In all the meticulous course planning for Thanksgiving, wine tends to get top billing on the beverage list. But beer — with its versatility, approachability, carbonation and broad range of flavors — may be just as happy a pairing.

After all, Thanksgiving is a symphony of browns — all those casseroles, bakes and gravies — and the Maillard reaction that gives beer its amber glow is also providing the burnish on your turkey. The onset of jacket weather and the seasonal sweet tooth pave the way for malty, chestnut-hued styles from Germany and Belgium, the neglected middle of the beer spectrum.

While hoppy I.P.A.s seem to get all the attention from American beer drinkers these days, our rich holiday fare makes winter a time to celebrate the profoundly uncool, forgotten styles of continental Europe. The dishes of Thanksgiving call for beers that are medium-bodied, neither summery nor heavily roasted.

“It’s not really a time for contrast pairing,” said William Carroll, the beverage director for the restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. “I think things that are complementary are better.”