What to brew for non-beer drinkers?

[brian_g]

I've been thinking that it would be a lot of fun to brew something that could win over someone that "doesn't like" beer. In my own experience, I didn't really like most beers I tried at first. It wasn't until I got introduced to wheat beers and Chimay that I really started appreciating beer. Now, I can enjoy just about any beer.

In any case, I think it would be fun to try to win over someone that doesn't like beer. Has anyone had any success with that? One interesting possibility is perhaps a sour beer, since they are usually low IBUs and they break the stereotype of what beer is supposed to taste like. Any thoughts?

 

[microbusbrewery]

I think sours are a good option, especially if they claim they don't like beer because they're "wine people". It can take a significant amount of time to make a good sour...I'd consider them to be advanced styles, so do your research if you've never made one before. I'd consider doing something with fruit...a fruit lambic, a Flanders red with cherries, or perhaps a fruited saison. Another idea, pick up some commercial examples and have them over for a beer tasting. While not a true lambic by most purist's definition, I've found that Lindeman's (back-sweetened) lambics are great gateway beers for people that claim they don't like beer.

 

[m00ps]

every time Ive given a wine drinker a saison, or anyone for that matter, its always gone over well

 

[chickypad]

Keeping with the theme, I agree Belgians seem to work well - at least for the wine crowd that is turned off by bitter beers. My dad never drinks beer, his drink of choice is a nice chardonnay, but he loved the patersbier I made (basically NB's recipe).

 

[wzd]

every time Ive given a wine drinker a saison, or anyone for that matter, its always gone over well

^^ This. Also agree with the sours.

 

[rekoob]

Unless your goal is to convert them, save the beer for you and make them a cider.

 

[pretzelb]

For some reason I find that saisons are most popular with my friends who I don't expect to like beer.

 

[Kh2o]

cream ales for sure. Got to northernbrewer.com and check out their cream ale. All my friends call this batch the "give to anyone beer". I like to call it my taste like nothing beer. Its really close to a lager without all the work.

 

[m00ps]

I think its cause most belgian styles, saisons in particular, almost are a missing link between beer wine and champagne

also, saisons are the best style of beer *holds up flame shield*

 

[Kh2o]

I think its cause most belgian styles, saisons in particular, almost are a missing link between beer wine and champagne

also, saisons are the best style of beer *holds up flame shield*

Prepare your shield. You are the first and probably only person I will ever hear say that!

 

[mattdee1]

I've had success getting non-beer-drinkers (all women) to drink my stouts. And not just choke them down, but really dig them, to the point where they're putting serious dents in the supply.

All of this is purely anecdotal, but in my experience most people who think "beer tastes like crap" are people whose preconception about what beer tastes like comes from common BMC beers. Even though such beers are considered to be very light-tasting to people who like craft and homebrew, I think there is something about the bittering that does not agree with some people's palates.

At first I found it kind of counter-intuitive that I'd be able to get certain people to drink and enjoy a stout of all styles, due to its big flavor and roastiness, but I guess it kind of makes sense. The malty/sweet/chocolatey character obscures the bittering hop component that I suspect is the offending aspect to the "delicate" palate.

 

[slym2none]

Soda. If they don't like beer, I am not brewing anything for them.

 

[chickypad]

Soda. If they don't like beer, I am not brewing anything for them.

It's more for those who think they don't like beer.

 

[grevengrevs]

When I read the title the first thing that came to mind was Ice Tea.
I like to tell guests that I brewed a cold beverage for the kids as well. Then pull out a big pitcher of sweet tea!

 

[Randolf]

For what it's worth,I'm trying my luck at making "Hard Rootbeer". I brewed up a 3.3 Breiss Golden light w/o any hops.I'm going to transfer this to a slimline,and add 2 oz. of rootbeer extract and 2 1/2 cups table sugar.I plan to bottle it in used PET rootbeer bottles,checking them for firmness everyday for 5 days,untill they are almost solid.Then into the fridge to stop the yeast.Then I hope,with lack of Gushers,I can enjoy it. Hope it works out.BTW, I used Saf-o5 yeast.

 

[joshesmusica]

cream ales for sure. Got to northernbrewer.com and check out their cream ale. All my friends call this batch the "give to anyone beer". I like to call it my taste like nothing beer. Its really close to a lager without all the work.

For most people who claim that they don't like beer, it's because they've only had access to ****ty light american lagers or pilsners. I think this is the opposite of what will get them on board. He didn't say a bmc guy/gal who he's trying to convert to craft beer, he said someone who says they don't like beer.

I have a bit of anecdote that I thought was rather ironic when I first started brewing. I brewed up a hoppy american wheat beer from extract (meaning difficult to get that OG down). Not high on the bitterness, lots of hop aroma, and a bit of a "malt" backbone to it, yet still carbonated at a level to keep it nice and crisp on the finish.

We visit my wife's grandparents, and of course, I brink a case of homebrew with me (her grandpa and dad both love my homebrew). So we all pop open some beer and pour it into glasses that were probably from the 50s, and offer grandma one. She says, "Oh, no thanks, I don't really like beer." But my wife convinced her to just try a sip. She replied with, "Yeah, that really is pretty good." Which I assumed that she just said because she didn't want her new grandson-in-law to feel like a failure (Norwegians avoid making anybody feel bad for anything at all costs). We all sit down and start chatting, and not 5 minutes later, she says, "You know, actually, can I have one of those too?"

My wife was pretty much the same way until I introduced her to craft beer. I think most people only ever try lagers or pilsners, and not even the top-quality ones at that. Therefore they associate all beer with those flavors.

Now if these people you're hoping to please don't even like craft beer, then I would think about some cider, or wine, or go the quick route like others have suggested, and do some kind of hard soda. I think you can get some ok ciders and wines with quick turnaround, but I think any good-quality cider or beer will likely take a couple of months. I don't know that sours are the way to go either, because they're quite difficult to get right, and they take a very long time to make.

 

[xandersaml]

I have found many non-beer drinkers can be charmed by a silky stout

 

[schematix]

apple wine

 

[GHBWNY]

It wasn't until I got introduced to wheat beers and Chimay that I really started appreciating beer.

Wheat beers are a different animal. My family are occasional beer drinkers, and when I introduced them to different styles of homebrew, the reviews were mixed. However, when I brewed my first hefe, the ooh's and ah's were consistent and genuine. I think most people who don't drink a lot of beer and might be put off by hop bitterness or overwhelming hop flavor find a welcome respite in a "bready", less-hoppy quaff. Several batches of other styles have come and gone since the hefe, but everyone still agrees the it was my tastiest so far.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

My wife hates beer but loves alcoholic root beer, I need to learn how to make this.

 

[1977Brewer]

My wife hates beer but loves alcoholic root beer, I need to learn how to make this.

Mine too, she's been hounding me about it for weeks too.

 

[lowtones84]

I agree with just about all of these suggestions, but for different people of course. Saisons, wheats, some other belgian styles often do well. But my biggest personal experience is actually with dark, malty beers like stouts, porters, milds, browns, etc. as other people have said. My girlfriend is not a beer person at all, but is always willing to try. Whenever I give her a good malty beer not too high on the IBU scale, she's into it.