The Best Beers for Women

Never met a beer you liked? Here are the ones that may finally win you over.
Never met a beer you liked? Here are the ones that may finally win you over.

You wouldn't know if from beer commercials, but women enjoy a pint every now and then, too. Especially now that the rise of craft brewing has flooded the marketplace with styles and flavors as nuanced as wines.

The grand experiment: We put together a panel of women who would rather drink tap water than willingly walk into a craft ale house on a hot day. We also roped in Master Cicerone Nicole Erny, who helped us find beer styles for each of them based on their preferences for other beverages.

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If you like tea:

You'll appreciate a light-bodied Belgian-style wheat beer. The low alcohol and high carbonation make it a perfect brunch brew (yes, that's a thing), and are usually accompanied by orange peel and coriander flavors.

Try: Blanche de Bruxelles, St. Bernardus Wit, or Allagash White.

If you like coffee:

Make a smooth, dark stout your new brew. They're varied as a category: Imperials tend to be high in alcohol with strong malt flavor, and hoppy bitterness; oatmeal stouts have chocolate and caramel characteristics; and milk stouts are low in alcohol, full-bodied, and may be flavored with milk sugar (so lactose intolerant folks, beware).

Try: Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout, Founders Breakfast Stout, or Left Hand Milk Stout.

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If you like white wine or champagne:

You'll enjoy Saisons or Farmhouse ale, which tend to be balanced and refreshing, with a strong yeast flavor. A bonus: This panel-wide favorite pairs perfectly with your favorite cheeses.

Try: Goose Island Sofie.

If you like red wine:

Give up the grapes for a dark Belgian Quadruppel. This brew has many of the same characteristics as a full-bodied vino, but with a higher alcohol content, intense aroma, and hints of raisin, date and fig. You even serve it at a slightly warmer temperature, just like your favorite red.

Try: St. Bernardus Abt 12.

If you like citrusy cocktails:
Have an India Pale Ale or an Amber Ale. Typically higher in alcohol than most beers, very bitter, and heavy on the hops, they deliver basically the same experience you get from vodka tonic with plenty of lemon. India Pale ales have notes of grapefruit, pine, and floral hops, while amber ales have a more assertive malt flavor, with a bitter hop finish.

Try: Stone Ruination, Firestone Walker Double Jack, or Tröegs Nugget Nectar.

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If you like fruity drinks:
Give a lambic or gueze a chance. For better or for worse, our testers agreed that these were the least "beer-tasting" of the brews sampled. Lambics are definitely in a category all their own-they can vary from little to extremely carbonated with a strong fruity flavor and a pleasant sour finish. The flavor is defined by the yeast, with no apparent malt and very little hop nuances. A gueuze is an aged lambic blended with a young lambic, which results in a drier, more sour drink with intensified flavors.

Try: Lindemans Framboise or Boon Oude Gueuze

If you like hot chocolate:
Go with a chocolate stout. Yes, these brews really have chocolate or cacao added with hops during the brewing process. The result can be subtle or intense, but don't worry about it being too sweet; it's still a stout with a long, bitter finish. Our chocolate-lovers praised this beer for it's decadent, rich flavor. Good enough to have for dessert!

Try: Southern Tier Choklat or Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

By Jennifer Messimer, Women's Health

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