Re: The yearly "what beer to have with the turkey" post

Here's what one Baltimore-area sales agent and former brewer sent out:

"As to a choice, I steer from Abbey-styles, hop-happy Americans,
and weizens. They are too potent for the poor turkey, leaving it
left behind in the flavor trub pile.

So, I champion Belgian Saison - an untraditional choice, Saison
usually being a summer ale. But its ur-wheatiness, gentle
fermentation character, hints of citrus fruits, and subtle spice
bring interest to the bird without stealing from the meal. It
delivers contrast to the traditional side dishes of cranberry
sauce, sweet potatoes, and, in my household, kugel.  And its
somewhat higher alcohol (in the 6-8% range) accommodatingly
cooperates with turkey's post-meal tryptophan induced euphoria.

My favorite selections are Saison Dupont, La Chouffe, and
Ommegang's Hennepin, in that order.

If I were forced to slum it, and drink wine with the feast, I'd
open a good Austrian Gruner Veltliner.  (This was recommended to
me last year by Mitchell Pressman of Baltimore's Chesapeake Wine
Company.) A delightful white with turkey, it's similar to
Riesling but spicier and richer.

But again, the better mate with the meal would be beer.

Brewer/writer Garrett Oliver calls it the "flavor hook". It's
the toasted, biscuity, caramel, and browned flavors which are
all inherent to beer and to many cooked foods.

So, continuing, a hearty alternative choice for a turkey beer
would be a complex Flemish Red: simultaneously tart and sweet,
bringing cherry fruit, oaky vanilla, buttery malt, mineral, and
spice. The acidity enlivens the bird (even as it lies dormant on
the plate) while the cherry fruitiness mates well with the sweet
accoutrements.

Here: Rodenbach (if you can find it now that Palm has hidden it
from distribution), Verhaegge's Duchesse de Bourgogne, or even
Liefman's Goudenband (though this would be more accurately
described as a Belgian Sour Brown).

If you must, the wine world's answer to a Belgian red would be
Moulin-a-Vent Beaujolais (or other cru Beaujolais) or a Burgundy
Passetoutgrain, a zesty cepage of Pinot Noir and Gamay.
Beaujolais' combination of sweet red cherry fruit and high
acidity is ideal for the bland turkey. It's an underpriced wine
as well.

And yes, I've, personally, resolutely, followed this beer-only
course of action. And yes, the beer invariably resides only in
front of me. The prophet may preach in the desert, but he is not
thirsty!

For post-toughing, I sip a sweet, strong, Dragon Stout. (The
late, glossy, "Beer, The Magazine" once published an article
recommending sweet stout as the only beer that could compete
with and complement a good cigar.)

As well, I've drunk German Neuzeller Klosterbrau's wacky, low
alcohol (3.4%) Black Abbot to while away the food haze. It's
dark and sweet, laced with lactose like a milk stout, and very
roasty.

Working for Legends, Ltd. as I do, I would be remiss if I failed
to mention Heather Ale.

To quote beer cookbook author Susan Nowak: "Fraoch Heather Ale
is flavoured with ling and bell heads of heather in full bloom
-12 litres in every barrel to produce this distinctive floral
and herbal, delicate beer, wonderful for both cooking and
sipping."

She has a recipe for Grouse Seared in Heather Ale and Honey but
it appears as if this would work well with turkey.

She recommends marinating the bird with Heather Ale and then
making gravy with the beer: "Stir plain flour into remaining
fat/juices in the roasting tin and cook for a minute. Slowly
stir in about 1/2 pint reserved beer stock to make smooth,
slightly thickened gravy. Strain into a clean pan and reheat
gently, adding a little heather honey, just enough to flavour
the gravy without smothering the gamey taste."  "