Need a brew for the SWMBO

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BWRIGHT

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Just getting my feet wet with homebrewing. My SWMBO tolerates my brewing, but she would be much more forgiving if I could brew something she will drink. Like most BMC drinkers, I think she just generally doesn't like the flavor of hops, or malt. I've made her take a sample of every beer I've bought in the last 6mos. The only thing she truly said she could "tolerate" was Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Go figure. Must be the chocolate. Anyway, I'm looking for advice on something she might like. I've seen kits for hard lemonades that I'm sure must be better than the commercial stuff. The problem is, I don't have the capability to brew any lagers or pilsners right now. Ed Worts Aplefwein seems to be pretty popular. But, I'm sure neither of us will like it if it tastes anything like Woodchuck, or something like that. Surely, you guys can help me on this. Any advice?
 
Why not make her a mead (aka honey wine).

Make a big production of it, make her think you are slaving away at it. But really, you just heat pasteurize some honey water, cool it by adding it to cold water, add yeast, toss it in a carboy, and aerate. Takes about an hour start to finish.

Much easier than beer... and tasty too. IMHO, brew days are too few and far between to try to placate somebody who doesn't love beer to begin with.


Or, if all else fails, hefeweizens are very popular and served with a lemon. Chicks seem to like anything that's served with fruit.
 
I think you would be best off finding something commercial she likes and then brew something similar. I would start with blonde ales, cream ales, wheat beers.

Ed's apfelwein is not like Woodchuck. It is much drier, less sweet and a lot more alcohol. I suggest starting some of it ASAP.
 
Beerrific said:
I think you would be best off finding something commercial she likes and then brew something similar. I would start with blonde ales, cream ales, wheat beers.

Ed's apfelwein is not like Woodchuck. It is much drier, less sweet and a lot more alcohol. I suggest starting some of it ASAP.


+1 that's some good advice.

+1 again appfelwien is really good and it's inexpensive to make.
 
You also don't need to brew a whole 5 gallons of Apfelwein if you're worried you and SWMBO won't like it. It is one of those easily scaled beginning recipes. Some people brew up only a gallon in an old wine jug. Of course you might be like most of us and like it and regret not making more...so be prepared on drinking day to brew up a 5 gallon batch.
 
If she likes Young's, then maybe think of other commercial beers like that. Maybe other stouts, to see if she would like them.

I really dislike fruited beer, or anything sweet. (The caramel cream ale on here was a dumper for me- it was like cream soda with beer added- grosser than gross). I know some women do like that, but I'd say skip the gimmick stuff and make a beer that she would like.
 
yeah I wish it were as easy as bottling pucker. She doesn't like most beer, but she's not retarted. Hell she wouldn't drink that crap either. I was kind of hoping someone has been in this situation before. She likes BMC, but I can't do anything that light. Mead may be an option. Although, I had a honey wine the other day (if that is the same as mead) and it was awful. I don't like wine, but this stuff was even worse. If anybody has any more suggestions, I sure could use them. Aplefwein sounds like my best bet now. If I go that route, I will make a full 5G batch. If its that strong, it will get drank.
 
Beerrific said:
Ed's apfelwein is not like Woodchuck. It is much drier, less sweet and a lot more alcohol. I suggest starting some of it ASAP.


QFT


Also, as far as scalability, Revvy is right on. Both my carboys are full, so I grabbed three emptied 1gal wine jugs from a sorority house and got some #6.5 (#6 are better) stoppers and airlocks. I've got two slightly different batches of Apfelwein goin now, and I think the total cost was like $12 (equipment + ingredients).
 
I don't have my Beer Captured book with me, but I do remember seeing in there a recipe for Cristal. You might want to try that. Looks rather strong, but very light in body. I've never had one before, but I am thinking I might try and brew it once.
 
just made a batch of northern brewers Mild Ale 3 weeks away from drinking it but just by sampling the unconditioned beer at the bottom of the bottling bucket it is very low in bitterness (.5OZ hops), malty and has some chocolate notes. If you trying to get her drunk you may want to look else where since it's only like a 3% ABV :p also it's only $22
Good luck!
http://www.northernbrewer.com/alekits.html
 
My wife is the same way. Generally a Bud Light or Mich Ultra drinker. I have a hard time getting her to approve of anything hoppier. I just brewed Morebeers Light American Ale extract kit ($16). This is a very boring beer, which is exactly what she was looking for. It is still a little green, but it appears that she approves.

She was also tolerant of an American Wheat.

Give those a try.
 
What does she usually drink? My girlfriend hates any level of hoppiness, almost- she really liked a german wheat I made. Mild flavor, not overly boozy and almost no detectable hoppiness.
 
As far as beer goes, she normall drinks Miller Lite or Bud Light. I'm wonder if she liked the stout because she couldn't taste the hops. Would drastically reducing the hop levels be an option? I'm thinking an English Brown Ale or something, maybe a Hefe, and just bring the IBU's down.
 
Well, hefes aren't heavily hopped anyway, so if she likes hefes that might work. If she likes a stout, though, I'd suggest brewing a stout, especially if you like them, too.

Stouts have alot going on without fruitiness or bitterness, so that's why people who don't like bitter beers like them. I wouldn't think an English Brown with lower IBUs would be very good- you'd have it way too sweet. Does she like Newcastle? If she does, I have a decent recipe that tastes alot like it.

I know a lot of guys say that women like fruit in their beer. Maybe that's true of some women- I don't know even ONE that likes fruit in their beer, though. Still, if she does, I saw that austinhomebrew has a fruited stout on special right now.
 
If she likes Young's Double Chocolate Stout, why not go in that direction? Maybe something like a milk stout - smooth, kinda sweet, roasty, not too bitter?

The English Brown would be a good idea; Southern English Browns are pretty sweet. Look at Orfy's Hobgoblin clone; the Golbin's sweet and malty and really drinkable. It's a dark English Ale, not really a brown ale, but really good.
 
YooperBrew said:
I know a lot of guys say that women like fruit in their beer. Maybe that's true of some women- I don't know even ONE that likes fruit in their beer, though. Still, if she does, I saw that austinhomebrew has a fruited stout on special right now.


I'm not into fruity beers, nor are any of the women I know.
 
I absolutely love Pyramid's Apricot Ale. It's a bit sweet but it's one of those beers I like 1 of every once in a while.
 
What is the difference between a Southern English Brown and a Northern? Is New Castle Southern or Northern? Also, (Bird) I like most stouts that I've come across, but don't think I've ever had a Milk Stout. Do you know a popular comercial example of Milk Stout? I think the only reason the old lady liked the Young's was because it tasted like Chocolate, plus that creaminess you get with the nitro widget is hard to reproduce, no?
 
Yeah, Yooper I'm pretty sure I talked to you about that New Castle clone. I just bottled a Brewer's Best English Brown Ale. Extract with steeping grains, not ten minutes ago. It's my first homebrew. I've got an Oatmeal Stout and an American Nut Brown Ale in primary also. You can see that I've been taken over by this obsession already. I haven't even tried my first batch yet and I've got two more batches to rack into secondary this weekend. I just looked at your recipe, it appears to be identical. Let you know in 3 weeks!
 
My wife liked Young's Double Chocolate because she thought it had chocolate in it. Now that she knows it doesn't she's not so crazy about it.

Have her try a Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blond Ale, Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat or if you can get it a Sweetwater Blue (blueberry ale).

The recipe in BYO tasted nothing like New Castle to me although I like both my version and the real thing.
 
abracadabra said:
My wife liked Young's Double Chocolate because she thought it had chocolate in it. Now that she knows it doesn't she's not so crazy about it.

Have her try a Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blond Ale, Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat or if you can get it a Sweetwater Blue (blueberry ale).

The recipe in BYO tasted nothing like New Castle to me although I like both my version and the real thing.

I think someone posted a Young's clone today or last night that actually had a couple ounces of Chocolate in it...

I always figured Young's actually did as well and they called it Double because it had both chocolate malts and real chocolate as well...It sure tastes like it has Chocolate Syrup in it.

Here's a bunch of peoples Double Chocolate Clones...and most contain Real Choc. and Malt;

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=15820&highlight=double+chocolate+stout
 
abracadabra said:
My wife liked Young's Double Chocolate because she thought it had chocolate in it. Now that she knows it doesn't she's not so crazy about it.

Well, if she likes things based on the name rather than the flavor, that ought to make it easy to make something she likes. Just whip up any old batch and then tell her it's made with chocolate, puppy dogs, and french kisses.
 
Here's from Beer Advocate...I was right it does have real Chocolate in it.

Commercial Description-
Available filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles and in nitrocans. Also Nitro Keg on Tap

Production moved from Youngs to Wells & Youngs in 2007.

Ingredients: Pale ale and crystal malt, chocolate malt, special blend of sugars, Fuggle and Goldings hops, real dark chocolate and chocolate essence.

Chocolate malt and real dark chocolate are combined with Young's award winning rich, full flavoured dark beer to craft a satisfyingly indulgent, but never overly sweet experience.
 
Revvy said:
Here's from Beer Advocate...I was right it does have real Chocolate in it.

You may be right. I recall thinking that my BYO 150 clone recipes made no mention of real chocolate. But I don't have the magazine handy to reference. Only my oft times faulty memory.
 
I've been revisiting some old threads I started recently and came across this one. I've come to find that the SWMBO has like almost every beer I've made. As long as you keep the IBU's down, you'll be alright. However, I have had some luck brewing things OTHER than beer. Probably the things she likes the best are some of the "ciders" I've made. Mixing different combinnations of apple and grape juice and using US-04 seems to be her favorite. Apfelwein was too dry for both of us. Use 04 and cold crash around 1.008. I've found that if you cold crash, keg, and keep cold it will not restart the fermentation. Keep it a little sweet and it is very good. Although, I must say that I've never bottled any of them, so be careful.
 
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