Looking For Ideas For a Brew For SWMBO

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cmw6300

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Like the title says, I'm looking for a beer that SWMBO will like. She really hasn't been enlightened about the homebrewing scene being that I just bottled my first beer this weekend. She is a light beer drinker of the BMC kind. I don't have a way to ferment lagers at this point so I'm stuck with the ales. I brought home a Ranger IPA from New Belgium the other day and she had about two sips of it and I ended up finishing it. She does like Fat Tire but I have an Amber in the bottle right now so I want to hold off on that clone for a little. Any suggestions you guys could throw my way would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
I have promised my SWMBO that I will make her a "Strawberry Beer". I don't really want to because I don't think I will like it but whatever...she must be obeyed. I'm going to brew a Kolsch ($20 anniversary kits at Austin Homebrew) and rack it onto a bunch of strawberries in the secondary. I haven't decided how much strawberry though. Maybe yours would like something along those lines since it seems like she wouldn't like a more "advanced" style...yet...
 
If she lights the light stuff from BMC you could brew a cream ale or a blonde ale for her... Look at recipes in the Light Hybrid Beer section (main page, scroll down to the recipe section)...
 
Thanks Ryush, I may just try that! I had her try a little of my Widmers Russian Imperial Stout and she almost couldn't swallow it so I think I will hold off on the stouts for a while. I watched an episode of BrewingTV today and the one I watched was of one of the hosts brewing a chocolate milk stout with his wife. The wife really liked the taste of it and the host described it almost as an after dinner beer with dessert.

Thanks and keep those suggestions coming!
 
What's SWMBO? and AHS, and BMC and IP? I'm a new guy to this stuff, and I've been trying to do research before making my first attempt, but y'all keep using abreviations for everything... is there an abreviation explenation thread I can look at??? ha ha...
 
SWMBO=She Who Must Be Obeyed
AHS=Austin Homebrew Supply, online retailer
BMC=What I call it, Bud, Miller, Coors
IP=Not sure, I'm really a new brewer too!
 
I have had luck with using a pilsner recipe but fermenting with Nottingham at loooow 60s, high 50's. Maybe try that one out before it gets too warm?
 
I went with BM's Orange Kolsch (recipe/thread here) but it's not ready yet. I believe it has another 2-3 weeks in bottles before I try it. It was nice and smooth, nice orange aroma and a subtle flavor when I tasted it at bottling, but I think if I made it again I'd double the coriander and orange peel for more awesomenicity...
 
late hopped pale ale? have her try mighty arrow from new belgian if you can. seems to be a nice transition for BMC drinkers.
 
dude, you don't give a Bud lite drinker a heavy stout & an IPA and then say "wtf" when they hate it.

They can't make the transition like a light switch!

It is a progression-- Start w/ a cream ale, kolsch or blonde (& don't add extra hops bc you'd like it better). Then wheat, belgian ale, blue moon-style.
Then sneak in a pale ale.
then, 6-12 months later, have her try a lite lager again & hopefully she has learned to like beer with some flavor/ will laugh at loving the lite beers so much.
 
I have the same problem and decided to go with Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde. It has rave reviews from people who don't even drink beer. His version is all grain, but there is extract versions later in the thread. Can't wait to keg my batch so the wife unit can try some.
 
Northern Brewer has a Lefse Blonde that my wife loves. it is a great sweet, light beer. easy to make and relatively cheep.

www.NorthernBrewer.com

Search for Lefse Blonde.

SWMBO has been asking for another batch ASAP
 
midfielder5 said:
dude, you don't give a Bud lite drinker a heavy stout & an IPA and then say "wtf" when they hate it.

It is a progression-- Start w/ a cream ale, kolsch or blonde. Then wheat, belgian ale, blue moon-style.
Click to expand...

I don't think I ever said wtf when she didn't like it. I had a strong feeling she wouldn't like it but I'm trying to open her up too other beers. I know going to a stout though was a stretch, thats why I didn't pour her a whole one.
 
I had been planning on doing a wheat beer next, do you guys think that would be too much for SWMBO?

Thanks!
 
Toga said:
I was thinking something light with a touch of hemlock :D
Click to expand...

Nice!!!

My wifey liked the Cream Ale I made for her... She's a light BMC drinker too. She doesn't like strong hop aroma or bitterness, nor does she like fuller bodied beers. She's the type that also thinks that Dark=Heavy. It's simply an education process that could take YEARS... ugh. I will say that she's GREAT about trying Every Single beer I brew, even if it's a style she knows she won't like.
 
Here's my plan for a SWMBO friendly summer seasonal blonde ale:

4 lbs Light DME
1.5 lb Two Row Pale
1 lb Crystal 10L
0.5 lb American Wheat
6 oz vanilla sugar

1 oz Crystal @ 60
0.5 oz Crystal @ 30
0.5 oz Crystal @ 1

Dry hop with 1 oz of dried Angustifolia lavender for a week

White Labs German Ale/Kolsch - WLP029

OG: 1.046
FG: 1.010 to 1.012
SRM: 6 (yellow to gold)
IBU: 17.5
 
I think I'll have to try out either a kolsch or a light blonde ale. I'm also interested in possibly doing a split batch and putting strawberries in one. How would one go about determining how many strawberries to put in say a 2.5 gallon batch?
 
When i first met my girlfriend she wouldn't even drink beer, but pretty quickly came around to some BMC stuff and some yuengling. Recently she had a st pauli girl and really likes that, and she even has tried and liked SA boston lager, and a yuengling bock.

She might not be be the best example because her mind is open to craft beer styles, but she loves the wheat that i made for my second batch, but she has never liked blue moon, shocktop, or the SA wheat. I also have a blonde coming that i will be brewing up with the intention that she will enjoy it. You gotta work your way up in baby steps.

But more importantly I would recommend doing a wheat or a blonde, because they have quick turn around times. My wheat was in the primary for 10 days then went to bottles and it is pretty good. She wanted me to make her a relatively light malty lager, kinda like st pauli girl, but I am not going to tie up a fermenter for that long for something that she may or may not like, and something I don't want to brew (at least not right now).
 
TTB-J said:
Here's my plan for a SWMBO friendly summer seasonal blonde ale:

4 lbs Light DME
1.5 lb Two Row Pale
1 lb Crystal 10L
0.5 lb American Wheat
6 oz vanilla sugar

1 oz Crystal @ 60
0.5 oz Crystal @ 30
0.5 oz Crystal @ 1

Dry hop with 1 oz of dried Angustifolia lavender for a week

White Labs German Ale/Kolsch - WLP029

OG: 1.046
FG: 1.010 to 1.012
SRM: 6 (yellow to gold)
IBU: 17.5
Click to expand...

Sounds pretty horrible to me, more like potpourri than beer. But if you left out the vanilla and lavender you might be on to something. Another thing though, if you are going for a light summer ale and want to make Kolsch or something BMC like, 1 lbs crytal malt is way too much and will be to heavy and cloying in a light summer ale. In fact I'd leave it out all together but if you use it I'd go something like 4 ozs.

Just my opinion looking at your recipe. Obviously you're the one drinking it and might like it the way you posted it so go for it:mug:.
 
Awesome ideas guys! Thank you so much to the guys that gave some great input, I really appreciate it!
 

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