Good Intro Craft Beer?

Typically, females will like something a little sweeter with a low to medium malt profile. Saisons, witbiers, framboises or lambics would do the job nicely.

From my own experience, Sam Adams was a pretty solid gateway beer. Enough national recognition to where people know the name, in addition to several different varieties, nothing too extreme or polarizing.

 

Magic Hat #9 is a good starter for most people, or Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold since you are in OH.

 

Like I have said in the past, 21st are the time for duck farts, prairie fires, Kamikazis and Car Bombs. They have the rest of their lives to develop a taste for beer, the 21st should be a spectacle and an experience.

 

Take her to a local brewery and let her do a flight. That way she tries a couple different styles and she'll tell you what SHE likes not what we think she will like.

Cheers!

 

Agreed. Sampler tray. That way she feels like the one making the decisions.

 

Ive seen this post so many times about wifes, gf's, aunt, sisters, cousins. Take em to a brewery or a restaurant that does this and order 2-3 flights and let HER have at it. Its her decision to drink or not. She might not like anything you suggest but if she tries something she likes, style is easy to find the best of vs. the 1 beer she might like.

Cheers!

 

Anchor Steam or SN Pale Ale are tough to beat for noobs, and that'll give you a rough idea of whether she likes malt or hop-forward beers (if she likes them at all lol). Good luck, cheers!

 

Personally, I believe the idea that women are drawn to sweeter beers is a bit of a stereotype. I think it's assumed because many women do indeed consume things like wine coolers and sweeter cocktails, but the same women that consume those things are not the women that want to get into craft beer.

To the OP, what does your sister drink now? If it is sweeter stuff then yeah, go with a sweeter fruit beer. But if she is already a beer drinker (perhaps just BMC) go with something balanced and awesome like Anchor Steam. Or, like AlexHouston suggested, go with Sam Adams.

 

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

 

Witbier.
German style Hefe-Weizen

Fat Tire
Alaskan Amber
Anchor Steam

 

Depending on you sister, she may be looking to get hammered on her birthday like many do. If this is the case she won't care what she drinks. So if thats whats going to happen I would wait a couple days and then take her some where and make it something you guys do together, and like a bunch of people said let her try a few.

 

Man, reading this takes me back! We used to do Flaming Dr. Peppers too (take a shot of Amaretto, put a layer of 151 on it, light it on fire, drop it in a beer, and chug the beer. It tastes like Dr Pepper).

 

Every female that I've gone with to craft pubs didn't end up liking darker, heavier stuff until they had gone through the other end of the spectrum first. Sure, there are exceptions to rules, but rules of thumb aren't often built on exceptions.

 

Whatever you decide, do NOT do this (a bum-wine tasting party)...

http://das-prompt.livejournal.com/356444.html

 

I miss the days when MD 20/20 just had one flavor, "Grape Wine."

 

That stuff was lethal (much more lethal than Boone's Farm). You should check out this link too (plenty of laughs)...

http://bumwine.com/

 

Nice. Being a Neil Diamond fan, I'm partial to Rosie.

 

Of course, the bums always ask for ``Rosie with a skirt'' (a skirt meaning a paper bag).