My most recent article for The Bulletin was out last week: Beers for feasting season. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, we’re entering the holiday season time where big meals, snacks, holiday baking and more are the order of the day. To stock up your beer fridge and to accompany it all, I’ve suggested five styles to consider having on hand for the holidays—along with local examples, of course.

The first one is free:

IPAs are ubiquitous and versatile, and can pair well with a variety of meals. You’ll have no trouble finding them for the holidays, so instead, here are my suggestions for five additional styles to consider having on hand for the season.

Saison
In my opinion, it’s hard to find a better all-around style for pairing with food than saison. This Belgian farmhouse ale style can exhibit a range of characteristics, with a common thread of having pronounced yeast character for fruity, spicy qualities; a crisp, dry finish; and often unusual grain and spice additions for extra complexity.

Not surprisingly, these are qualities that complement a wide variety of foods and courses, from salad to dessert. Locally brewed saisons tend to be limited specialties, but Spider City Brewing Company offers Saison Farmhouse Ale in its regular rotation. 10 Barrel Brewing Company is currently pouring Barbe Rouge Saison, and GoodLife Brewing Company offers its Reserve Saison aged in French Pinot Noir oak barrels.

You’ll have to read the whole article for the rest of my recommendations.