This will yield 1 gallon of brine; scale the recipe up or down to accommodate the size of your turkey.
2 to 3 days before roasting, begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add salt, sugar, honey, garlic, onion, and spices. Stir until salt, sugar, and honey are dissolved and cool to room temperature. This should take around 30 minutes and will allow the spices to lend their flavors to the brine.
Once your brine has cooled, add beer and refrigerate until cold. Once your brine is cold, submerge your turkey and return to the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil. Do not stuff the bird. If you really have to stuff it, add 1/2 hour to the roast time.
Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and set the thermometer alarm to 161 degrees F. Roast the turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 325 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2-1/2 hours of roasting.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.