So I hear that next Thursday, November 28, is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I’m a Canadian, so typically I only become aware of the U.S. holiday when I start seeing stories pop up about what to drink with the Thanksgiving meal, like this one, this one and this one. And usually, as with the three just noted, each article features numerous options, all the better for editors to draw audiences and writers to cover their asses.
Me, I’m reckless, so I’m going to tell you about the one and only beverage you need at the table for your turkey dinner. It is traditional gueuze lambic.
Believe me, it works, and deliciously so! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed turkey and lambic on numerous occasions and have served it to my friends who “don’t like beer” and to beer aficionados who don’t particularly like lambic, to unanimous delight. In fact, I cannot think of a single occasion where someone has not expressed great pleasure at the combination, often coupled with a fair degree of surprise. Plate the turkey and pop the corks of gueuze from Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen or De Cam or Tilquin or last month’s category winner at the Brussels Beer Challenge, Lindemans Cuvée René, serving it in wine glasses or straight-sided tumblers or even champagne flutes. You won’t regret a drop.
The reason it works relates principally to the combination of flavours on the plate — bird, gravy, potatoes and veg, maybe a cranberry sauce or some turnips, plus usually a bunch of salt. The lambic serves to cut through all that with its tartness and carbonation (from bottle refermentation) and acidity, striking to the heart of, and accentuating the flavour of, the star of the table, the turkey. It won’t compete with the other flavours, and neither will it drown them. In fact, about the only other beverage that approaches the utility and perfection of lambic at Thanksgiving, in my view, is the beer’s vinous cousin, champagne.
And where next Thursday’s dinner is concerned, that’s all you need to know. You can thank me later.
Blogging at World of Beer 
I can’t argue with your logic. Had a couple Lambics over the summer on their own and they begged to be paired with food as I found them to be overly tart to enjoy on their own.
And speaking of the Champagne of Beers (no, I don’t mean Miller High Life), standard issue Saison Dupont works really well with Thanksgiving dinner as well. Fizzy and of so dry. Still the Farmhouse Ale gold standard!
Thanks for your insight Stephen, your post was just reposted on our little Newfoundland forum and I think everyone one of the beer club members who bought in on the 3 Fonteinen offering of Oude Gueuze and Golden Blend we did is very excited to try it with their xmas dinner.
cheers