Selecting a Wine Drinker's First Beer

My dad is a wine guy. Tho he does drink beer on occasion. I gave him an Orval and he was blown away!

 

My first instinct would be a sour, specifically Duchess de Bourgogne. But you could also go with a quad, maybe Three Philosophers. I would definitions pick something that has both fruit and yeast in the nose.

 

I would like to second both of those actually. A good belgian would work. Something simple yet awesome, like a Duvel or Chimay (blue or red, avoid white for a new taster). My second guess would be the sour. Its just weird and complex enough to catch a wine drinkers attention.

 

Beer and wine is like apples and oranges yes? I mean try to compare your favorite red wine to any beer. Really? I say go with the moment. Intorduce that person to the beer YOU love. To what YOU are having with your meal. I agree that belgians would be my first choice in presenting to a wine drinker because of the dryness. Wine has a palate. Flavors that range from fruity likemelon to earthy like slate and choccolate to leather an tannins. Give them a good beer. Whatever that means in your presence and let them find out for themselves that beer is outstanding!

 

On another thread I suggested Sierra Nevada's Kellerweise to a beer newbie. He might like that. The aroma is not particularly strong and it has a very clean taste with no bitterness. Ommegang's Abbey Ale might be a more complex option to the Kellerweise and it's in your region.

 

Jacobin Rouge. I just tried it on several noobs on Sunday and got 3 people hunting for them now.

 

Your favourite beer (excluding anything BBA, I suppose, given your last sentence) - that way you can speak passionately and knowledgeably about why you think it is such a great beer.

Personally I don't subscribe to the notion that a wine drinker is automatically going to like the "complexity" in a quad/sour etc - I know plenty of wine drinkers that prefer much more nuanced/subtle styles

 

haha - see my post above - you must have responded as i was typing - totally agree!

 

Spending a good portion of my life studying , teaching, selling and of course drinking wine, I would want to go with something substantial and with a relatively high abv.

Given that, I would opt for either the Dog Fish Head 120 or the World Wide Stout... Probably leaning more towards the stout, only because it tasted someone like a aged tawny port

 

If you want to give him a beer that resembles wine to peek his interest, try to get your hands some consecration. Definitely the red wine of beers.

 

Another option would be Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock. It's one of the best beers I've had and would probably fit in well with his chianti/scotch preference.

 

I wouldn't waste time or good beer on someone who won't even commit to a taste. That's a child's response to encountering something new, like goat cheese or asparagus. What adult isn't willing to at least try a taste of something that a lot of other people obviously enjoy, and about which one person right in front of him is enthusiastic?

Heck, I try Pumking every year, even though I don't like the way it smells. I even thought last year's was not bad.

 

chimay blue is a good suggestion. my dad is big into wine and he liked it.

 

If he's a Scotch fan, I think skull splitter is worth a try

 

I enjoy red wine myself, and I found the most natural transition for me was going darker honestly. Red wine and porters/stouts can share the bigger/bolder/deeper flavor. I would try Old Rasputin. Easily available and a "gateway" beer IMO.

 

To go your whole life into your 60's as someone who has no issues with drinking alcholic beverages but never try a beer? Booo that is just un-American! Tell him to move to France, and pack some Mickey's in his suitcase!

 

Most wine drinkers I know seem to prefer the belgian style beers as mentioned by other posters (although I'm not sure why). I agree with the idea of letting him try what you really like with some background on flavor profile, etc. I'm sure he drank many wines and scotches before he found the few he likes most

 

Contrary to what some are saying, I would avoid a sour. Sour characteristics in wine are a huge negative and would more than likely be poorly received.

Something simple, flavorful, and mild would be my choice.

 

Easy. Rochefort 10. It is the best beer I've ever smelled. Bonus is that it's fruity, complex, and fairly dry - qualities that make it pretty accessible to a wine drinker.