Tomorrow being Thanksgiving and all, I’m anticipating that many of my American readers are at this exact moment wondering what to drink with the Thanksgiving turkey. Well, wonder no longer, as I am here to help.
Traditional gueuze!
There you have it. And note I am talking about “traditional gueuze,” not the sweetened stuff from the likes of Lindemans and St. Louis. I mean the marvelous elixir that is so dry and tart it can bring a tear to your eye, even two tears. Simply, where turkey is involved, there is nothing better.
Sure, a case can be made for champagne, traditional lambic’s vinous cousin, or riesling, that oh-so-versatile of food wines. Or any number of different sorts of beer, from pale ales to strong Belgian-style goldens. Or even a nice, dry cider. But to my experience, and that of pretty much anyone I’ve served the combination, nothing beats a typical, dry gueuze, such as that of Cantillon, Boon (Oude only), Drie Fonteinen, Hanssens or the difficult to find De Cam. Even non-beer drinkers and the Brettanomyces-challenged have sung its praises.
Happy Thanksgiving, America. Enjoy it with a Belgian at your table!