How hard is to de-budweise people!

[nilo]

I have been brewing for almost two years now, AG for last 15mo and what a challenge is to try to introduce "real beer" to people that have always had just light tasteless lagers
Yesterday during a soccer world cup game I presented my friends with my version of a wheat lime ale and a summer ale and both were very well accepted. Most people actually stoped drinking their lagers to go with my beers.
Hope I'm not brewing "light tasteless ales" just to have then drinking
So I guess this was the first step to get then "treated". The plan is to slowly introduce other styles.
I'm sharing the recipe below in case anyone is interested.

Summer lime wit
3# pilsen malt
4# white wheat malt
1# Viena malt
1# Flaked rice
zest from 2 limes
0.5oz goldings for 60mi
0.5oz goldings for 5min
1 tsp irish moss for 20min
1 pack dry yeast S-04
OG=1.043
FG=1.008
ABV%=4.5
IBU=10
SRM=4
5gal batch
Boil 6.5gal
Mashed at 155F for 60min
Fermented at 65F

Lime zest was sanitized with vodka and added to primary.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

Cool recipe, SWMBO loves the wheat beers...I bet she'd dig this. I may give it a whirl!

Also, You cant introduce a BMC drinker to homebrew with an IIPA or a Barleywine. You have to do like you did and give them something lighter and refreshing...easier transition. After they're drinking that then you can step them into the more heavily flavored stuff.

 

[bosox]

Personally, I don't really like wheat beers all that much and the only ones I do are the fake versions of Heffe's lol.

As for the de-budweisering people...it's a challenge. People always ask me what kind of beer I make, and I'll tell them, and they're response is generally "Well is that like Bud? Coors?" The only thing I can say that can even begin to steer them in the right direction of what real beer is is telling them "It's more like Sam Adams then those..."

Good luck with it though, as there are SO many great styles and flavors of beer. It's sad to see people who "like" beer can only name 3 brands of light tasteless, 5 IBu beers :fro:

 

[jgln]

Can't change a person's taste if they don't like it, but you can give them the opportunity to try them like you are doing. I brew and not BMC clones (I like wheats and my Brett) and I like most beers out there to some degree but to be honest I still like drinking Natural Lite; it is actually what I drink the most of. So I am a firm believer you can like both as many here do but good luck getting them all to give up Bud forever.

 

[BendBrewer]

For what it is worth, I still am able to enjoy a cold draft Bud when at the Tavern. Just seems to go with billiards or pinball.

But at home, it's all Pales and IPAs.

 

[thezepster]

It takes a couple of BMC's for me to get used to them and be able to take a sip without regretting it. But after a few its all good. i just suck it up cause i hate being the beer geek guy all the time. But, as for getting people to try the stuff that I like, i just give them a taste so i can laugh at the face they make. I know eventually their taste will mature... hopefully

 

[throwbookatface]

I can actually handle BMCs pretty well, despite strong ales and Belgian dubbels/tripels being my favorite styles. It kind of amazes me how uniform and sterile the beer can be - no off-flavors, nothing too interesting going on, which takes a lot of skill (regardless of whether the end product tastes like water or not).

 

[BendBrewer]

I can actually handle BMCs pretty well, despite strong ales and Belgian dubbels/tripels being my favorite styles. It kind of amazes me how uniform and sterile the beer can be - no off-flavors, nothing too interesting going on, which takes a lot of skill (regardless of whether the end product tastes like water or not).

They don't call it the King of Beers for nothing. Brewers from all over the world study at AB to learn consistency.

A lot of people poo-poo AB for their beer but they couldn't make what AB does every single time. There is something to be said for that.

 

[JerD]

Guys from work over to help with a project. All I had in the fridge was Goose Island Harvest Ale. One guy takes a pull of his beer, turns three shades of green and blurts "What is this ******* ****, it tastes like suntan lotion!!" Off to BW3 we go and everybody's happy.

I gave up trying to convert people or change thier perception of beer once I realized it was p****** up a rope. And as it stands, I can't keep enough home brew stocked for me and the few enlightened I know.

Do you know what the good stuff would cost if everybody liked it?

 

[pacebrew]

i dont even try anymore. whats the point.

 

[CaliBrewin]

out of curiosity and semi off-topic...

in your recipe, you use S-04 w/ a FG of 1.008?

whenever i use this strain i tend to get FGs around 1.015...

yours seems rather low to me. can anyone else chime in?

 

[northernlad]

I can actually handle BMCs pretty well, despite strong ales and Belgian dubbels/tripels being my favorite styles. It kind of amazes me how uniform and sterile the beer can be - no off-flavors, nothing too interesting going on, which takes a lot of skill (regardless of whether the end product tastes like water or not).

Try it at anything over 38 degrees and you'll change your tune.

 

[Djanvk]

Yea I can do BMC if I must but it has to be very cold and then it goes down really easy but for some reason if I drink to many of them I really start to taste the corn in them. This really happens with Bud Light which is for some reason a favorite in my city.

 

[demonrichie]

i think it depends on age too. if youre trying to convert someone whose drank bud for 20 years or so then youll have a challenge. if youre target is more of a younger target thats lookin to get a buzz on theyll take more of a risk(especially if you make a higher abv beer and use that as a convincing point) also they are not solid in their ways

 

[Pommy]

What about you guys? Im sure a lot of you started with drinking BMC. If so then what converted you?

 

[Woodbury419]

I'm going to be honest, I was not into beer at all. I was a straight liquor guy, Bacardi Limon and coke was my drink of choice. Then Hennesy VSOP w/ cranberry..then I went to my journey to Syracuse, NY to for training at Inficon for a piece of equipment I use. A buddy of mine went along with me and we stayed at a awesome hotel. They served free breakfast, not no danish's I mean like eggs, pancakes, omelettes!! But getting to the point, the shuttle dropped us off downtown and we found Empire Brewing Co Pub. We ate there for dinner and we saw that they were a Microbrewery. I was curious of all the different styles they brewed. So I didn't get any liquor, i got the samplers. What started as 8 4oz samples ended up being 24 4oz samples! I couldn't believe how there was more to beer than AB or Coors had led me to believe! So if it wasn't for that trip 3 years ago, I wouldn't be the Beer Geek that I am now! =D :rockin:

 

[fatguy-littlecoat]

What about you guys? Im sure a lot of you started with drinking BMC. If so then what converted you?

curiosity and availability. had a convenience store that stocked foreign and craft beers. one of my favorites which i can no longer find is Youngs Ramrod.. yummy.. wish i could find it again.

 

[Pommy]

I accredit my interest to my early education in beer drinking. Ever since I was young I was encouraged to enjoy a beer rather than drink it to get drunk. I grew up in yorkshire, england and was encouraged to enjoy bitters and also european lagers that were brought back from france in the back of a mate of my dads lorry. Then when I was 10 we moved to New Zealand where the beer is completely different, IMO its cr@p (except for a couple of smaller breweries) Thats probably why Ive always been willing to try any different beers I can. Never been a BMC drinker so thats why I wonder how it is that someone can learn to enjoy "real" beers. My brother was only 7 when we emigrated so he grew up drinking cheap (and nasty) lager, the thing that make me laugh is that in the last year since I started homebrewing he has become the exact sort of BMC drinker you all talk about I think its the lack of exposure to different styles and flavours tbh. Im sure he's now NZ's number one bud drinker, I've never known anyone else who would buy it here before, I bought it once for a superbowl a few years back and didn't see what the fuss was about so its certainly not genetic!

 

[billc68]

I have a neighbour that will try anything and pretty much like everything other than stout, however, he buys "whatever is on sale" and another neighbour who only buys Labbat blue (Canada's Bud) but will taste mine as long as they are not too drak, he is an "expert" who drinks a case a day and worked at a brewery and dark beer will make him sick... lol. Anyway, he likes my cerveza from a kit. But I don't really care and teh ones that say "this beer is not bad" only ever get one or two, theones that like it, get as much as they want.

 

[millsware]

I'm going to be honest, I was not into beer at all. I was a straight liquor guy, Bacardi Limon and coke was my drink of choice. Then Hennesy VSOP w/ cranberry..then I went to my journey to Syracuse, NY to for training at Inficon for a piece of equipment I use. A buddy of mine went along with me and we stayed at a awesome hotel. They served free breakfast, not no danish's I mean like eggs, pancakes, omelettes!! But getting to the point, the shuttle dropped us off downtown and we found Empire Brewing Co Pub. We ate there for dinner and we saw that they were a Microbrewery. I was curious of all the different styles they brewed. So I didn't get any liquor, i got the samplers. What started as 8 4oz samples ended up being 24 4oz samples! I couldn't believe how there was more to beer than AB or Coors had led me to believe! So if it wasn't for that trip 3 years ago, I wouldn't be the Beer Geek that I am now! =D :rockin:

That's 8 beers! Do you even remember the last sampler?

 

[ekranzusch]

I've had a lot of luck turning people with hefe's, and also a nice clean belgian blonde (that isn't overly estery). I think the key for me is to give them mostly what they are expecting, but to throw the curveball of actual flavor in there. If it's too radical, they won't be able to handle it. Their pallates are fragile little flowers, lots of them can't handle the big leagues right off the bat. Also, not everyone is worth saving... you know, Darwin, etc. etc.

 

[Xtant]

I like beer. All beer. Sometimes, an ice cold Budweiser hits the spot...

I'm also known for showing up places with a six-pack of PBR. The main purpose of that is nobody ever asks for a PBR. The bums that show up with nothing of their own will never mooch off a guy with PBR

 

[aMillionDreams]

Depends on if they have the money to spend. Two of my best friends always come over with Bud Lite because they can't afford anything else. I always tell them to take it home with them. They're going to drink good beer while they're at my house.

 

[billc68]

I always tell them to take it home with them. They're going to drink good beer while they're at my house.

And THAT is why they always bring bud light, next time give them less than good beer, see what happens. Or tell them you are all out of good beer before they come over.

 

[joekerr1]

I like beer. All beer. Sometimes, an ice cold Budweiser hits the spot...

I'm also known for showing up places with a six-pack of PBR. The main purpose of that is nobody ever asks for a PBR. The bums that show up with nothing of their own will never mooch off a guy with PBR

Except hipsters for some reason they love them some PBR.

On topic now.

I learned beer flavors from the Class 6 and traveling to Germany, Colombia, Philippines and Indonesia. I really gained an appreciation of beer especially when I was in Germany for 5 days waiting to go to Afghanistan. But I was always the odd duck when it came to drinking people would never drink the beer in my fridge because it was not BMC or Natti Light.


The weird part is I can also open a bottle of my home brew even with the off flavors and drink it warm. I can't drink BMC or anything like that warm at all.

 

[smizak]

My neighbor downs a 12 pack of Labatt Blue Light at minimum every day. He knows I brew, he's tried my beer, he hates anything that doesn't taste like carbonated water. He may drink a bunch of "beer" everyday, but he has no interest in it, he could care less about trying anything else. To him, Labatt Blue Light is the easiest, most refreshing way to get alcohol into his system. There is no point in trying to "convert" him.

Lately I've been getting irritated by peoples reactions when they find out I home brew. It's either the the "you're a drunk" attitude or "you must be a moon-shining hillbilly". I've been keeping it to myself. My girlfriend has been telling people about my medals, which changes peoples attitudes a little bit, but I feel uncomfortable talking about that stuff unless they're very interested. I'll start telling people about competitions and judging and I get a bunch of blank, "you're crazy" stares back.

 

[billc68]

I tel everyone I brew, the brewing around here is mostly due to the fact that our beer is so damn expensive, very few are into craft brewing. But no one looks at me like my head is on crooked or anything. There are a ton of misconceptions areound here, the home brew is inferior, yeasty, to high in ABV etc.

The fact is, people that drink anything "light" or and "ICE COLD" BMC etc, don't really like beer, they like a beer like beverage that delivers alcohol, that's it. Or they "tolerate" beer.

I don't like alot of beers as well, I have yet to find a homebrewed stout that I truly love (next step is a guinees tap I guess) some red ales, I love, some I hate. Some IPAs are incredible and some taste way to hoppy for me. I truly love Euro style Lagers and am just know learning how to brew them.

I have leanred not to even touch anything with "wheat beer" on the label.

So not all beer is for everyone.

Speaking of my tastes, I think I am leaning towards a Sierra Nevada like recipe, i have spoke to teh LHBS and discussed my love for Irish Reds and some IPAs. We have very little selection here, so hard to sample from teh commercial brews, the reccomened I try some Pale Ales and an "American" IPA.

 

[Vekta]

It's been tough going with some of my friends. My girl friend says she just likes Budlight...just because.I think that's just because that's all she's had. A friend of mine says he likes Budlight Lime for the taste. A third has no sense of taste or any drive to expand his pallet. His philosophy is why buy the good stuff when I can get a 30 pack of the tasteless crap for the same price. Some of my friends just can't handle real beer for whatever reason. Either they're light weights or can't handle the taste of a real beer. My dad is probably the worse in my mind. He used to buy the beer when we went fishing. Now that I'm of legal drinking age I told him he's not buying the fishing beer anymore. There will be no Miller Light or MGD in our cooler! Or...

eep!:cross:

 

[billc68]

Ha, my wife doesn't even like beer period, not bud light, no coors light or any lime flavoured brew. Nor does she like wine, however with a few ice cubes we are slowly getting her pallete adjusted for wine and she somewhat enjoyed a Lambic Framboise a couple of months back, so there is hope.

 

[BendBrewer]

Ha, my wife doesn't even like beer period, not bud light, no coors light or any lime flavoured brew. Nor does she like wine, however with a few ice cubes we are slowly getting her pallete adjusted for wine and she somewhat enjoyed a Lambic Framboise a couple of months back, so there is hope.

Anything to get her off of the Jagger I guess.......