It’s not often a beer lover and a wine lover are the same person, and your friends certainly have their minds made up about what they enjoy drinking. So ignoring that, let’s spread the love of amazing beer.
If you’d rather not have a stock of wine for get-togethers because you have no idea what to buy, check out these seven beers that can be equally as pleasing for a wine drinker as they are for a beer drinker. Some of these are easier to find and available year-round, so keep your eyes peeled.
Apex Predator
Off Color Brewing
Farmhouse ales step over the normal roundabout of saison pepper and coriander, deciding to feature a hazy wave of fruitiness. Apex Predator is bright, effervescent, and absolutely juicy. White wine lovers can take pleasure in the similar characteristics present in this predator’s frothy, white mane.
Sofie
Goose Island Beer Co.
If you don’t tell your friend this is beer, he or she might believe it’s a glass of wine. The wine character from the barrels is so present among lemon citrus flavors, you could almost call this cheating. This is the possibly the cheapest barrel-aged farmhouse ale you’re going to find, and it’s an easy pleaser too.
Bière de Blanc du Bois / Biere De Syrah
Jester King Brewery
Jester King’s barrel program head Adrienne Ballou is originally from the wine world, so it’s no surprise they’ve been playing with beer-wine hybrids. Refermented with Blanc du Bois and Syrah grapes, these wild Texas beers bring together the best of both worlds, with grape notes piercing through the tart, sour beer base all the while keeping the wine-like earthiness. These are brewery-only releases, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find someone who is willing to part with a bottle.
Temptation
Russian River Brewing
Temptation dives deeper into funk territory and ages in used chardonnay barrels for nine to fifteen months. Temptation’s tropical flavor and sour finish are balanced with an earthy must that’s reminiscent of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Vinnie Cilurzo has been developing his wild ales for more than a decade, and it shows in his beer.
Darkest Hour
Anchorage Brewing Company
This is no ordinary stout. A blend of whiskey and wine–barrel-aged imperial stout, it presents a deep range of flavors and a curiously dry finish. A kick of fresh mint provides a palate wake-up call before diving into a splash pool of allspice, anise, black cherries, molasses, oak, and black licorice over a touch of roasty bitterness. You won’t find overpowering red wine tannins here.
La Folie
New Belgium Brewing
La Folie is such a wide release, it shouldn’t be too hard to find. This beer is all about dark fruit and malt flavors with a slightly sour bite and earthy Brett character backing it up. This beer is definitely in a similar spectrum as red wine but won’t win over every red-wine style.
Rochefort 10
Brasserie de Rochefort
Rochefort 10 is a big beer full of rich, dark fruit and spicy noble hops flavors. Your herbal red-wine lovers will be pleased and they can’t argue that the Trappist monks, who have been brewing beer for hundreds of years, don’t understand flavor.