Need Help with a recipe my wife will enjoy!

[vividdemise]

So I will try and probably enjoy almost anything. My wife on the other hand is another story. There are so many recipes it's easy to get lost. The commercial beer she likes is bud light and after some pushing to try new beers with me Stella Artois. I found a stella clone that is all grain , but the most I can do atm is extract or biab batch sparge. The room I use to fermentation keeps between 65 - 70 any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[m00ps]

Belgian Saison, you can thank me later

Simple grain bill, no fermentation temp regulation needed, super crisp and easy drinking, wine lovers, beer lovers, and non-drinkers all like them in general.

 

[BigMack]

I would try a simple belgian wit. I make one that is always the biggest crowd pleaser of any beer I've made. It was the first keg kicked when my family (many of whom don't like a ton of beers) all came over during the holidays.

 

[jtratcliff]

For bud light drinker, try cream of 3 crops, or centennial blonde...

 

[blizz81]

Belgian Saison, you can thank me later

Simple grain bill, no fermentation temp regulation needed, super crisp and easy drinking, wine lovers, beer lovers, and non-drinkers all like them in general.

I'm with this. Everybody seems to love a nice, easy 3711 saison, and with a room that's in between 65-70 ambient, you'll need something that puts up well with higher ferm temps.

 

[kevy]

I would like to know this as well. I would like to know how to win over those bud and miller lite drinkers A lot in my fam. I was thinking a cream ale ??

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

A saison or a nice wit is probably the way to go. Cream or a blonde ale would be good but there's not much flavor to hide behind there so I'd only go that route if you're pretty confident in your process and if you have more reliable temp control.

azscoob has a fantastic saison recipe in the database. Try looking for "Cottage House Saison".

 

[brew703]

I've had the same issue with my wife. She's an Ultra drinker. I tried Centennial Blonde- no go. I let her try Stella (commercial) and she said it was ok. I tried a couple of Belgian's (commercial again) and she again said it was ok. My next and probably final attempt to get her to like something other than Ultra is cream of three crops or a Kolsch. After that I'm done trying to find something. Good luck finding something she likes.

I brew mainly APA's some citrusy and she thinks they are ok but she always says it isn't Ultra.

I've just about given up. Kinda sucks but I guess it is what it is. More for me to drink I guess.

BTW, it's amazing how many people are hooked on the Bud/Ultra/Coors crap and refuse to try anything else.

 

[m00ps]

I would like to know this as well. I would like to know how to win over those bud and miller lite drinkers A lot in my fam. I was thinking a cream ale ??

an actual Cream Ale is pretty hard to pull off at a homebrewing level. A decent one at least. Youll need decent fermentation control and a good handle on your whole brewing process. They are one of the hybrid ale/lager styles. Theyre super clean so any flaws in your process will stand out. With a Belgian beer, if you keep the yeast happy, its tasty esters can cover up your mistakes

 

[blizz81]

BTW, it's amazing how many people are hooked on the Bud/Ultra/Coors crap and refuse to try anything else.

For me, it's amusing how many BMC drinkers will gateway into something like a fruited American wheat beer or a saison or a shandy, and dislike cleaner, crisper versions of traditional lagers.

 

[iijakii]

Do you guys honestly find BMC crowd to like Saisons? They're pretty unique and pungent (and gross ><)... might as well hand 'em an IPA. Blonde gets my vote.

 

[vividdemise]

A saison or a nice wit is probably the way to go. Cream or a blonde ale would be good but there's not much flavor to hide behind there so I'd only go that route if you're pretty confident in your process and if you have more reliable temp control.

azscoob has a fantastic saison recipe in the database. Try looking for "Cottage House Saison".

The one I found is all grain with the need to hold a temp Witch I cant do just yet but looking for thing similar that I can do.

 

[douglasbarbin]

I think that a cream ale like "Cream of 3 Crops" is a safer choice, especially if your wife is a Bud Light drinker. Its flavor profile is closer, by far, to a macro lager compared with something like a Saison, which is more of a yeast-driven style.

Also, 65-70 degrees is really on the low end of the temperature spectrum for a lot of saison yeasts. I'd be worried that you won't get enough yeast character fermenting at 65.

 

[brew703]

For me, it's amusing how many BMC drinkers will gateway into something like a fruited American wheat beer or a saison or a shandy, and dislike cleaner, crisper versions of traditional lagers.

I tried her on some fruity beer and a wheat beer but doesn't care for it. She will usually take a sip of whatever I drink but she cant seem to pull herself away from Ultra- her brother in law is the same- he drinks Bud Light only.
How anyone can drink that crap is beyond me. Might as well drink PBR.

I used to be a Coors light drinker, then moved to Heineken now into the craft beers. I can't stomach the smell of Coors light anymore.
Once you get the good stuff there is no going back.

 

[beergolf]

Another vote for a saison. Very easy to pull off for an eztract brewer. Some pils DME, maybe a little wheat DME, ( if you want it dry then add a little sugar) simple hop schedule. No need for elaborate temp control for the yeast. WY 3711 will work just fine at the room temps you mentioned. I even did one for my wife when I first started brewing that she asked for a slight orange flavor so a little orange peel near the end of the boil. Easy and drinkable.

Do a simple 1 gallon batch to see if she likes it.

 

[Duke145]

My wife is not much of a beer drinker but years ago I ended up getting an American lite kit from B3. I went on a four day trip over the weekend and her and some neighbors polished off 10 gallons. I came away with the thought that it wasn't really worth my time so I just brew what I like. It looks like they still have the kit,
http://www.morebeer.com/products/american-lite-ale-grain-beer-kit-advanced.html

That being said, I'm working on a Kolsch recipe that I hope to attract her and some of her friends to craft beer, they all assume it's darker. I will serve this on my boat this summer where there will be a captive audience.

After reading this thread I will also try a Belgian Saison.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Do you guys honestly find BMC crowd to like Saisons? They're pretty unique and pungent (and gross ><)... might as well hand 'em an IPA. Blonde gets my vote.

I was surprised that my saison was preferred over a blonde ale I made a while back by some BMCers. Especially for a beginner it seems easier to make a nice saison, especially if using 3711 (that thing is nothing short of a beast), instead of a blonde/cream ale with nothing to hide behind.

Or not. YMMV.

 

[vividdemise]

lots of push for the Saison ill keep looking but did find this. Looks like it might do the trick https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=221631

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Deleted

 

[shawnstr71]

I did a orange cream ale that several women enjoyed, including my wife. In fact, I had to do another batch, by request. It was quite popular with the ladies. I liked it as well.

 

[beergolf]

lots of push for the Saison ill keep looking but did find this. Looks like it might do the trick https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=221631

That could work but that yeast likes to be fermented cooler and tastes better when fermented at the low end of the range. You could use a swamp cooler to get the temps down. A little bit of work changing out the frozen water bottles a couple of times a day, but doable.

 

[vividdemise]

ok so Like this and it looks like I could do this as a biabBlue Balls Belgian Wit Any recommendations for Doing this is a 6 gallon kettle as a biab? I know we are both fans of blue moon.

 

[Singletrack]

Agree that Belgian Wit can be a good beer to serve BMC drinkers.

However, if someone really is not interested in craft beer, BMC is okay. Is there a reason to force it?

 

[kevy]

Not force. Enlighten.

 

[ZmannR2]

Here you go, a Stella clone kit, comes in extract, mini mash, or all grain:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Stella-Artois-2B.html

Austin Homebrew has amazing original and clone kits

 

[BeardedBrews]

If you aren't equipped (lager temps) or willing to brew a corn filled american light lager, why not just buy it for her? Get a kegerator and serve her a super fresh draft Bud Light which will taste better than an old can, and will make everyone happy.

There is no shame in her drinking what she likes, and certainly no reason to spend money brewing something that neither of you like.

If the goal is to find a beer to drink together, you are on the right track with commercial tasting. Just focus on tasting things that you are actually interested in brewing at home. If none of them work, keep buying bud light

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Agree that Belgian Wit can be a good beer to serve BMC drinkers.

However, if someone really is not interested in craft beer, BMC is okay. Is there a reason to force it?

Nothing wrong with liking the taste of BMC imho, but I get a kick out of my wife liking my beer...plus when your store runs dry faster, it's another excuse to brew

 

[Dixon9717]

My wife isn't big on beer but I made her a Blonde Mango and she loves it. It's an all grain recipe but if your interested I can post recipe.

 

[ZmannR2]

Here you go, a Stella clone kit, comes in extract, mini mash, or all grain:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Stella-Artois-2B.html

Austin Homebrew has amazing original and clone kits

shoot I just realized that's a lager....so if you didn't know that already don't go buying that unless you got a fermenting fridge

 

[Yooper]

Some people just don't like beer, or if they do they just like Bud Light or Stella.

That's ok- but it's almost impossible to brew for them.

Instead of brewing for them and being disappointed when they don't love it, I would just let them drink what they like.

My own dad hated homebrew. He called it my "homebrewed s@#$". I had ONE beer, one time, that he liked and drank.

Now, I know that I'm no homebrew goddess, but I've made a LOT of beers in my brewing time and many of them won medals at homebrew competitions.

If my own dad wouldn't drink my homebrew except for one cream ale recipe, I'm not optimistic that people who really don't like beer are going to be sold by something like a saison (which I hate, by the way).

People like what they like. It's not easy to change that, and I wouldn't even try, knowing what I know.

 

[MaxStout]

Rather than brewing a batch of beer she may or may not like, why not start with baby steps? Go to a liquor store that does the "mix-and-match 6-pack" thing. Pick a bunch of single bottles of beers she might like. Bring home 6 or 12, put 'em in the fridge and let her sample them. If there are one or two that hit the mark, then you'll know what to brew.

 

[Jaybird]

Do you guys honestly find BMC crowd to like Saisons? They're pretty unique and pungent (and gross ><)... might as well hand 'em an IPA. Blonde gets my vote.

I don't find many BMC drinkers in my store that are good with a Saison. They find them WAY OFF for their taste. I would shoot for a simple "Easy Blonde" keep the hops minimal. Use Willamette they go well for BMC drinkers. Simple clean recipe. If you are an extract brewer just Golden Light DME a little C30L and ferment clean.

Cheers
Jay

 

[vividdemise]

Rather than brewing a batch of beer she may or may not like, why not start with baby steps? Go to a liquor store that does the "mix-and-match 6-pack" thing. Pick a bunch of single bottles of beers she might like. Bring home 6 or 12, put 'em in the fridge and let her sample them. If there are one or two that hit the mark, then you'll know what to brew.

That's what I have been doing she likes the blue moon clone idea. It will be first try at a biab all grain batch its a bit out a season for my taste. Ill have my porter and nut brown ale to drink. but after some reading and pricing out got this one all lined up hope to brew it on the Feb 6th should be ready to drink in may early march and I'll tuck a bit way for spring.