When you plan your big Thanksgiving meal, don’t forget about the drinks. The various flavors, from roasted turkey to savory stuffing, are perfect pairings for beer.

One great thing about beer is that it’s relatively affordable, so for this big holiday meal, consider purchasing several different styles to try. Here are a few suggestions for beers that will add some complexity to your meal. All are available at Tamura’s Fine Wine & Liquors in Kaimuki.

» Westmalle Tripel ($17, 25-ounce bottle): Though monks have been brewing beer at the Westmalle Trappist Abbey in Belgium since 1836, the style of Belgian tripels was created at Westmalle in 1934, and the current recipe has been virtually unchanged since 1956.

This bright and effervescent beer pours a golden orange with a pillowy white head of foam that sticks to the side of your glass. I love the bright, ripe fruit flavors of apricot followed by spicy notes and a dry, crisp finish.

This beer is full of complexity and thus is a perfect match for turkey, stuffing and all the sides. It has enough backbone to stand up to the variety of flavors yet won’t overpower the food.

» For something darker with more roasted flavors, try Maui Brewing Co.’s Lahaina Town Brown ($14, six-pack of 12-ounce cans). This new fall seasonal release, previously served exclusively at the brewpub on Maui, is perfectly timed for Thanksgiving.

Lahaina Town Brown is an American brown ale full of dark bready flavors and subtle hints of chocolate and toasted nuts, making it a perfect pairing for sweet potatoes and marshmallows.

It’s also great with imu-cooked turkey, since its roasted flavors complement the smoky flavors imparted into the meat by the imu.

» The J.W. Lees brewery has been making English ales in northern Manchester, England, since 1828, and its first Harvest Ale was brewed in 1986 to coincide with the hop harvest season.

Some of each year’s batch is aged in various spirit barrels, such as port, sherry, whisky and calvados.

For a Thanksgiving dessert pairing, splurge on J.W. Lees Harvest Ale ($12, 12-ounce bottle), aged in port casks. This is an incredibly rich and full-bodied barley wine that clocks in at 11.5 percent alcohol by volume.

The flavors are complex with notes of rum raisins, figs, toffee and hints of vanilla, which are fullest when the beer is warmed to about 50 degrees. The port-barrel aging process adds a slight wine flavor as well.

This beer should be sipped slowly and savored with all the sweets on the Thanksgiving table.

Beer news: 12th Ave Grill is hosting its second beer-bottle share dinner Dec. 1. Take a rare or favorite bottle to share with others at the table. It’s a great way to experience new beers or those that aren’t readily available in Hawaii. Better yet, there’s no corkage fee.

This event is a clambake served family style. Tickets are $39. For details or to make an advance purchase, visit 12thavegrill.com.