God Help me.... My wife hates beer

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Corkster

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Ok, so I'm one of those guys who has a wife who has the unfortunate problem of saying often (and vehemently) that she doesn't like beer....

I am totally convinced that the case is not that she does not like beer, she just hasn't found a style that she likes yet.....

She claims that it is the bitterness she hates.... yet she LOVES the smell of fresh hops.....

Problem is... what kind of friggin beer is full of hop aroma yet light on hop bitterness.....

Help me out HBT!! What recipes would you recommend for someone who "doesn't like beer"

I've been leaning toward maybe a Belgian Wit or something......
 
The basic winemaking offshoot of basic brewing radio just released a podcast of a dryhopped wine, maybe a wine or mead or sour beer that has been dry hopped would work?
 
Chootalkinbout? It's incredibly easy to adjust the IBU's down and the hop flavor and aroma up. Bittering hops, those added at 60/90 minutes, etc., add bitterness but not much hop flavor. Late hops, those at 15, 10 minutes, add flavor. Around 2 to 0 minutes, that's aroma. You want a low-IBU beer that is really hoppy? Just add very little bittering hops, but add a whole bunch right at the end. Problem solved.

Or just get a new wife.
 
Just add very little bittering hops, but add a whole bunch right at the end. Problem solved.

Or just get a new wife.

I had been wondering about doing this very thing but was concerned with losing the antiseptic properties of the hops..... I suppose of course if everything is sanitized I'd still be ok though......

hmmm.... maybe you're right... a new wife might be easier! ;)
 
The basic winemaking offshoot of basic brewing radio just released a podcast of a dryhopped wine, maybe a wine or mead or sour beer that has been dry hopped would work?

so just do the whole boil and no hops until the secondary....... interesting idea!

thanks
 
I had been wondering about doing this very thing but was concerned with losing the antiseptic properties of the hops..... I suppose of course if everything is sanitized I'd still be ok though......

hmmm.... maybe you're right... a new wife might be easier! ;)

Dude, it's all about balance. Okay, your wife hates the bitterness. So just make a really malty beer. Try a scottish style. They're all malt. Yes, there's some bittering hops, enough for "antiseptic" properties (and look, to be honest, you're not shipping the crap to the east indies, dude. The alcohol is plenty to ward off nasties as long as your sanitation regime is sound). But it's a very malty beer, and your wife, she might love it. Who knows.
 
Maybe your wife really doesn't like beer. My wife hates it. She doesn't drink it which leaves more for me.
 
Maybe your wife really doesn't like beer. My wife hates it. She doesn't drink it which leaves more for me.

Hehe... I need to keep my wife involved to a certain degree or she will invariably begin to scorn the entire hobby, thus removing any joy that may have otherwise been involved.....

So far she has been very supportive of the hobby of brewing.. and a bit concerned about the drinking the fruits of my labors part..... (my gracious 2 beers in one day! you are turning into a drunk)

not that this will stop me of course!!! I submit too often... this time I will win!

yeah!............................................... coming dear.......

sorry guys...gotta go.... ;)
 
Has she ever tried a Belgian beer like Wittekerk or Hoegarden? My girlfriend really enjoys those and there are plenty of Hoegarden clones out there. Unfortunatly no wittekerke clones...
 
Has she ever tried a Belgian beer like Wittekerk or Hoegarden? My girlfriend really enjoys those and there are plenty of Hoegarden clones out there. Unfortunatly no wittekerke clones...

I don't think she has tried a lot of different styles... she has had plenty BMC's and decided she doesn't like beers.... (she doesn't like Boston Lager or ESB either.. I had her try those) so she doesn't bother to experiment with different beers.... And to be honest, my own beer experience is fairly limited so I don't know what to recommend to her..... thus the "take pity on my poor ignorant soul" thread that I've started here! :D
 
Im telling you my girlfreind drank bud light and didn't like any other beers. But I started bringing her to beer fests which really helped her figure out what she liked. She really enjoyed a Belgian beer fest because of the hoegarden and wittekerke but also the rasberry framboise that were there. But the two Belgian beers that I mentioned are lighter and crisp with little to no bitterness.

Go to a place that has a good beer selection and pick some up. Or find a beer fest because I am sure you both would learn a lot from one of those... just try to remember it all :drunk:
 
Sounds like a plan MgMt! I've been leaning towards belgians for awhile now and have been anxious to make one.... I'll have to stop at the beer shoppe on the way to work tonight and find a nice one for her to try!
 
Buy her a Lindemans Framboise. There, now she knows there's a "beer" she likes.

Next get her a Belgian wit or hefeweizen with a lemon.
 
Lindemans Framboise eh? I'll have to keep an eye out for that.... as a note of curiosity... why that one before the wit? just curious.....
 
Well the Framboise is to me a desert beer. It's pretty sweet and fruity but yet it's still a beer. So maybe that will open her eyes to the entire spectrum of beers. I hear you can make some pretty good syrup for waffles with it too :)
 
Hey, I used to hate beer till I started brewing my own. I also like less hop bittering than HWMBC but we have found a medium balance. Althought you guys all think its funny for some reason lime in the beer cuts the bitterness for me so maybe she can get by with that. Wow, too many typos today, just finished half a pint from my grocery store brew and it is a little strong for me. :)
 
Grocery store brew eh...... cheater!! ;) unless of course you're talking about premier malt extract purchased from your local grocery store and then brewed into a tasty homebrew!

:D
 
Lindemans Framboise eh? I'll have to keep an eye out for that.... as a note of curiosity... why that one before the wit? just curious.....

It's as extreme on the sweet, fruity, not-beery side as you can really find in a beer (Lindeman's tends to be sweeter than the average lambic). So if the problem is thinking all beers taste alike, that's about as extreme on the girly/froo-froo side of the spectrum as you can get.

The Framboise is raspberry flavored (They have a cherry (Kriek) and peach (Peche) version as well, but the Framboise is generally considered their premier lambic).

Maybe an excerpt from a review would be illustrative:
Framboise looks for all the world like red pop. The nose is intensely fruity and smells like concentrated essence of crushed, sweetened raspberries. It is, by far, the most powerfully fruity nose of any beer that I've ever had the pleasure to sniff.

Thankfully, the beer tastes exactly like it smells. There's only one flavor here and that is... raspberries! It's simple, it's direct, it's flavorful, it's the liquid essence of the fruit. There's a delightful balance between sweet and tart.

A good wit (Allagash White, Hoegaarden) is another direction to go, but it's going to taste more like a beer with some citrus and spice notes than a fruit drink.

Basically, I'd go with the framboise first to ensure that she sees:
a) how _extremely_ different a beer can taste
b) that they don't all have any sort of bitter or hoppy notes

Once her mind is open to the possibilities, use the wits and weizens to nudge her into different, more "beery", flavors that may still appeal to her.

Once she grows to like wits, then even many bars will have a beer (Blue Moon) that she's open to. It's not a great wit, but it's not terrible either and if you're in the "stick a lemon in it" phase it's perfectly acceptable.
 
Thanks for all the input folks... I appreciate the time spent!

As a side note.... We did recently try a Pyramid Apricot Ale (an unfiltered wheat beer) and may I just say that we both both found it to be nearly gag reflex inducing..... Are other fruit/wheat beers similar.....

....please let the answer be no.......
 
I can drink Framboise, because I like rsapberries, but I gag on apricot or peach flavors. So don't judge the fruity flavors from that.

+1 on try the Framboise, if she can drink that and likes it, then you have some place to start.

If she doesn't like it, like my wife, then...

+1 on more for ME to drink!!!
 
LOL... I wondered when you'd get here with your amazing wit and wisdom llama!!

Yeah, I got off work super early today (8 hours earlier than usual) so I've been celebrating by drinking lots of beer. Then again, I often celebrate the coming of Wednesday by drinking lots of beer. Tuesday sometimes too.
 
sigh.... you're getting home and I'm going into work...... life can be so cruel.....

more random posting in the morning I suppose!
 
Ugh, there have been sooooo many threads like this. Face it some people don't like beer and they never will. Why does every homebrewer feel the need to "convert" people? some people just like BMC and will never change, some people don't like beer at all and never will. Trying to change them is like trying to get a gay person to go straight. Ain't gonna happen.
 
Ugh, there have been sooooo many threads like this. Face it some people don't like beer and they never will. Why does every homebrewer feel the need to "convert" people? some people just like BMC and will never change, some people don't like beer at all and never will. Trying to change them is like trying to get a gay person to go straight. Ain't gonna happen.

I was going to say the same thing. But, in a nicer way. :)

Some people don't like beer. It's not the style or the bitterness- they just don't like beer.

I don't like chocolate. People have told me that I just haven't had the "right" kind of chocolate. Well, I'm middle aged for crying out loud- and I don't like chocolate!

Some people don't like coffee. Some people don't like bananas. Some people just don't like beer.

Now, as a hobby, though, that's a different story. I mean, beer making is my hobby. If your wife will give you **** about making beer, then I can understand wanting to interest her in it. But, what if she liked quilting? Or sewing? Or shopping? We all have different interests, and the respect should be given, even if the other partner isn't "in" to the same hobby.
 
He's right though. Trying to convert BMC drinkers to homebrew is like trying to convert mormons to the church of the flying spaghetti monster. If you're lucky, they'll smile and politely nod, then walk away and try to forget that you exist. If you're unlucky, they'll kick you in the junk, then walk away and try to forget that you exist.
 
I like the familularity (how do you spell the word for something you're famiular with?) of Yoopers new/old avitar.

Way to go!

(I dont like chocolate either)
 

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