Women Love Beer

I brought my mom along with me to a very nice beer bar one night, where the bartender was determined to find something she would like. Taste after taste, she made disgusted faces over everything we gave here, including some that I consider the best beer in the world.
Then the bartender poured her a glass of Frambois (Raspberry) Lambic. Thick and pink, it looks like a smoothie on tap.
And she loved it.
The most popular, or perhaps simply the most readily available brand, is Lindeman's. The bottle may be familiar to many wine-and-beer shop goers, but any brand you can get your hands on is worth trying. The same goes for flavors. Raspberry seems to be the most popular, but any fruit flavor you like will probably be delicious.
Lambic on its own is a sour Belgian beer. It is distinctive because instead of being fermented with very carefully planned yeast strains, it is exposed to wild yeast. Unflavored lambics can have a funky barnyard or cheese smell - that's not a bad thing. It happens because older, drier hops are used when making the beer to cut down on bitterness. Beware of jumping right into the unflavored ones - they can be challenging. Fruit lambics often get a second fermentation (i.e. more yeast!) in the bottle.
Other popular flavors include peach, apple, and sour cherry.

What is a good beer for women?

It's whatever the woman in question happens to like drinking. That, of course, isn't terribly helpful if you are that woman and think you don't like beer, or if you're already a beer lover yourself and trying to find a beer that she may like.

When I talk about good beer for women, what I really mean is, what's a good beer for anyone who doesn't drink much beer or who already thinks they don't like it?

Now THAT is a good question, with a good answer: wheat beer.

Wheat beers tend to be light, citrusy, sweet but not too sweet. They are where a lot of people learn to love beer. New Belgium's Sunshine Wheat is widely available and is a great one to try out. Specifically, it is an American Pale Wheat beer. It's lighter than many other Hefeweizen styles. Remember, though, even if you don't like it, that doesn't mean you don't like beer, or even that you don't like wheat beer. There is a huge variety out there. Keep tasting!

Far too many drinkers are introduced to beer through pilsners. Pilsners are similar in color to wheat beer, but are clear rather than cloudy. Bud and Miller are examples of pilsner, though plenty of craft breweries make them as well. After many years of beer drinking and beer loving, I still don't like them. They carry a bitter aftertaste that is unpleasant to me. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try them - just don't make the mistake of thinking they are the most easily drinkable beers out there. Remember, follow your taste buds!

For more taste profiles and beer tips, check out my beer blog at Beer at Joe's.