortage of beer (the only potable liquid on the ship) forced them to land on that historic rock.

Given our fateful debt to the yeasty beverage, it seems only fair that we give beer a place at the Thanksgiving table. So we asked for some feast-friendly brews at a couple of local shops. Our only stipulation to Nick Blakey at Bauer Wine & Spirits on Newbury Street and Kai McMurtry at the Wine Gallery in Brookline was that they pick bottles made in (or at least near) New England.

The geographic boundaries didn't boggle Blakey or McMurtry. Autumn here is such a defined time of year, Blakey says, "we make very appropriate beers for the season."

Then we enlisted Steve Johnson, owner of the restaurant Rendezvous in Central Square, to taste the dozen recommendations and see if any inspired him at the stove. His approach was to taste first, rather than having a specific dish in mind , and later look for a beer to complement it.

For instance, when Johnson sampled Hennepin, the effervescent, citrusy, Belgian-style ale from the Ommegang brewery in Cooperstown, N.Y., he says he immediately thought, "This is a beer for oysters."

Likewise the dry, delicate apple cider notes in Interlude, a Saison-style ale from Maine's Allagash brewery, prompted thoughts of turkey cooked with apples and cider.

The smoky, toasty flavors of Geary's Hampshire Special Ale -- Blakey calls this "a New England classic" -- seemed to Johnson to be a natural to pair with a beer-brined pork roast.

The chef, who has been concentrating on Mediterranean flavors paired with wine at his Cambridge restaurant, says that tasting the various brews served as a reminder of how easily a good beer can also be paired with food.

Yet another reason to be thankful. -- ANN CORTISSOZ