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Roundtable Discussion | The Craft Beer Introduction

Roundtable Discussion | The Craft Beer Introduction
Amber Dunlap

This week we asked our PorchDrinking crew a question they were certainly prepared to answer: If you were introducing someone to the world of craft beer, what beer or brewery would you start them off with? The result is a fool-proof guide to masterfully convert anyone to craft beer.

 

Alewise Beer

Firestone Walker! My favorite American brewery specifically for things like this. Other breweries may make ipas or session beers I like more, some breweries may make big Barrel-Aged or sour beers I like more, but I enjoy everything they make, and they don’t make a bad beer, in fact they kill it with every one they try. Their PIVO pils and DBA are a couple of the first beers I go to when a guest asks for lighter, drier options or just to start someone’s forrey into craft.


Philip Joyce

^ +1. That beer for me was easy street wheat from Odell. But since most craft drinkers are converts from macro beers or college swill, PIVO pils is a great suggestion


Stacey Goers

I would say something like a Goose Island, Lagunitas, Founders, etc. I would lean toward giving someone a beer that he/she could buy at the grocery, order at the bar and really become obsessed with it. The more you drink it, the more you’re going to love it (well, in theory!). If you introduce someone to a craft beer that he/she can never get again, that’s a tease.


Drew Davis

I’d go with something fairly accessible, both in terms of availability and balanced options. I think dogfish head would be my choice. And then I’d open a few different options to show that craft beer doesn’t have to mean super hoppy or super malty. I’d give them a flight of namaste, palo santo marron, raison d’etre and the 60-minute. I’d consider throwing a good pils in there to show a familiar style done in a craft way. Maybe oskar blue’s lil yella pils.


Drew Davis

And then if they didn’t like any of the options, I’d make them a mixed drink and proceed to down the rest of the beers I opened for them.


Desiree Duzich

My dad and sister (non-craft beer drinkers) really liked Avery’s White Rascal. It’s light, refreshing, and easy to drink


Katie Oswalt

I’d always start with Bell’s– something easily accessible at many grocery stores but with great seasonals that they could find on tap at a good bar in town. This was the first brewery that stole my heart, at least, and turned me into a beer drinker.


Danny King

I second the Bell’s. Oberon seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of getting people to switch to smaller brewers for better beer.


Cory Pelc

Elevation Beer Company’s 8 Second Kölsch. An easy drinking, crisp ale. This 4.5% beer can find respect from seasoned vets but is most definitely accessible to those newcomers alike.


Chris Hollands

I think I am with Alewise Beer on this one! FW has every angle covered.


Chelsea Mitchell

I usually always start with Chainbreaker by Deschutes or White Rascal by Avery. My mom, who does not drink beer, actually liked both of these. I think the crisp, light nature of the white IPAs makes them more manageable for the non-beer/non-craft folks


Brady Akers

It really depends on what they currently drink. If they love any of the American pilsners, I go to Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils. If they like whiskey, I start with a drinkable rye like Great Divide. For almost every other situation, Dry Dock Apricot Blonde does the trick.

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