Holiday menus are in the midst of being planned, and Dave Hoops has some suggestions for how to pair a good beer with your meal.

Hoops is well known for his fruit beers, and they have a few coming out soon: Cranfest, Pure Guava, a Cherry Ale, and a Blueberry Pale Ale.

He suggests starting with a fruit beer when you are having hors d’oeurves or salad.

“We just released our CranFest,” Hoops said. “It’s our yearly cranberry beer. It’s nice and pretty.”

Hoops says to drink a pale ale with your meat because hoppier beers serve as almost a palate cleanse. Stout beers pair well with dessert.

But he said you don’t have to take it too seriously.

“Any beer you like pairs well with your meal,” Hoops said. “If you like it, then it’s the right pairing. All these years of brewing, that’s what I’ve learned.”

Hoops hosts UMD Bulldog hockey watch parties and offers a free 5-oz. pour if you wear Vikings gear on a game day. They’ll also have holiday markets on Saturdays from 12-4 p.m. from Nov. 25-Dec. 16.