California Beerzine

Tip #2: Don’t be a know it all. No one likes being told that you’d sooner donate a kidney than let their precious Natty Light (yes, it does have a following) cross your lips. And, believe it or not, they don’t always want to listen to a monologue from you about which variety of hops is your favorite.

Keep it simple, but not patronizing. Offer a beer that you personally like – there’s nothing worse than saying, “Here, I think you’ll like this… well, no, I don’t drink it myself, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Tell your friend one or two things you like about the beer (e.g., “This beer is aged in oak barrels, so it picks up a vanilla flavor that I really like,” or “I had this beer with Thai food once and it was amazing – the hops go really well with spicy foods.”)

Then, stop and listen, wait for your friend to ask questions, and resist the urge to tell them everything you know about the style in question. And perhaps most importantly, give a clear “I don’t know” when you can’t answer a friend’s question. There’s no better way to encourage your friend to learn more about beer than to show that you’re still learning yourself. If you’re ashamed to admit your own areas of ignorance, how is your friend supposed to ask questions that show how much he/she doesn’t yet know?

Tip #3: Be a thoughtful host. Spend some time listening to what your friend currently enjoys. Not only will people feel more appreciated if you let them rattle on about the distinction between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (”uh-huh… ok, pepperiness, right… vanilla, ok… got it.”), but it will help you suggest something they’re more likely to enjoy, bringing your one step closer to having a companion for the road trip to Dark Lord Day.

Just because you’re a hop head, a Belgian sour fanatic, or a German lager aficionado, doesn’t mean your friend will like the same style. By the same token, don’t underestimate your friend and hand the lightest, most innocuous fruited American wheat beer that you can find to her, no one likes being condescended to.

If your friend likes Pinot Noir, consider a Flanders Red for the acidity and tart red fruit flavors, like cherry and red currants. If your friend likes Champagne, consider a saison, for the sparkling carbonation, light to medium body, and slightly sweet fruitiness. If you can find one, a biere de champagne, which undergoes the same methode de champenoise as sparkling wine, might be an even better match. If your friend likes whiskeys, consider one of the many bourbon barrel-aged beers on the market at the moment. But what if your friend is a dyed-in-the-wool macrobrew drinker?

One of my favorites for this group is a true Bavarian Hefeweizen. It doesn’t have the aggressive hops of an IPA or roast of a stout, but neither is it so similar to their everyday brew so as to make them think it tastes like something went wrong on the bottling line in Golden, Colorado. Ask whether your friend can taste banana or bubble gum, which if you’ve chosen well, he or she will be almost certainly be able to.

Just remember: each time you convert someone, a bottle of craft brewed beer has found a happy home in someone’s belly.

Jessica “JJ” Jones is the author of The Thirsty Hopster, a blog covering beers, breweries, and events, with an emphasis on the SF Bay Area. Don’t let the name fool you, she’s as big a fan of wild ales and ‘malt monsters’ as she is of IPAs. Her wine-drinking parents are her own current beervangelism project, having moved up the food chain after converting her sister from Midori sours and her brother from Keystone Light.