Beer goes with pretty much any occasion or event. While wine pairings used to be all the rage, now even the classiest restaurants offer up fine craft brews with pairing suggestions and options. Drinking the brew of your choice is no longer limited to a case on the back porch but is an activity you can enjoy out on the town at bars, restaurants, and even movie theaters. However, enjoying a quality brewed beverage is an acquired taste, and not everyone instantly loves the taste. For this reason, many new breweries are trying out new styles of beer that may tickle the fancy of even the stubbornest palettes. Here are three craft beers for non-beer drinkers to try.
Some basic tips to help you select the best beer for you:
Beer Coloration
If you know nothing and are looking for an easy-to-drink brew, selecting a lighter-colored variety can usually do the trick. The lighter the color the less intense the flavor is- usually. This is a fairly easy and simple rule of thumb to use if you are averse to stronger flavors and thicker textures.
Styles
Similar to learning about coloration, selecting styles that are generally easier to accept on a beginner’s palette is a useful skill to know. Hefeweizen, a German-style, offers a clean citrus-forward flavor with a smooth creaminess that is refreshing and usually perfect for hot days. Other German or Belgian-style brews are similar and will offer an easier experience for newcomers.
Bitterness
It seems that the more experienced drinkers enjoy exploring flavor profiles that are strong in hops and malty-ness. These tend to include amber or brown ales, India pale ales, and the strongest in bitterness and hoppiness being double IPAs.
What Should You Try As A Non-Beer Drinker?
Hefeweizens – As previously mentioned, the refreshing flavor that accompanies most Hefeweizen beers makes them very appealing for the non-beer drinker. This style can be found almost everywhere in local breweries and national craft brew companies with some brands even purchased by the big three national beer distributors. Due to their popularity and easy drinkability, when these beers were created by artisan crafters they were immediately purchased for mainstream marketing and distribution.
Sour beers – Sour beers have begun to gain in popularity due to their unique flavors and ability to convert the non-brew drinker over. Sours are brewed to have intentionally tart and sour flavors with elevated acidity. They come in a variety of sub-styles and unique combinations of flavors so simply trying one will not do this creation justice.
Stouts or porters – These are the thickest, usually sweetest, and highest alcohol content of the three. Perfect as a dessert drink or during a cold season in front of the fire, these tend to have flavors of chocolate, coffee, and a smooth creamy malty-ness that many enjoy.
Use this guide and these three recommendations the next time you are trying to convert a non-beer drinker over to the light.