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.