It’s happened to most of us. You plan months in advance for the party, working out the details of the mash you’ll need for your homebrewed summer wheat and the hop schedule to give your homebrewed IPA the perfect punch in the mouth to satisfy your hophead friends. You even brewed a Pilsner so the kids can enjoy some homebrew (diluted with lemonade as a Radler, of course).
And then the wine lovers show up: friends of your parents you forgot were coming. They don’t drink beer. Or at least they say they don’t. Rather than make a last minute run to the liquor store, maybe it’s time to introduce these oenophiles to some homebrewed ales that can easily stand in for the fruit of the vine.
Whites
White wines exhibit clean, fruit and berry-like flavors with acidic support. Belgian wit is a great place to start. It’s effervescent, mild on the palate, and features just enough orange and coriander to keep things interesting. German Hefeweizen also appeals, with its clove and coriander finish. Some unique IPAs are being brewed these days that make great use of hops whose flavor and aroma profiles include such descriptors as black currant, apricot, lychee, passion fruit, gooseberry, pineapple, and mango. Consider brewing with Amarillo, Calypso, Citra, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Rakau, and Riwaka hops. I served a homebrewed all-Nelson Sauvin wit to a friend who would have sworn that it was grape juice.
Reds
Red wine drinkers thrive on deep fruit flavors, tannins, and acidity. To me, that just screams for barrel-aged sours, especially those that incorporate fruit. Kriek may very well be the finest gateway beer for wine aficionados who revel in the red. Or try a West Flanders Red or an Oud Bruin. I once served a homebrewed clone of Russian River’s Consecration to an out-of-town visitor who claimed not to care for beer, and she couldn’t believe that what she was drinking was actually beer, let alone a homebrewed one. Sour ales, especially those that feature prominent oak, might just be a red wine drinker’s best friend in the beer world.
Sparkling
The beer options for those who gravitate toward sparkling wine are too many to count. Any dry, light-bodied, effervescent beer can fill in for sparkling wine admirably. The two that come to mind immediately are saison and Berliner Weisse. Saison is a Belgian style characterized by a bone-dry finish and a spicy, fruity, peppery nose. Saisons are often packaged in a cork-and-cage champagne bottle, and opening one will make wine drinkers feel right at home. Berliner Weisse is a tart, sour, but light and refreshing wheat beer from Berlin. In fact, Napoleon’s troops even called it the “Champagne of the North.” But make sure your wine-loving friends try it as-is before dosing it with syrup!
If your wine-loving friends have an open mind and an adventurous spirit, I’m confident you can brew at least one beer that they won’t just tolerate, but actively savor.