Converting the Uninitiated

  There is only a few things I enjoy more than a good beer.  And that would be enjoying a good beer with good friends and family.  Now if you are anything like me than you may not have had the easiest time with this.  Many of my closest friends, much like myself, only knew of mass market beers and they were very happy with it.  My theory was if I could get them to drink craft beer, they would never drink that swill again.  Getting my friends to drink craft was easy.  Getting them to like it was not.

  You see, my problem wasn't the quality of the beer I was introducing them to.  The problem was I was not taking their personal taste into account.  If you introduce a friend who has only been drinking traditional low quality lager beers to a double IPA or a Barley wine  the odds are, they will hate it.  Those are some intense flavors that are completely foreign to most beer drinkers.  In spite of all the "triple hopped" claims made in commercials  I have yet to taste a bit of hops in a Macro beer.  This type of mistake could turn someone off to craft beer for good if that person isn't forgiving.  I can't even count the amount of times I've heard someone say "I don't like dark beers". Well maybe this person was given a Guinness, which in my opinion is a poor interpretation of a stout.  Low flavor. Thin mouth feel  Not much too it really.  Maybe if that same person had been given a rich chocolaty imperial stout or a porter loaded with espresso flavors they might be singing a different tune.

 So I changed my approach.  Before introducing friends to craft beers I ask them a few questions.
Do you like coffee?
Do you like chocolate?
Do you like grapefruit or citrusy flavors?
Do you like fruity flavors?
Do you like very tart or sour flavors?
Do you want something similar to what you are used to drinking?

This way I know where to go with what to suggest.  For most traditional beer drinkers introducing them to a good Pilsner or Hefeweizen is a great start.  The flavors are great and they are light and easy to drink.  If they are looking to try something different from what they are used to start asking the questions.  I find chocolate and coffee lovers will take to stouts and porters faster than a beer geek to a limited release bottle.  Citrus lovers obviously will take to a nice IPA but I would hold off on giving them a Dogfish 120 or a Stone Ruination until they really find an affection for the style and get to know what hops are and how much they can handle. I find people who really enjoy fruity cocktails will enjoy framboise or lambic style beers, which might blow most peoples minds that a beer can even taste like that.  Same goes for sours, which in my opinion might be the hardest style to get people into as it is very unique and not a beginners beer style.

Now these are just a few suggestions and nothing is guaranteed but I have found much success with this formula and I have successfully converted many of my friends to the world of craft beer and shown them that beer is something that should entice your taste buds and challenge your ideas of what beer is, and not just act as a social lubricant.

Beer Geek: Origins

  I hated beer when I first started drinking.  Seriously hated it.  It tasted like sour water to me.  When I would drink, the only time I would drink beer was if it was free, or if it was the only thing available.  I liked flavor in my alcohol and traditional beers (Macro) were not doing it for me. I can remember the first time I picked up a mixed 12 pack of Sam Adams seasonal beers.  I knew I liked "micro brews" but didn't know a thing about different styles, hops, barley, malts, aroma, mouth feel, alcohol content.  None of it.  But after trying a few different types in one night, which I couldn't remember what they were now to save my life, I knew I was on to something I enjoyed.

  Fast forward a few years and I was lucky enough to get to attend a craft beer tasting for work.  It was hosted by one of our beer vendors and facilitated by a rep from, what is now one of my favorite breweries, Great Lakes Brewing Co based out of Cleveland OH.  This thing BLEW. MY. MIND.  I had no idea the amazing varieties of beer available.  What made them different from one another.  Foods they tasted the best with. I walked out of that tasting (slightly buzzed) with a mission:  I wanted everyone to know about craft beer.  I felt like the world has been missing out.  How could people who enjoy good food not know about these amazing beers that enhance their meals.  Who would drink fizzy yellow beer when they could have a Victory Prima Pils?  Who would drink a Guinness if they knew Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter was out there waiting on the shelf? Well the answer was, unfortunately  most people.   People "like what they like" and it's hard to introduce new things to many people.  Almost like getting a kid to eat something they"don't like" in spite of the fact they have never tried it.

  It’s been many years since I drank my first craft beer, and I have been introduced to so many great beers, people, places, and flavors.  Over the past 5 years, I have watched the city of Buffalo begin a transformation from place of desolation for craft beer lovers and into a burgeoning place of oasis for craft beer lovers Several amazing craft beer bars and bottle shops, new breweries emerging, and new beer festivals every year. A community that is embracing good beer and helping it grow.  And now I feel like there are still people out there,  people who want to learn about new beers and where they can get them.  When there is something amazing on tap somewhere that they might miss.  Where the beer tastings are.  What foods pair well with what beers.  Things I sought out when I was beginning my relationship with craft beer.

  Check out my twitter @BuffaloBeerGeek as I will try and post the most up to date buffalo beer happenings and info.  Tell me what you want to know and what you would like to see from this blog in the future.

*Disclaimer*  I am NOT an English professor nor do I fancy myself one.  I WILL  make occasional grammar mistakes.  Just be warned.

Cheers