Good beers for people who want the opposite of IPAs....

[hlm123]

IPAs cover such a wide range that the only safe bet for opposite would be a sour

 

[drainbamage]

"Opposite of IPA" just means "not overtly hoppy", which is still a huge variety of beer. Do you want...

...Roasty beers (stout/porter, some of which are still perceived as hoppy due to roasted malt bitterness)
...Malt bombs (Scottish ales, bock/doppelbock, Belgian dubbel)
...Lighter-bodied, mild styles (blonde, cream ale, kolsch, hefeweizen)
...Middle-of-the-road styles (amber, brown ale)

If your friends are new to craft beer in general, the lighter and milder is probably the least intimidating. Start with a blonde ale or cream ale, maybe a hefeweizen if you think they won't be weirded out by the banana/clove esters. If you think they could be a little more tolerant, try the amber or brown ale for something with a little richer malt character.

 

[Sovietnam]

Kolsch, Pilsner, Hefeweizen, Dunkelweizen, Lager, Porter/Stout(not Imperial) and Bock, to name a few...

 

[cank]

A good wheat beer. My wife hates my IPAs (to bittet) but love wheat beers.

 

[Ramitt]

I would say a Scottish ale is about as close to the polar opposite of a very hop forward West Coast IPA. All about maltiness and just enough hops to claim they are there.

 

[Ramitt]

As far as my pallet is concerned, the furthest from IPAs are European Pilsners: no distinct bitterness, no hop flavor, no aroma. They are still enjoyable at times, but about as 180 from IPA as it gets.

Not sure what European Pilsners you are drinking, but the better ones certainly have bitterness and Noble hops aroma. Certainly nothing like a WCIPA, but mucb more than an American adnunct Lager.

 

[drainbamage]

Not sure what European Pilsners you are drinking, but the better ones certainly have bitterness and Noble hops aroma. Certainly nothing like a WCIPA, but mucb more than an American adnunct Lager.

Czech pilsners are a little bit sweeter than German ones. Although they include some hop character, they're usually based around more floral or herbal hops like Saaz that aren't aggressively bitter.

 

[podz]

Czech pilsners are a little bit sweeter than German ones. Although they include some hop character, they're usually based around more floral or herbal hops like Saaz that aren't aggressively bitter.

There's a hell of a big difference between an Urquell, which is the definition of the style, and Becks which is a German representation. Becks' got bite, Urquell don't.