22 Dec Need help convincing your family to drink craft? These beers should get you started
As Christmas and New Year’s Eve quickly approach, so has the season of holiday parties and family get-togethers. True craft beer drinkers understand that part of wearing the beer snob hat involves the proselytization of macro drinkers in hopes that they will have an epiphany and drop their light beer habits. Holiday gatherings are a great time to push this agenda. Here are some beers that have broad appeal for non-craft drinkers who are just discovering the joys of great beer.
Newcastle Brown Ale
Yes, this is not a craft beer. It’s not even a great beer. With that said, however, this is an exceptional gateway beer away from light beer toward more full-flavored craft styles. Newcastle Brown lacks the body and flavor profile of a true ale, but it still has more flavor than a traditional macro beer. Non-craft drinkers will likely appreciate the greater flavor in this beer as well as the sweetness of the malt.
Carson’s Brewery Brown Cow
In a nut shell, this beer tastes like Whoppers brand malted milk balls. While it lacks the complexity of a great ale in the Samuel Smith vein, this beer is appealing to macro and micro drinkers alike. Its hints of coffee and caramel make it a great winter beer choice, too.
While I initially hesitated about including an IPA on this list, my personal experience with Dogfish Head’s Sixty-One has been that it has broad appeal to non-craft drinkers. The beer, which is made with Syrah grape must, pours a pale pink color. While the beer clocks in at 60 IBU, you would never guess.
Tin Man Dry Cell
This dry Irish stout is nitrogenated instead of carbonated, which gives it a silky smooth body to complement its notes of coffee and chocolate. This beer is everything Guiness Draught wishes it could be.
Ross Hughes
Posted at 15:03h, 23 DecemberHi Grady,
Agree with your selections above. With the majority of my in-laws being ardent Busch/Bud Light fans, I’m always in search of a beer that could perhaps serve as the gateway craft beer.
I like to think in terms of balance, finding beer styles that are approachable and staying away from the extremes whether that is hop flavor/bitterness, sourness, or rich-malty beer. Here are some of my recommended styles and a few commercial examples…
American Amber Ales:
Not as hop driven as American pales ales and not malt forward as the American brown. I like to think of this as the goldilocks beer, just right.
Try: Bloomington Brew Co. Ruby Bloom, Bell’s Amber
Belgian Witbier:
Wheat focused beers in general seem to be more approachable to a beer drinker looking to expand their horizons. Low bitterness, some orange-citrusy notes in conjunction with a dry refreshing finish make this an easy going beer style.
Try: Upland Wheat, Ommegang Witte
Milk Stout/Milk Porter:
For someone that is interested in getting into porters or stout, I find this is a good gateway because the lactose sugar helps sweeten the beer and offsets some the chocolate, roast, coffee-like flavors these beers styles can possess.
Try: Sun King Cowbell Milk Porter, Left Hand Milk Stout (or the Nitro variant for a creamier mouthfeel)
Cheers!
Ross
Indiana On Tap
Posted at 16:09h, 23 DecemberHi Ross, we’d love to chat with you about something. Could you please email us at info@indianaontap.com with your contact info? Cheers!