Homebrews for non-IPA/bitter drinkers

Kolsch, Cream ale, American wheat, American blond English bitter (just don't tell 'em what it is), English summer ale, Scottish ales, Alt, English brown ales, a nicely balanced American pale ale (would they drink Sierra Nevada?). Plus Hefeweizen and Belgians if you think the audience will be accepting of the esters and phenolics that typically come with those styles. Stouts and porters if they are OK with roasty. Try to convince them that dark beers are beautiful. Lots of homebrew to do even if you don't lager and you don't want hop bombs.

 

EPA or eds pale ale
10 lb base malt
.75 lb L60
..5 lb carapills
1 oz cascade 60 min
.5 cascade 10 minutes
Mash 152
Sparge 170
Muntons or notty yeast.
5.5 gallons total.

I make several batches of this every year for those folks who don't want hoppy fruited or stout beer.
Kind a blah tasting compared to my go to brews, but for coors, bub, mgd type drinkers, it fits the bill, and cheap to make.

 

Something in the Blonde/Kolsch family is usually a crowd pleaser and somewhat of an eye opener for BMC drinkers. For that Rolling Rock taste, boil with the lid on.* For standard Corona flavor, expose to sunlight after fermentation.** Can't help with the Coors light, as I don't remember what it tastes like.***

*don't really
**probably shouldn't
***true

 

To add a personal note to my earlier post, the beer that I brewed that won over some Busch Light and Land Shark drinking neighbors was the "60 shilling" Scottish ale recipe from Brewing Classic Styles. It's darker than what they were used to but not opaquely intimidating. This is the version that looks like it has too many specialty malts (not the kettle caramelization version).

 

For Coors Light, add extra water? Just a guess.

 

I brewed a pale ale that is going to be my base all. I feel it is OK, nothing super special, drinkable. I still feel it needs more. BUT I brought some to my girl friend's son's graduation this weekend (not for him) as her family says I never share my home brews. They only drink bud light. They had this and they said it was good. I would normally say it was just them being nice, but two people asked to keep a six pack. I don't remember the recipe off the top of my head, but it was an once of cascade at 60 and then an once at 10. It is probably similar enough to GromBrewHouse's recipe above just with some aromatic malt in there too.

 

Yep, minimal hops , average abv and non specialty yeast wins the day with these folks.

 

A simple Oberon-ish clone works for me. 50-50 two row and wheat malt. Saaz and Hersbrucker hops. I usually build up Bell's dregs but any neutral ale yeast will do.

 

I love British bitters, esbs, etc. but from my experience most BMC drinkers do not care for them. It's the spicy UK hops that throws them off. If you go with a UK style, go with a maltier one, like a brown ale, Scottish 60, etc.

I love a good Kolsch but I'm not sure it is a good recommendation for you if you cannot lager (assuming you want to use a traditional Kolsch yeast strain and not ruin it with a neutral ale strain, imo).

 

I occasionally brew an easy-drinking saison that with limited spice/clove flavors. It's not to-style but it is easy to drink and much more interesting than a premium lager. I use about 80% pilsner malt and 20% wheat (aiming for 1.040ish) and use Danstar's Belle Saison dry yeast. I ferment around 65 so I don't develop much of the saison flavor. Between the wheat and the saison yeast, it's different but familiar.

 

I just made briermunchers cream of three crops cream ale. Really cheap to make and it tastes very refreshing. People couldn't believe I made it

 

I've had success with a dry-hopped American Blond Ale.
Light, but has a bit of character for you.

 

A fellow homebrewer (a relative newbie) asked me to help formulate a nice summer sipping beer. Together we decided on a low hopped Blonde Ale. This sort of beer should be pleasing to folks who prefer beers like Corona, Coors Light, or Rolling Rock.

Cheers!

 

A bitter, cream ale, kolsch, many varieties of lager, etc... The beer world is a vast, vast place!

 

I'll parrot the suggestions of a blonde ale. I have one fermenting away right now for the same reason you posted.

 

For Coors light, just make sure you brew with frost...

 

My first question would be, "Why do you want to make craft beer for people who don't like craft beer?"

And when their best assessment of all your time, effort, and money will probably be, "This is OK, but it's still not Coors."

Other than that, others have made some useful suggestions.

 

I look at brewing a lot like cooking. Sure I enjoy making myself a nice meal but I love to cook for a group of people and have them be like wow this is awesome. Feedback is a great reason to share your beer. By starting off with something lighter like a blonde you can eventually get them to like more and more bitter styles if you just ease them into it.
Because of this I usually brew crowd pleasers like pales and Belgian style beers.