Converting BCM Drinkers

[Pickle29]

New here and new to home brewing. My wife and I just purchased our first house, and I've been given the go-ahead to start brewing once we move in a month. :rockin: I've already located all my equipment to start with extract brewing, so now I'm narrowing down kits/recipes that I want to start with.

My mother-in-law, along with several friends, are BMC drinkers only. I'd love to be able to brew my own beer that I can use to help convert them at least to craft brews if not to home brews entirely. What are some successful beers, recipes, kits, or stories that you have to share for everyone?

 

[UWDawg13]

I don't have a ton of input, but think you'll get a lot of cream ale responses. I have recently had some due hard coors light drinkers really like a hoppy pale my LHBS owner wrote me a recipe for. I really like getting my kits from morebeer right now because its hard to beat free shipping on orders over $59.

Cheers and welcome to the obsession!

 

[boydster]

Let them have their BMC. More delicious home brews for you! If you start with something like Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde, that's a pretty easy drinking beer that your family might enjoy. Low-ABV, low-IBU beers are your best bet. For 5 gallons, use 5-6 lbs of one or a combination of extra light, golden light, or wheat DME, and hop lightly with something like Cascade or Saaz. Ferment with US-05. Fizzy yellow (and delicious) beer.

 

[DaNewf]

I'll second the Centennial Blonde. It's a fairly light beer but it tastes really nice with good hop flavour and aroma that isn't "too much" for most people who drink the more common commercial beers. I hear that light cream ales go over well but I've never tried one.

But in the end brew to suit your own tastes (and maybe your wife's) you'll be drinking most of it anyway. Maybe get a few batches under your belt and get your process down before worrying about pleasing a wider audience.

 

[whoaru99]

What I've found is that most BMC drinkers will remain BMC drinkers despite your best efforts. They might drink your beer, they might even like your beer, but they'll still go back to BMC unless, perhaps, you're going to keep them supplied.

 

[icebob]

And maybe if mother in law don't like your beer, she'll stay home

 

[RichBrewer]

I wouldn't worry about converting them from BMC but instead widen their tastes for different beers. Start with a beer that isn't to extreme, maybe something a bit more malty than BMC with a nice hop balance.

 

[Arrheinous]

Centennial Blonde is a good one.

No mention of the Cream of Three Crops cream ale?

 

[Pickle29]

Thank you for all the suggestions! Converting was probably not the right word choice. I'm not looking to convert anyone, simply looking to be able to make a beer that my BMC family and friends will want to drink. Obviously I'll have a way to before I'm making beer for other people, but I'd love to be able to share my hobby with others.

 

[Flipadelphia]

There are plenty of good blonde/cream ale recipes that aren't those two recipes also.

 

[BigFloyd]

I'm not going to brew something that isn't especially appealing to me just to try to get a swill beer drinker to try it. I've had some success converting some long-time BMC drinkers with beers that aren't similar to the light American lagers, but not so dark as to scare them (that comes later once they're hooked).

A balanced, modestly-hopped summer pale ale (nothing even close to an IPA) works pretty well as does sometimes an amber. The key to winning them over to the good stuff is for you to do a very nice job of it. Pitching plenty of yeast, good control over pitch and ferment temps (on the cool end of optimal at first) for a nice clean flavor is crucial. They'll look at it first, often with a skeptical eye, before tasting it, so using certain techniques to create a visually appealing (clear) glass of brew without a bunch of yeast trub in it is important as well. I love it when a BMC drinker asks me how I filter my beer (I don't).

 

[brew_ny]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/cream-three-crops-cream-ale-66503/

this is a good one also

 

[rodwha]

I had actually tried to make something like an ale version of a crappy light American lager for similar reasons.

I used some rice DME and honey to give it a bit thinner body and lightly hopped it. Still much better a typical American light lager. You might even use pilsen extract such as you might find in a cream ale. I'd also suggest earthy type hops (Willamette, Liberty, Mt Hood, etc.).

 

[sudbuster]

New here and new to home brewing. My wife and I just purchased our first house, and I've been given the go-ahead to start brewing once we move in a month. :rockin: I've already located all my equipment to start with extract brewing, so now I'm narrowing down kits/recipes that I want to start with.

My mother-in-law, along with several friends, are BMC drinkers only. I'd love to be able to brew my own beer that I can use to help convert them at least to craft brews if not to home brews entirely. What are some successful beers, recipes, kits, or stories that you have to share for everyone?

I realize you are excited about brewing and all. But if they prefer BMC style beer, perhaps it would be best to brew for you and your wife until you gain enough experience and equipment to properly brew a BMC stye lager beer.
On these forums, 'BMC' is used in a very snobbish, derogatory, demeaning manner. Such replies as "swill drinkers", "Horse piss", etc. are common. Such remarks are just a way of inflating the posters personal ego as a "real beer" connoisseur in his or her own mind. Light lager style is the world's most preferred style of beer. A bit over ninety percent of all beer drinkers world wide prefer lager style beers. Just look it up.
The disparaging remarks toward the style are usually made by neophyte, inexperienced brewers that simply are ignorant of a far greater world outside of their their tiny realm of perception.
Brewing an acceptable light lager is the ultimate challenge for a home brewer. Aspire to that challenge! Good fortune to you in all your brewing experience. Cheers.

 

[DaNewf]

sudbuster raises a good point. I'll add another: nothing "cuts the thirst" like a cold light lager.

I was visiting my parents last weekend. While I was there I went in the woods helping my dad with the firewood he was cutting. By the time we got back to the house I was nearly choked. I went to the fridge and reached right past the red ale I had bought and grabbed one of Dad's Molson Canadian Lights. It went down fast and easy and the parched feeling in my mouth and throat was instantly gone.

A light blonde ale works too but I don't them quite as effective as an immediate thirst quencher.

 

[unionrdr]

Common lagers were the inspiration for my hybrid lagers. A light colored pale ale using pilsen malts or the like in the pb/pm biab style. I'd add plain extra light DME at flame out to get the OG up to recipe. I use hops that are typical of pilsners & lagers. Then ferment with WL029 kolsh yeast. It's sweet spot being 65-69F,it gives lager-like balance & that crispness on the back typical of BMC's & the like. All but one BMC fan liked it. I even did a dark one with a Cooper's can that was pretty good to them as well.

 

[acarlotto]

Centennial Blonde is a good one.

No mention of the Cream of Three Crops cream ale?

+1 on this. All my friends neighbors that are mostly BMC drinkers love both of these. I wish I never let them try it because every time time they are around we finish the keg. Man I can't make it fast enough!!

 

[Arrheinous]

A good bock and maybe steam beer could work too. They're relatively light and showcase different aspects of what beer can be.

 

[NickTheGreat]

My first AG brew was EdWort's Pale Ale. It has gone over so well with my BMC friends, that I keep it in rotation.

It's not really all that hoppy, which I think can put off BMC drinkers.

 

[JimRausch]

Another thought is Wayne's Blue Moon clone(there's a 50+ page thread on the forum). I did a batch last summer that went over so well that I've been asked to brew 2 batches of it for this summer.
Then you can try them on a Cream ale(Edwort's has great reviews), which is simple to make and pretty darn close to a light American lager, without the lagering processes. And eventually switch them over to Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde which is just a superb beer.
Brewing for other's taste is fun, especially when you get good feedback. But in the end, brew for yourself. After all why get into brewing if not to brew beer that YOU like.

 

[Pickle29]

I realize you are excited about brewing and all. But if they prefer BMC style beer, perhaps it would be best to brew for you and your wife until you gain enough experience and equipment to properly brew a BMC stye lager beer.
On these forums, 'BMC' is used in a very snobbish, derogatory, demeaning manner. Such replies as "swill drinkers", "Horse piss", etc. are common. Such remarks are just a way of inflating the posters personal ego as a "real beer" connoisseur in his or her own mind. Light lager style is the world's most preferred style of beer. A bit over ninety percent of all beer drinkers world wide prefer lager style beers. Just look it up.
The disparaging remarks toward the style are usually made by neophyte, inexperienced brewers that simply are ignorant of a far greater world outside of their their tiny realm of perception.
Brewing an acceptable light lager is the ultimate challenge for a home brewer. Aspire to that challenge! Good fortune to you in all your brewing experience. Cheers.

Again, perhaps using the word convert was the wrong word choice. Perhaps call it a BMC alternative? When I start, my first several batches will be selections for my wife and myself. But since I have time until I start brewing, I thought I'd check around and gather as many resources I can for something I might be wanting to do in the future. And I would like to (hopefully) be able to brew something that everyone will enjoy. I'm a sharing person. What can I say?

I do appreciate everyone's answers! I think I've got enough to give it a shot once I have a few batches under my belt.

 

[pablosbrewing]

My mother-in-law, along with several friends, are BMC drinkers only. I'd love to be able to brew my own beer that I can use to help convert them at least to craft brews if not to home brews entirely. What are some successful beers, recipes, kits, or stories that you have to share for everyone?

A little over 20 years ago I brewed these for my sister's wedding, designed for the BMC crowd:

http://pablosbrewing.smartywebs.com/1994-batch-10-pablos-bud-buster/

http://pablosbrewing.smartywebs.com/1994-batch-1112-pablos-summertime-swill/

Several BMC'ers were still drinking these at breakfast the next morning.

I would probably use US-05 if I made those today, and ferment in the mid 60's.