A New Hampshire farmer has found the secret to raising the fattest, juiciest and most flavorful turkeys around - beer.
Joe Morette has been feeding his birds beer for the past 20 years, he told the Associated Press, and this year, he's raising around 50 Thanksgiving turkeys using the same feeding methods. He claimed that the turkeys grow larger and yield a more succulent, luscious flavor when they sip on lager, which is his preferred strain of brew to give the animals.
"Oh yeah, it's noticeable," he said. "It's not a strong, gamey flavor, it's a nice turkey flavor."
Morette began giving the birds sips of beer in 1993 when he and a few workers knocked off after a long day of work by cracking a few cans of ale. A turkey knocked one over and began lapping it up, giving Morette the idea to add flavor to his birds with a bit of brew.
Manchester attorney and customer Dan Bourque told AP that he's enjoyed every turkey Morette ever sold to him, adding that store-bought turkeys don't have the same rich aroma.
"We find the gravy is much darker, and much tastier," he said. "The bird overall has a slightly different taste that is very appealing."
But animal rights group PETA has chastised farmers like Morette who administer alcoholic beverages to their animals, saying that "famers across the country use questionable practices to keep costs down or to alter the taste of animals' flesh because their priority is profit, not the animal's welfare."
According to national director of Humane Heartland Kathi Brock, the American Humane Association has never explicitly outlined laws that prohibit farmers from giving beer to their livestock.
"I consulted with an avian veterinarian who said that while giving beer to turkeys is not standard protocol, hops could be beneficial for the intestinal tract," Brock told AP in an email.
Some farmers in Japan have been said to feed cattle beer to help bolster their appetites. A French winemaker and farmer has also tried giving cows the dregs of pressed grapes to make meat they call "Vinbovin."
