I like wheat beers as much as the next guy...

...but apparently not as much as the next girl.

SWMBO's always been crazy for hefes and wits, but from following this forum, I know I'm not alone. I've never even met a girl who didn't like Blue Moon (take from that statement what you will:cross.

My question is: why do girls crave it so much? So much more than guys, seemingly.

Any guesses or explanations welcome (but don't give me any of that "it's lighter and yellower" BS either, b/c SWMBO hates BMC).

I'm only exacerbating the problem, while offering no solution, but my SWBMO loves wheat beers too!

it's lighter and yellower.

but also much less bitter and sweeter, often with fruity esters.

Thats all my SWMBO will drink these days.

jezter6 said:

it's lighter and yellower.

but also much less bitter and sweeter, often with fruity esters.

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My SWMBO loves wheats also. I picked up a sampler 12 from Southern Tier Brewery. Its got a raspberry wheat in it. I took a sip and could hardly get past the first whiff... SWMBO finished that one and the other two.

mr_goodwrench said:

My SWMBO loves wheats also. I picked up a sampler 12 from Southern Tier Brewery. Its got a raspberry wheat in it. I took a sip and could hardly get past the first whiff... SWMBO finished that one and the other two.

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Yeah their rasberry and the apricot aint too good!

They labeled it a "Malt Beverage Brewed with Raspberries"...

I think we need to make a distinction between commercial stuff and fruity wheat beers and good beers that have wheat in them. I love the wheat beer that I brew and I try to add a little wheat to almost all the beers I brew but I think the wheat beers your talking about appeal to people because they are beers that try to taste like soft drinks or something that would appeal to people who dont really like beer, I know people male and female that love those kinds of wheat "beers" but they're the same people that think bud light is the best beer and anything darker than that is Guinness or some kind of stout.

Not to admit they are better than us, but they do tend to like anything NOT BMC...I think they're all closet EACs!!! :rockin:

I suppose that my wife is an exception to most. Although she mainly likes wine she will buy Lagunitas,Red Rocket and Double IPA's when the beer crave hits.

jezter6 said:

...but also much less bitter and sweeter, often with fruity esters.

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I agree, mainly because I read somewhere (on here I think) that woman are more are generally more sensitive to bitter flavours or something like that.

k1v1116 said:

I think we need to make a distinction between commercial stuff and fruity wheat beers and good beers that have wheat in them. I love the wheat beer that I brew and I try to add a little wheat to almost all the beers I brew but I think the wheat beers your talking about appeal to people because they are beers that try to taste like soft drinks or something that would appeal to people who dont really like beer, I know people male and female that love those kinds of wheat "beers" but they're the same people that think bud light is the best beer and anything darker than that is Guinness or some kind of stout.

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A distinction worth making, but I actually was thinking mostly of real Belgian wits and German hefeweizens. My SWMBO, anyway, is indifferent to a lot of the fruit-flavored berry beers (as am I), but she would tell you her current favorite beer is Weihenstephaner. That's not to say she doesn't also love IPAs, ambers, and abby ales, but she always comes back to that distintive yeastiness of hoegaarden or our own hefeweizen.

The notion that citrus and natural fruity notes of real wheat beers has something to do with it might be true, but in my experience it still doesn't fully explain how quickly the females can latch onto them. As a drinking novice, it took me quite a while to get used to hefeweizens. I love them now, but the first time I had one it was a pretty foreign experience back in my college days. On the other hand, I've witnessed more than one girl claim she doesn't like beer. period. Then she tries a blue moon (not a bad intro beer to belgian wits) and loves it.

Its true, my wife loves belgian wits, hefes, and fruit-flavored hefes. To her, Blue Moon is the best.

*waits until Yooper shows up to ruin the standard bell curve*












She LOVES IPAs

"I like wheat beers as much as the next guy..."
You other brothers can't deny...

(sing it to the tune of baby got back )

Sorry, I kept reading the title and singing it in my head.

EvilTOJ said:

*waits until Yooper shows up to ruin the standard bell curve*

She LOVES IPAs

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Ha! You knew I'd show up and ruin your theory! I HATE wheat beers. I particularly hate fruit in beer. To have a fruity wheat beer would be the worst thing I can imagine in a beer!

Now, a nice Arrogant Bastard or a super hoppy IIPA, I'm there! For my daughter's graduation this summer, I've made a Kolsch, a Belgian and a cream ale for "the girls" who can't drink my hophead stuff. And actually, they are all ok. But a wheat beer????? NEVER!

Hey Yoop stick a paper umbrella in it and maybe they will love it.

Blender said:

I suppose that my wife is an exception to most. Although she mainly likes wine she will buy Lagunitas,Red Rocket and Double IPA's when the beer crave hits.

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Nope.. Wife hates wheats and loves sours and IPAs.

I don't think it's the wheat actually, I think it's the yeast because she's pretty indifferent about American wheats and there is wheat in the lambics she likes.

my wife is a Blue Moon freak. She loves most styles but her go to beer for any occasion is Blue Moon. Personally I really don't like the stuff

My wife REALLY dislikes hefes. She's not into light lagers or IPAs - but hook her up with something real malty or malty/balanced, she's all set. Bocks, brown ales, and ESBs.

Wheat beers, though? Nope.

the_bird said:

My wife REALLY dislikes hefes. She's not into light lagers or IPAs - but hook her up with something real malty or malty/balanced, she's all set. Bocks, brown ales, and ESBs.

Wheat beers, though? Nope.

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Almost the same here except my wife also likes light lagers and IPAs. She has staked her claim on the Orange Kitty Zoom I brewed (I guess it would be a CAP). It was brewed for her though. She has control over who gets to have any of it. We have had people over before and done some serious damage on my beer supply. She figures, she likes most of my beers, but doesn't drink a lot of it (maybe 6 pints per keg). This one she likes a lot, so she said our friends can drink my other beers, not hers.

My wife likes porters and stouts best, so I have no frame of reference here. I've brewed a couple of wheats because I wanted to, but robust porter makes her happy.

YooperBrew said:

Ha! You knew I'd show up and ruin your theory! I HATE wheat beers. I particularly hate fruit in beer. To have a fruity wheat beer would be the worst thing I can imagine in a beer!

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Amen sister, wheat beers suck. My swmbo isn't particularly fond of wheat beers either, She loves the apa's. Why anyone would accept a beer (blue moon) with an orange slice stuck on it, is beyond absurd.

Well, it's been interesting. Looks like my personal observations are far from representative of average. Glad to hear it, actually!

My SWMBO is a big wheat fan too. I think it's just the easy-drinking mild sweetness of it she likes. Although I have gotten her to like my APA too.

i'm making a new wheat beer every two weeks this summer. for the ladies

My wife is the same way. She likes the wheats, and just about anything that looks like BMC but isn't too hopped up. When I have my 65 IBU APA on tap though, she will drink the hell out of it.

It's all about the banana!

My GF enjoys wheat beers just like the next but she loves Stouts and Porters.

My girlfriend loves the uber-malty brews, and is rather ambivilant about wheat beers in general.

My wife is crazy about wheat beers. She likes my homebrewed wheat better than any store bought, so every third batch is a wheat for her. It keeps her happy and it keeps her from complaining about this obsesion I call a hobby.

YooperBrew said:

Ha! You knew I'd show up and ruin your theory! I HATE wheat beers. I particularly hate fruit in beer. To have a fruity wheat beer would be the worst thing I can imagine in a beer!

Now, a nice Arrogant Bastard or a super hoppy IIPA, I'm there! For my daughter's graduation this summer, I've made a Kolsch, a Belgian and a cream ale for "the girls" who can't drink my hophead stuff. And actually, they are all ok. But a wheat beer????? NEVER!

Click to expand...

Ooooh! Let me ruin the curve too, I'm also a crazy hophead. I mean, I've got a damn tattoo of a bunch of hop cones. As for wheat beer, I'm not a fan. I have yet to try one that I enjoy, but I guess I''m still open to the idea that one might exist. Both of my parents are hopheads, so maybe it's genetic?

And as for fruit in beer, I'm not usually a fan, but I make exceptions. I like fruit in a Lambic, a liiiiittle citrus is appropriate in some styles (like Saison), and fruity esters are fine because they're not typically overpowering.