Selecting a Wine Drinker's First Beer

I'd have to second this, but not using my personal tastes exactly. My Dad has been a lifelong wine enthusiast, and is a daily red wine drinker. He couldn't care less about most beer, but does enjoy the occasional porter/stout (usually it takes offering him a freebie...such a punk). Like Hophead suggests, I'm 99% sure it's because porter/stouts tend to be very robust, earthy, and boldly flavored with relative lack of bitterness - traits which are shared with big red wine varietals. Being a long-time red wine drinker myself, Black Butte was one of the first beers that truly opened my eyes to what beer could be besides mass-market AAL.

Darker, bolder Belgians seem like an intriguing way to too; I can't imagine anyone turning their nose up at a Rochefort 10.

 

Allagash White is a good starter, as would be something like a Leffe or Maredsous Bruin. In a similar vein bould be Taddy Porter.

Sours are not like wine in the least, nor are lambics. Do not go there with a beginner. That being said, I've read anecdotal evidence of wine drinkers trying Roddenbacher Gran Cru and loving it. You never know.

 

If he's into white wines...Goose Island Sofie.

 

Prairie Wine Barrel Noir has some big red wine flavors, but thinking about it I'd have to second a Belgian beer like Rochefort 10 especially with the dark fruit complexity. And it should be easy to find.

 

How broadly are you using the term 'sour'? There are definitely acid-heads among wine enthusiasts.

 

My answer to everything like this is Tripel Karmeleit. A 60 something beer virgin may be a tough project. A really good Wee Heavy might be a good choice. Or Aventinus. If you can find an Achel Extra you could well have found pay dirt!

 

Entwined Ale from Boulevard is a kind of mix between beer and wine, maybe a good starting point.

 

Mild? yet Flavorful and complex enough to inspire interest?

Sounds like a job for la fin du monde.

You are never going to nail the perfect beer for him right off the bat. This would be a safe bet instead of something that might turn him off. Had good luck with this one on unexperienced beer drinkers and "the ladies" if you know what I mean.

 

I would not go with one beer. I would go with three or four to demonstrate the variability. He may still not like any, but you have a greater chance of one or another interesting him. Perhaps a dubbel, a sour, a tripel and a pale ale?

 

I'm thinking a Belgian strong dark ale, a dubbel or tripel perhaps?

 

The first thing that popped into my mind was Rodenbach Grand Cru. I don't know a ton about wines, but I believe chianti can be fairly versatile and this would be a smooth transition into great beer, or at least something to say "oh wow, I didn't know beer could taste like this".

 

SNPA or Brooklyn Lager

 

Personally I would be offering some Belgians such as duvel, la chouffe or rochefort/chimay blue as the flavour profile of a chimay blue has those fruits that any wine drinker would enjoy.
I would say no to sours since they can represent off wines. Yes wine drinkers love acidity etc but the sours don't represent proper flavours to a wine drinker.

 

I would say Squatters Wee Peat Scottish Ale would be a GREAT choice. I mean, if you can get it in your area. Scotch ales are beers answer to Scotch whiskey. Like scotch whiskey, they use smoked peat malts to make this beer. If you say the word "peat" to him, he should recognize that word if he's well versed in Scotch whiskey. the smoke flavor is not overpowering in this beer, so I would not even call it a "smoked beer" it has a great initial taste without anything being too lopsided, very balanced beer.

Founders Dirty Bastard would be another good choice. It's also a scotch ale, Old Chub Scotch Ale Nitro would be another excellent choice. Have you ever had a nitro beer? They're really impressive after you pour them.

Hard to say how much he would like these though. I would probably go with Old Chub first. Its not as "peaty" as the others but it has a nice flavor.

watch a few youtube video of people pouring nitro beers... if you don't know what to expect.

Of course, you could always go with a beer that's been aged in wine barrels like Goose Island Sofie.

 

I was a big red wine drinker until a few years ago. At that time I found a small local brewery doing growler fills each Thursday and started going to see what they had to offer for beers. They seemed to do a lot of sours which I didn't like but one Thursday they announced a new DIPA and well at that point I was hooked there's was good but not great then came the search for the great beers. Being a lucky one in New Hampshire I have access to The Alchemist, Lawson's Finest, Hills Farmstead, and also Fiddlehead with in a couple hours drive needless to say I am hooked.

 

This is an interesting question that is difficult to answer...I work at Total Wine, mostly in the beer section, but I'm surrounded by a ton of wine snobs...what I found is that the big cab and red zin drinkers tend to like Belgians, and DIPAs, while the white fans (chards and pinot gris) tend to go for pale ales and hefe-weizens, I know that doesn't help with the chianti drinker, but if I had to recommend, I maybe go with a lager/pils/amber maybe even a Scotch ale. I've seen the reaction of non-beer drinkers in their 60s that try sours, and it's similar to giving a baby a lemon or a dill pickle....pretty amusing

 

At first I was going to suggest a kick a$$ porter or stout. But then I got to thinking, if he only drinks wine and distastes beer, then he is like a lot of chicks! With that said, give him a corona light with a lime in it and you drink the good stuff my fellow craft beer friend!