Because the couple who drinks together, stays together.
Let’s face it, sometimes a love of craft beer isn’t always shared by your significant other. There are a few lucky couples out there that share an intense passion for craft beer, and to them we say kudos; but for the rest of us, it takes some convincing.
So to make things a little easier, we consulted spouses to get a little insight into what craft beer really helped move the needle when it came to starting to build a real appreciation for beer. There were some consistent styles that eased non-believers into the craft beer world.
Fruit Sour
Across the board, this was the type of craft beer that not only peaked early interest but helped sustain an ongoing appreciation for craft beer. Fruit sours are easily approachable, have a wild variety of options and flavours, and are a very easy leap to make between wine and beer.
Think of sours that incorporate flavours like apricot, mango, strawberry, hibiscus, peach or cherry. The variations will help your spouse start to develop a palate for the type of flavours they like, which can then be interpreted into other beer styles (like a peach sour? perhaps a juicy IPA might be your style…)
Great examples include:
- Goose Island Gillian- An amazing combination of sour ale, strawberries, and honey.
- pFriem Frambozen- Such an incredible balance of luscious raspberry and complex sourness
Black Lager
Lagers would be an easy answer here, they are inoffensive, easy to drink and as basic as a beer can get. But we opted for the slightly more complex black lager, to add a little more intrigue to the palate.
The nice thing about black lagers is while they drink as light as their regular lager counterparts, they also can provide complex flavours usually found in more robust beers like stouts or porters. They can be an excellent gateway beer, again helping nail down those preferred flavour notes.
Great examples include:
- Persephone Brewing Black Lager- A full bodied dark lager. Roasty, clean and chocolatey with a graham cracker finish.
- New Belgium 1554- Starts with notes of bittersweet chocolate and dark fruits but finishes much drier.
Wheat Ale
We’re including both the American pale wheat style and the more traditional German hefeweizen in this category. Both styles offer different benefits, and lend themselves nicely to fruit infusions as well. Traditional notes of clove, banana and bread open up new areas to explore when it comes to preferences, and the ability to actually taste the yeast profiles here help instil a appreciation for the ingredients put into making good beer.
Great examples include:
- Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier- This is the German hefe, an ultimate expression of the classic style.
- Allagash White- A perfect example of the American style. Notes of pepper, clove, and lemon fill the nose.
Gose
A lot of female drinkers are looking for something light, not only in taste but also in alcohol content, thus why gose plays nicely. Not only do we get a slightly sour, lemony characteristic with notes of coriander and salt, but most gose are well under 5% ABV, which makes it a great option for patio sipping.
Great examples include:
- Collective Arts Prophets & Nomads- The addition of Himalayan sea salt brings a nice dryness and sharpness to this beer. Plus the can is stunning.
- Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof Leipziger Gose- Yes that’s a mouthful, but this is a traditional gose and brings the style all the way back to its roots.
Belgian Dubbel
To really start seeding the idea of a more complex, boozy beer, Belgian Dubbels are the way to go. They have a malty sweetness and can have cocoa and caramel aromas and flavours, but aren’t so big in alcohol content that they will scare away newcomers. Great entry way into experimenting with other Belgian styles.
Great examples include:
- St. Bernardus Pater 6- Some deep flavours of specialty malt with the lively fruitiness of ripe tree fruits.
-
Westmalle Trappist Dubbel- Deeply malty, this beer has a gentle, dry finish that hints at tropical fruit.
Ale/Sessions 