Beer suggestions for a red wine drinker?

heh, yes, i wouldn't go with a framboise. what mudbug says is what i've experienced time and time again: wine drinkers who "dislike beer" dislike sour beer even more. stouts, BSDAs, interesting but not overly (perceived) bitter beer, this is usually the way. obviously nothing is 100%, but this is the trend i've noticed.

also, give red wine (and white wine!) a chance. it varies as much as beer--and if you don't believe me, this is because (like beer!) people seem to produce, sell, and buy red/white wine that tastes the same, even though the variation across the world is huge. isolate what you don't like about red wine and ask for red wine that *isn't* that.

edit: and again like beer, you can get good wine for low prices. just need to talk to people: ask around, find stores where people take a real interest and will give you flavor descriptors or understand you when you say " such and such? i hated that wine, i didn't like how *whatever* it tasted," and point you toward something new. anyone who tells you you need to blow tons of money to get good wine is either not very experienced or doesn't have any taste.

 

Hey Roxie, fellow Alabamian here. I occasionally conduct beer tastings for one of the Bham area distributors and I have some ideas that do not involve beers you can't buy here!

Tannic red wine drinkers (ask your friend) seem to take to Flanders Red ales like Rodenbach/Rodenbach Grand Cru. Dry red wine drinkers seem to take to beers like Ommegang Three Philosophers. Dry white wine drinkers can take to beers like Lindeman's Cuvee Rene. People who like coffee can appreciate a good stout. IPAs can appeal to people who love spicy food.

But, at the end of the day (or the end of the tasting), it is *very* hard to predict what people will like. I have had great success suggesting pairings of beer with food - Rodenbach with smoked salmon, any Belgian beer with cheese, barleywines with blue cheese, stouts and porters with cheesecake (cheesecake also takes to fruit beers). The best advice I can give you is to go to somewhere like "Wish You Were Beer" in Madison and ask them to help you make up a mixed 6 (or a couple of them) and seek advice on what food to pair with the beer - pairing the beers with appropriate food opens up an entirely new dimension!

And on the subject of Shock Top - I wouldn't use it to put out a fire. The few examples I have had have been utterly beastly

 

Much easier to get into wine and find good stuff cheap the way i said, as opposed to getting people presents I'm afraid. With that, it's just roll the dice unless you're familiar with both what they like and why

 

One of the better ______advocate.com replies I've seen lately.

 

I love the Consecration and Supplication recomendations. Like someone in Alabama is going to walk into a bottle shop and just pick up some RR. Lol.

I would say DFH Festina Peche, if we're going with beers OP doesn't get distro'd.

 

Bottle of Cab. $10.99-$13.99. But, brink her some half decent cheap lager as well. I don't know what they sell in Bama Shiner? Abita?

 

She could narrow down your search by telling you what aspect of beer she does not like (carbonation, bitterness, malt, yeast) or what aspect of wine she misses.

Without that info, I suggest Boulevard Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Quad - it is aged with cherries, making it a bit sour, and it smells somewhat like red wine.

 

Next time you go, take Brooklyn Black Ops if you can get it. Prairie Wine Noir too. Both have lots of wine-like qualities. Amuste from Odell too.

 

It's a bit on the wine-ish side on the nose, and while I like that beer, it is by far the biggest bourbon bomb I've ever had. Notes of wine, but if the person doesn't like bourbon, I say they have no chance.

 

Been thinking about this in the back of my mind and had an idea about how you and your close friend can share interests and a new way to connect.

Invest in a jointly purchased used copy of this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Said-Beer-She...89&sr=8-1&keywords=she+said+wine+he+said+beer

and then have a few food and beverage tasting evenings.

Enjoy!

 

I really like Chimay Grande Reserve for a wine drinker. It is much less obvious than red wine barrel aged beer or duplicating specific characteristic but I feel this beer may do a better job for some. It is a beautiful, complex beer. You may be able to pick up some similar flavors but I think the selling point should be the experience. The flavor development and subtleties that are there to be discovered it at the very least on par with any wine experience most people will ever have.