From your experience, which craft beers are the easiest to drink for those not accustomed to the taste of beer? I have found the following results: 1. Dieu Du Ciel - Rosee D'hibiscus: Very sweet, no bitterness, and absolutely unorthodox for a beer. The only downside to this beer is that it is so fragrant, that any room you drink it in will smell overwhelmingly like hibiscus flowers. It actually overpowered the smell of my pot-head, cigarette smoking friend! 2. Ayinger - Celebrator: My mother absolutely hates beer, both in taste and smell. Yet she really liked the coffee-like aroma on this one, and the flavour was absolutely inoffensive to her, as there was no bitterness, and it tasted much like a non-alcoholic malt drink to her, something which she enjoyed as a child. 3. La Trappe - Quadrupel: Low bitterness, very sweet and wine-like, appealing color and smell. Nothing offensive other than a very subtle metallic note in the flavour. 4. Sour ales, especially gueuzes and fruit lambics. This only applies if the individual is tolerant to sourness. 5. Hefeweizens and Witbiers. Schneider Weiss and Hoegaarden make very easy drinking wheats.
Milds.Slip down fantastically easily, no hard edges.Goes better with food than any other style I've tried bar none.
Sour Ales? Wow, I would not say I've seen that translate to non-craft drinkers. But hey, what do I know? I'd say Wit's and Pale Ales.... I have found that you do get a very positive response with women (wives of my beer geek clan) to Imperial Stouts. Especially chocolate, coffee etc. We usually pull one out with dessert and they are a big hit. Small pours are always essential.
Brown Ales & Mild Ales. As far as Brand I try and steer as many by O'Dell 90 Schilling as an example of a well balanced easier drinking beer.
I brought The Dissident and The Meddler to a party I knew would be mostly non-beer drinkers, and both were big hits with people who like wine.
We do a big homebrew Oktoberfest every year and it's fun to watch my non-beer geek friends try the 6 or 7 beers on tap. 3 years ago my pecan smoked hellles lager was the most popular, especially with non geeks. eople kept asking for another glass of bacon beer. Last year it was the alt I brewed-smooth, clean with a nice hop edge to it. But almost always my hefeweizen and wit are the first kegs killed. This year we went through 2 kegs of the hefeweizen. In general I think non beer drinkers are turned off initially by color, they consider dark beers thick and heavy. My wife(a wine drinker mostly) used to like Imperial stouts, but only if served in a ceramic mug so she couldn't see the color of it.
I can see why you would think that, but Russian River sour beers are how I got my wife into craft beer. I am of course, somewhat regretting it, since I got her hooked on the most expensive type of beer. Oh well. To answer the OP, I have a lot of experience with this, as my dad is a diehard Bud drinker. You really have to stay away from anything that has more than a subtle hop profile. I've gotten him to drink Smithwicks, Hobgoblin, Longboard Lager and Fireside Chat.
Good witbier, wiessbier, the less sour krieks, Milk stouts such as youngs double chocolate, pretty much any fruit lambic or fruit infused beer, etc. It's all pretty much like drinking soda. Minimal hops, bitterness, smoother on the palate.
I find many of Schlafly's offerings to be very easy drinking, seems like they carry a moderate abv in most year-rounds and seasonals.
