Trying to create a convert...

[fretlessman71]

This is a takeoff on a topic just recently begun....

My wife has an insatiable sweet tooth, and has absolutely NO taste for beer of any kind. (Of course I love her anyway...) Against my better judgement, I am trying to find a suitable beer for successfully re-introducing her to the world of beer. My personal favorite, Sierra Nevada Porter, was probably a poor choice to let her try. She's still pretty young, and I know that sometimes it takes a little while for the more complex taste buds to properly develop, especially in women. Thoughts?

[threecb]

hmm...a beer for a sweet tooth...

I don't dig 'em, but a fruit beer might work. In the absence of any availability, try a hefeweiss or a wit. My wife's sweettooth seems to like them. She doesn't go for the fruit beers, and neither do I, but the hefe is her number one choice when it's available.

Where are you at? Perhaps people here can get more specific as to a brand that might be found in your area...good luck!

[steveh]

There's different styles of sweet to work with, but you might try one of the wheat beers with fruit added - Leinenkugel has one, as do Pete's and Sam Adam's, I believe. As I know a few women who really enjoy it, I'd suggest Wisconsin Belgian Red by the New Glarus brewing company if you can find it. Belgian Krieks are good for that sweet tooth too.

There are malty-sweet beers such as Oktoberfests, Bocks, and Doppel Bocks too, but they tend to be pretty "beery" in their flavor.

I know one woman who never liked beer, liked wine and cider (cider is another idea), but tried some Bavarian Wheats and advanced to more diverse beer taste from there.

Good luck!
Steve

[b3s]

a honey wheat, fruit beer, or lambic might do the trick. if you can get leinenkuegel's you might have her try the raspberry...in fact, mixing their raspberry with their honey wheat (in equal portions) is pretty good, too (although i find it way too sweet).

[steveh]

Originally posted by threecb
hmm...a beer for a sweet tooth...

Sorry 3CB - didn't mean to be redundant - we must have been posting at the same time!

I don't know how sweet I find Wits, though. They tend to be dry to me - sometimes a bit tart too.

S.

[Tweek]

Do you homebrew? if so I could give ya a recipe that I have made a few female converts off of.

If not perhaps Try Dead Guy from Rogue brewery. My wife likes this, but then she likes beer but regardless if she doesnt like it I am sure you will. Sounds like you have a great excuse to just start trying everything you can get your hands on.

[threecb]

Originally posted by steveh
Sorry 3CB - didn't mean to be redundant - we must have been posting at the same time!

I don't know how sweet I find Wits, though. They tend to be dry to me - sometimes a bit tart too.

S.


No sweat, I guess great Steves think alike, or at least similar!

As for Wits, I think I was trying for something that was not over-the-top sweet per say, just not overly "beery". I'm also drawing from my own experiences and I know my wife, who's beer choices are mercurial (she's current on an APA or ESB kick!), likes a couple of local brewpub wits when a hefe's not available. It's that tartness that I think makes you think "sweet" or "different" than other sensations like smoky, hoppy, etc. Ya know?

My coup will be when I get the missus to stop being shy about porters and stouts!

[steveh]

Originally posted by threecb
it's that tartness that I think makes you think "sweet" or "different" than other sensations like smoky, hoppy, etc. Ya know?

My coup will be when I get the missus to stop being shy about porters and stouts!

That makes sense - it's beer, but doesn't taste like you'd expect. As I said something like an Oktoberfest is sweet, but will still have that beery flavor.

I know quite a few women who enjoy stouts. It's as though they get over the initial fear of the appearnace and realize it's pretty good! There are females on my list of converts to real beer, right next to the males. ;)

S.

[fretlessman71]

Wow! Thanks for the fast responses, guys. I'll try out a few of these just as soon as I drop these last two pounds (I made a bet that I could swear off alcohol until I reached 195, and I'm almost there).

I used to homebrew, but living in an apartment doesn't give me enough room to do what I really want to, and I don't have the fundage to get the equipment right now. For now, I'll just have to settle for the stuff I can get at the store...

I'm in Nashville, by the way. Not much of a brewpub paradise. Grew up in Colorado, which is where I get my taste for the stuff from.

Hmmm.... my wife just asked me if anyone makes an Oreo beer.... I think I'm in big trouble..... :-P

Thanks again! I'll keep checking back to see if anyone else has something to say on the subject.....

[threecb]

steveh:

I can see what you mean with Fest beers...It's that sweet maltiness that'll get 'em!
I'd have to say that the men outnumber the women, but there are a couple on my convert list! I'd consider my wife a full convert to the goodstuff, but everyone has a style or two that just isn't there thing...mine is Macroswill!

fretlessman:

Nashville actually has a pretty decent beer scene (out of all the larger tenn cities -- i have relatives in Knoxville). Boscos is an awesome brewpub with a great selection. Tamer beers at Blackstone and Big River. Market Street has gone downhill over the past couple of years, IMO.
There's also some decent beer bars. Flying Saucer in the Union Hotel is one. A good beer source for your area is www.beersouth.com.
Enjoy!

[fretlessman71]

www.beersouth.com seems to be defunct.... sure you got the right address?

[threecb]

the real beer south (http://www.beersouth.com/)


sorry 'bout that. I'm still a newbie on this board and all these buttons and contraptions kinda confuse me! try the link above...it seems to have needed the "http://" part to work.

If it doesn't, try keying it into your browser. It's not a pretty site, but theres good info for the southeast. I was planning on attending the Knoxville Brewers Jam that I found on that site, but it's now moved to October from June.

[toneyc]

Make her a batch of mead! My wife doesn't care for beer, but she loves the honey wine. There was another one I tried a month or so ago that I'm trying to remember the name of, Raspberry Frambozen or something... Dangit, I think I'm going senile....

:) Toney.

[fretlessman71]

I GOT DRUNK OFF OF MEAD WHEN I WAS 13... I had FORGOTTEN about it! I was in England vacationing at the time, and we were at a huge "Elizabethan Feast" where the servers were actors as well. There were about 300 people eating in the hall, and there was a pitcher of light amber stuff near me on the table. I asked a "wench" what it was, and she told me it was mead. When I asked what THAT was, she said, "Honey and ale." To my young, innocent mind, I thought, HMMMM.... Honey and ginger ale... sounds pretty good-I'll try some!
Seven pints later I couldn't walk a straight line if someone had a tractor beam on me, but I was beating everybody on the tour bus at a card game called Speed. I seem to remember walking along a path with a brick wall on one side... the path was straight, but I kept hitting the wall..... ;-)

Are there any recipes for mead that don't take a year to ferment and age?

My wife is NOW asking if there's an Oreo mead.... oh, me....

[Richard English]

I have made mead using my brother-in-law's spare comb once he has extracted most of the honey and it turned out very well. What's more, it fermented out a quickly as anything else I've ever made - and quicker than some things. As I recall it was started, finished, bottled and drunk within 6 months.

However, I did read in one brewing book many years ago that the reputation that mead has for slow fermentation is due to poor must balance (too little acid, I seem to recall). I did make sure that the balance seemed about right before I pitched the yeast, but apart from that did nothing special.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Richard English
I have made mead using my brother-in-law's spare comb once he has extracted most of the honey and it turned out very well. What's more, it fermented out a quickly as anything else I've ever made - and quicker than some things. As I recall it was started, finished, bottled and drunk within 6 months.

The big question is, how did it taste? I'm guessing by the consumption withing 6 months that it must not have been too bad.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Hmmm.... my wife just asked me if anyone makes an Oreo beer.... I think I'm in big trouble..... :-P

Set the hook! Find some Young's Double Chocolate stout! Bottle or widget can (pour it into a glass, of course) or even better - on draft (sorry Richard, draught). She will be amazed at the chocolate flavor! There's a beer bar not far from me that keeps it on tap all of the time because of its popularity. I will take friends in, buy them a half pint, and wait to see the expressions on their faces! It's wonderful stuff, and your wife will be landed.

If you fear the dark color will scare her, get her to close her eyes before she sees it, then have her take a good drink!

Steve

[steveh]

Originally posted by toneyc
There was another one I tried a month or so ago that I'm trying to remember the name of, Raspberry Frambozen or something... Dangit, I think I'm going senile....

:) Toney.

Like Kriek, a fruited Lambic. But Kriek is exclusively cherry, while Framboise uses other fruits.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
I GOT DRUNK OFF OF MEAD WHEN I WAS 13...

Mead is a wonderful, refreshing - DANGEROUS thing! My first mead was at my first home-brew club meeting. One of the senior members brought a straight honey mead to share - yow. Hooked ever since, in small doses - of course.

S.

[Richard English]

It tasted fine - although I am not an expert on mead, I have to say. All those who tried it (including my brother-in-law - a wine connoiseur) were very complimentary.

He's stopped keeping bees now so I haven't tried another batch.

[fretlessman71]

Make her a batch of mead!

Please forgive me for being a newbie, but I've been out of the brewing art for some time now, and I've never even attempted making mead. Any mead experts out there who could give me some starter tips and easy recipes for a very sweet mead that still has some character? You could make me your protege or something.... you know, take me under your wing, keep checking up on me to see how it's coming along, that sort of thing. I'm not sure whether it's better to bottle the stuff or put it in a keg, but I'm relatively lazy, so whatever is easy without compromising the quality of the brew is the route I'm sure to have the most success with. Feel free to drop a few recipes on here - maybe we could all have fun trying them out and seeing what we all thought! Maybe I'll come up with a recipe for chocolate mead after a while... :)

[Richard English]

I bottled mine and I think that's always best for wine (and mead is a type of wine, rather than a type of beer).

I suggest you DO NOT make it sweet. It's always best to make wines as dry as possible and then, if they're too dry, to add sugar to sweeten.

If they're too sweet once the fermentation has finished, there's no way you can get them drier. Over-sweet wines can usually only be salvaged by blending them.

[fretlessman71]

Is it the sort of thing that you can taste as you go so you can alter the recipe? Or is it something that you can add sugar to after you open a bottle and decide that it's too dry? I'd love to make something that was right the FIRST time, rather than giving out bottles and telling people, "Make sure you add some sugar to this." (Forgive my newbieness; I just don't want to do this wrong.)

Does it make a difference if I use 12 oz. or 22 oz. bottles when I make this?

Still looking for easy first-timer recipes to satisfy a sweet tooth and a cultured tongue...

[Richard English]

Remember, wine matures in the bottle so, although you can add sugar once you've opened a bottle it's far better to get the job right. If you follow a good recipe then you should have no problems.

When I am ready to put my wine into storage (either in a gallon demi-john or straight into bottles) I taste the finished product. It will inevitably be a little harsh and can taste insufficiently sweet at this stage. However, as it matures it will get smoother and taste sweeter.

Wine should be stored in 75 centilitre bottles (that's 25.36 US fluid ounces). I don't know what bottle sizes US winemakers use over there, but in the UK US wines come in 75s - just like most other wine producers. Some German makers use 70 centilitre bottles (that's 23.67 US fluid ounces).

You will need to leave the wine in bottle for some months before it's ready for drinking though if you use smaller bottles it may mature slightly more quickly. I don't bother to buy bottles - I just keep those I've emptied and sterilise them with a little sulphate.

Remember, wine making is always a slower process than beer making - even a very rapid wine brew will take a least a couple of months - and the result won't be all that wonderful. Good wines need a year's lead-in time. Of course, once you get cracking you'll have a continuing supply and it won't be a problem. You'll just have to survive on commercially produces wines until your first batch is ready!

[davesarman]

For a sweet beer, try Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Very creamy and sweet.

[toneyc]

For my first batch of mead, I used the Dry Still Mead Kit from St. Pat's: http://www.stpats.com/mead.htm#meadkits

I think I let it sit in carboys for about 7 months, maybe 8, and then bottled it in regular beer bottles with priming sugar and let it sit another month or so. It was like champagne, it was nice and dry, really good. 3 bottles and I had a mother of a hangover the next day. I have a friend that has 7 or 8 batches going right now. He bottles his in 750ml wine bottles with corks. You do need to be careful not to bottle it too soon. His first or second batch was supposed to be a still mead so he didn't add priming sugar, but he bottled it too soon so it sparkled anyway. I kegged my second batch, but kegged it too soon so it is a little sweet for me, but Wifey likes it! I didn't use as much honey in my third batch and it is kinda tasteless. I'm trying to decide if I want to add more honey or not. Good luck and good brewing!

:) Toney.

[Guy Sajer, FS]

Funny. My experience with most women (including my wife) is that they will not like a beer that is highly hopped (IPA are RIGHT OUT) but will prefer a stout. They also usually like German style pils over Czech (hops again).
I think the fruit recommendation is probably your best bet. My wife went absolutely crazy for radler (which is beer and lemonade) in Germany/Austria. Yours might like that combo too.

[fretlessman71]

Yeah, but YOUR wife probably doesn't spit out chocolate she feels is unworthy of her tastebuds, I'll bet.... I'm guessing that this will take a little while before I can rouse the bitter buds on the back of her tongue, but I'm very hopeful. I know she doesn't want to disappoint me in this regard, but I can tell when she doesn't like something and tries to hide it.:D

I'd love to make some mead at some point... but I'd also love to BUY some to see what is available commercially first. Is there such a thing as commercially available mead that serious ale drinkers would consider purchasing? Remember that I'm in the American South, and some people just don't understand what I mean when I tell them that I don't LIKE Miller Lite....

[BluesHarp]

Mead....the oldest known alcoholic drink...nectar of the gods...sorry, getting carried away.

Mead is tough to find commercially; in WI, we are lucky enough to have the White Winter Winery in Iron River. They make a selection of meads; unfortunately, I think they have a very limitewd distribution area.
I have found Chaucer's Mead, from Bargetto Winery in Soquel, CA here in WI, so they may distribute to a larger area...very good stuff. Check out www.bargetto.com

A good mead is unequalled...it has an almost psychodelic quality to it...as an aphrodesiac - unparalelled!!:D

[fidcastro]

My wife and I have been trying to convert my mom for a while now, and a couple nights ago I got her. I didn't tell her it was beer she was drinking, and she andmitted she liked it.

I fooled her with Lindemans Framboise. I handed it to her and told her to taste it. She drank a whole glass before I told her what it was. Now she is open to trying some other styles as well.

Now I have figure out how to work her through the various styles... It's still a long road ahead.

Fid

[fretlessman71]

FINALLY!!! I get to start enjoying beer again!!! Just put a Young's Double chocolate stout in the fridge for when I get home. NOW......... I need some opinions and suggestions....

ONE: What foods go good with this? I'm one of those weird vegetarian types, so lamb and beef and chicken are TOTALLY out of the question. I do eat cheese and milk and eggs, though.

TWO: Does chocolate itself go well with this? I'd recently seen something somewhere (sorry for getting so specific) about a beer and chocolate tasting, and wondered if Lindt chocolate would be a good choice (it's my wife's favorite).

THREE: Serving temperature! What's the best, and do I have to set a thermometer into the bottle or glass before I drink it to know for sure? I've got a pretty cold refrigerator, and I expect to have to set it out for about 30 monutes or so before it warms up to tasting range. This sound about right?

Last, but not least: Just wanted to say that I'm thrilled to find a community of people who really enjoy talking about beer as an ART and not a mechanism to get smashed and go cow tipping. Thanks to all of you for making me feel welcome!

[Richard English]

In the latest Safeway magazine (Safeway is a UK Supermarket) there is an article on what beer to drink with what food.

I'll try to find out whether it's on the web. If not, I'll post the relevant details.

[toneyc]

Originally posted by Richard English
In the latest Safeway magazine (Safeway is a UK Supermarket) there is an article on what beer to drink with what food.

I wonder if that is the same Safeway that I worked at as a teenager here in Texas, um, 25 years ago?

Living in Texas most of my life, I have heard about cow tipping over the years but have never seen it or talked to anyone that has actually done it. I'm starting to wonder if it is an urban legend.

:) Toney.

[fretlessman71]

....no, it's not an urban legend. My first wife was actually present at one of these highbrow affairs long before we got married. (Guess I should have taken that into consideration BEFOREHAND, huh?) Living out in the sticks in Colorado, apparently there's not much else to do than get trashed and play with cattle. Be glad you're where you are, toneyc... nobody would ever THINK of trying to tip a longhorn, I'm sure.

[Richard English]

I don't think so. So far as I'm aware Safeway is only in the UK. It is one of the smaller Supermarket chains and is currently the object of a takeover battle with Wal-Mart being one of the major contenders. I hope it stays as it is since it's one of the best Supermarkets for drink - especially BCAs.

And, forgive my ignorance, what is "cow-tipping". I can think of several possible explanations, many of them rather unsavoury!

[Richard English]

I have found an abbreviated version of the article on the Safeway site. Go to http://www.safeway.co.uk/cgi-bin/search.cgi?000007000004&location=000007.

There are several other useful pieces of information about beer on the site as well.

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
FINALLY!!! I get to start enjoying beer again!!! Just put a Young's Double chocolate stout in the fridge for when I get home. NOW......... I need some opinions and suggestions....

Hmm, vegetarian - one of my best friends is vegetarian, but she lives states away and isn't exactly a gourmet. The Dbl Chocolate is almost a meal in itself, so I'd suggest a pairing with lighter food, but it's almost a dessert beer. Maybe a fresh fruit-salad.

Pairing with other chocolate - I'd suspect that this may detract from the chocolate flavor of the beer, so I'd taste some of the beer first then decide if you want to add more chocolate to the mix. I've been known to drink Guinness Extra Stout with Oreo cookies - no kiddin'. But the syrupy bitterness of the stout mixes well with the sweetness of the cookie. The Young's being sweet already, maybe some semi-sweet or bitter chocolate would be good.

I would venture to say that a good serving temp for the Dbl Choc would be between 45 and 50 degrees F. Don't want it too cold at all - and it probably won't suffer from a little more warmth.

BTW - Fred Ekhardt, the father of modern home-brewing in the States, has a monthly column in All About Beer magazine wherein he often reports on some of his beer and food pairing seminars he sets up - beer and chocolate being very popular. You may be able to find some of Fred's archives at the AAB web site.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Richard English
And, forgive my ignorance, what is "cow-tipping". I can think of several possible explanations, many of them rather unsavoury!

Richard - this is not the proudest of activities for U.S. youth, and while it does entail "taking advantage" of an unwary bovine, it's probably not what you're thinking. It seems that sleeping cows are pretty oblivious to what's going on around them, and they tend to sleep standing up. Adventurous, dared (idiotic?), college students are known to sneak up on said sleeping cow and push the animal over, or tip it - resulting in what is sort of a practical joke on an animal incapable of reason and humor apparently only in the eyes of the tipper.

It can be assumed that this stunt is usually practiced only by those under the influence of some cheap fizzy-swill product.

S.

[hopjack13]

and my wife thought i was crazy....ha! i love oreos with my 6th anaversary porter (stone). i though that they complimented each other quit nicely. she wouldn't try it though , she thought i was crazy. guess she never will i just drank my last one last night:(

[steveh]

Originally posted by hopjack13
she wouldn't try it though , she thought i was crazy. guess she never

So, if she talked you into taking her out for a fancy dinner, and you ordered the flourless chocolate cake for desert, and the waiter or waitress suggested a nice robust red or port to compliment the desert, would she think that crazy? NO! Because the darn wine snobs have been en vogue so long and beer drinkers are slovenly heathens! ;)

Ya can't say ya don' like it if you ain't tried it!

S.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
....no, it's not an urban legend. My first wife was actually present at one of these highbrow affairs long before we got married. (Guess I should have taken that into consideration BEFOREHAND, huh?) Living out in the sticks in Colorado, apparently there's not much else to do than get trashed and play with cattle. Be glad you're where you are, toneyc... nobody would ever THINK of trying to tip a longhorn, I'm sure.

I'm not convinced...I grew up on a farm in WI and admit we used to try it; but with no success. I've never seen it done either, for that matter.

You say your first wife told you this? hmmmm.;)

[fretlessman71]

Rent the movie "Heathers". If the cow is truly asleep, this will work - I've been assured by many of my dairy farm family friends... maybe this is why I moved away from there. Not long before I moved away from CO, I managed to hit 3 cows on the freeway going 85 mph and walk away from the accident. Can't eat beef, and even milk products are starting to give me grief. Don't have much use for cows anymore anyway... guess I'll never get to see cow tipping done in person, either. Oh, me....

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Rent the movie "Heathers". If the cow is truly asleep, this will work - I've been assured by many of my dairy farm family friends...

Don't forget, that movie *is* a comedy, and I don't think it could be considered a good source of factual reference! It does make a good case for "Ichaluger" bullets, though! ;)

S.

[Theakston]

A little retail history:

Safeway WAS the same company as the one in the USA. When they first came to the UK they were a wholly owned subsidiary of the USA group. This was when I was at college (in the UK) and worked in one (since blown up by IRA terrorists). It was definitely American and a little odd because they trained us the same way - we were supposed to say "have a nice day" (to which most Mancunians responded by telling us to F### off).

Safeway had to sell their UK interests in the early 80's to raise cash to fend off a hostile takeover bid (I think by Dart Drugs).
It was bought by a UK company and they kept the Safeway name (converting their other existing stores to Safeway). So they are now 2 separate companies with the same name.

It sounds like the UK one has better beer.

[fretlessman71]

Boy, I'll say... in Colorado, where I'm from, grocery stores aren't allowed to sell full strength beer... it has to have less than 3.2% abv. Lots of regular brands are sold there, but they're watered down... well, not really. The breweries COOK the beer to get excess alcohol out to get it to pass muster. You can only imagine how it tastes....

[TEDBROCK]

You have had ALOT of great suggestions and I hope this hasn't been covered but howz-about Leinie's Berry weise (great with cornflakes), Honey Brown or a cherry stout. New Glarus makes a rasberry "beer" that outstanding. Or maybe a mildly hopped barley wine. Best of luck. Prost.

[BluesHarp]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Here... not sure why I'm doing this, but here goes....

http://www2.hot1.net/~sdorsey/cow-tip.htm

Oh, thanks a lot! My family thinks I've completely lost it!: "What the H### kind of websites are you on?!" :D

[fretlessman71]

Hey, don't kill the messenger... :D

[BluesHarp]

Maybe if I didn't have my speakers turned up so high! :eek:

[paul84043]

Hmmm, they actually think that a bull is the only cow with horns! That's funny!
Guess it's better safe than sorry, I can't imagine going around and looking under all of them to find the real bulls!

what the hell does this have to do with beer anyway?

:D

[Bosco]

I too was going to suggest Young's Double Chocolate Stout. I have good luck coverting friends w/ Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale, Tanner's Jack, Tetley's Ale, Fuller's Londen Porter, Saranac Caramel Porter.

[BluesHarp]

Bosco:

GREAT Avatar!! Allll Right!!:D

[brewmonkey]

Originally posted by Richard English
I have made mead using my brother-in-law's spare comb once he has extracted most of the honey and it turned out very well. What's more, it fermented out a quickly as anything else I've ever made - and quicker than some things. As I recall it was started, finished, bottled and drunk within 6 months.

However, I did read in one brewing book many years ago that the reputation that mead has for slow fermentation is due to poor must balance (too little acid, I seem to recall). I did make sure that the balance seemed about right before I pitched the yeast, but apart from that did nothing special.

Meads are poor fermenters due to the lack of yeast nutrients. Pop some in and away we go.

My wife did not like beer at one point and then she tried Mead. Next thing you know she is drinking beer like a pro, begging to go to GABF and the rest, is history.