Beer with Turkey?!?

Duh. There's this - http://www.beertown.org/beer_turkey/drink.html And from SunTimes.com... Z Another beverage choice is brewing November 20, 2006 BY CATHERINE TSAI DENVER -- When it comes to dinner, even Thanksgiving dinner, Jorge de la Torre orders beer, not wine. It's not that he doesn't know or like wine. After all, he is the dean of culinary education at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Rather, he thinks many so-called craft beers -- once better known as microbrews -- can make better pairings with food than wine. And there may be no better time to test his theory than at Thanksgiving, when dinner plates become cacophonies of taste -- savory turkey, salty ham, sweet and tart cranberries, creamy mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. ''That is a tough plate to match [with a wine],'' de la Torre said. ''The beauty of beer is that with one or two beers, you can hit all those flavors without contrasting and clashing.'' Not only is a good beer refreshing, the lower alcohol content can keep you from getting too tipsy in front of the in-laws, and the carbonation helps clear the palate, said de la Torre. Craft beers generally are made using 100 percent malted barley, without the corn or rice used in many mass-produced beers. And they come in numerous styles, from adventuresome lagers and fruit beers to cream ales and stouts, and on and on. ''If you're looking for flavor excitement, craft beers are where to look. If you want to wash a meal down and be refreshed, mass-market beers are fine,'' said Bill Covaleski, brewmaster at Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown, Pa. Ready to try it this Thanksgiving? John Fischer, an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., suggests a Belgian-style beer, which he said have a little more alcohol and body to deal with richer dishes, and a good balance of malt and hops. Something from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, N.Y., for example, or Golden Monkey, a Belgian-style Tripel from Victory Brewing. Oliver suggested any sort of brown ale or biere de garde, which is French farmhouse ale. De la Torre said switching beers between dishes also works well. Cream-style ales or pale ales can cut through the fat of the skin and gravy of turkey, while sweet doppelbocks (a strong German-style beer) can go with salty ham and mashed potatoes. If guests are more accustomed to sipping wine, consider the holiday dinner a chance to introduce them to the flavors of craft beer. ''It's like a jazz record. There came one day when someone played you your first Coltrane or Miles Davis record. Slowly you became a jazz fan, and that just made your life better,'' Oliver said. ''It's just absolutely wonderful to be that person who opened that door for you.'' AP