In a world where small-batch brands are on the rise, it’s smart to have a plan in place for the next time you’re out with your craft-beer loving friends in a bar that bans your beloved Bud Light.
The craft beer guide for non-craft beer drinkers
Tensions between craft and commercial beer makers have been brewing for years, as illustrated in the controversial Budweiser commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. But the rift shouldn’t cause a conflict between beer drinkers.
In a world where small-batch brands are on the rise, it’s smart to have a plan in place for the next time you’re out with your craft-beer loving friends in a bar that bans your beloved Bud Light. And Rob Fink, a home brewer and certified cicerone, has you covered.
Here’s his guide to some of the biggest beer brands and their similarly styled craft beer siblings.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
American Adjunct Lagers
Rob Fink, a home brewer and certified cicerone, says popular beers such as Miller Lite, Bud Light, Heineken, Corona, Coors and Amstel are all considered American adjunct lagers.
“That means they have a proportion of corn or rice in the beer to substitute for sugars that you would otherwise get from malted barley,” he says.
The good news is, there are plenty of craft beers that have the same light, crisp and refreshing taste that fans of these commercial beers love — and you don’t even have to travel far to find one.
(AP composite photo)
AP composite photo
American Adjunct Lagers
If you’re a fan of American adjunct lagers, Fink says you’ll surely love a variety from Loudoun County’s Lost Rhino Brewing Company called Rhino Chasers Pilsner.
“It’s going to have a lot of the same profiles that you’re accustomed to in your light lagers, but kind of a little more amplified and a little more traditional, in terms of ingredients,” Fink says.
(Courtesy Lost Rhino Brewing Facebook)
Courtesy Lost Rhino Brewing Facebook
American Adjunct Lagers
Another great option for light lager fans is the Victory Prima Pils, which Fink says is one of his favorite pilsners of all time. He says this option is going to be a tad more assertive in hop character, but adds, “It’s not so far removed that it’s a departure necessarily. Someone might like hops and they didn’t know it and they try Prima Pils and they’re like, ‘OK, there’s something here.’”
(Courtesy Victory Brewing Facebook)
Courtesy Victory Brewing Facebook
Vienna Lagers: Yuengling and Sam Adams
Prefer to sip on the suds of a Yuengling or Sam Adams? Fink says these varieties are more akin to what’s called a Vienna lager. “It’s very similar to a traditional German Märzen, which is the first Oktoberfest beer,” he says.
These lagers are often mahogany in color and have some malt character with hints of caramel and toffee.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
Vienna Lagers: Yuengling and Sam Adams
Fink says there are plenty of options when it comes to finding a craft beer for fans of Vienna lagers. His first pick is the Devil’s Backbone Vienna Lager. It’s an all-malt lager brewed with German ingredients in Roseland, Virginia. “They do a very good job of adhering to tradition,” Fink says.
(Courtesy Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company Facebook)
Courtesy Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company Facebook
Vienna Lagers: Yuengling and Sam Adams
Fink’s second pick for a craft beer Vienna lager is the Eliot Ness from Great Lakes Brewing Company.
“It’s going to be a little hoppier than Devil’s Backbone and definitely more hoppier than a Sam Adams Boston lager, but it is a great example of the style, and it’s not so hoppy that it will turn your average light lager drinker off. It’s something that will likely be embraced,” he says.
(Courtesy Great Lakes Brewing Company Facebook)
Courtesy Great Lakes Brewing Company Facebook
For the Guinness Fans
Sure, you can still drink the traditional Irish stout on St. Paddy’s Day, but there are plenty of similar options out there for the other 364 days of the year.
(Getty Images)
Getty Images
For the Guinness Fans
“A great local option for folks who like Guinness but are trying to branch out would be the Penn Quarter Porter from DC Brau,” Fink says. “Penn Quarter Porter will have a lot of the same flavor characteristics, but not be quite as sharp. In terms of the roasted bitterness and chocolate flavors, it’s definitely more rounded in flavor and more rounded in mouth feel. It blurs the line between porter and stout for sure, but it’s something that people who like Guinness could naturally gravitate towards.”
(Courtesy DC Brau Facebook)
Courtesy DC Brau Facebook
Belgian Style Witbier
Blue Moon is another popular beer sold at bars, but unlike the others, this variety is a wheat beer. It’s traditionally served with an orange slice to bring out the beer’s citrus flavors.
(Getty Images)
Getty Images
Belgian Style WitbierIf Blue Moon is not available on tap — or you’re looking to venture out from the routine — Alexandria-based Port City’s Optimal Wit will surely satisfy. It’s crispy and citrusy taste is similar to Blue Moon’s flavor profiles, but it’s brewed with Virginia-grown wheat and Spanish orange peels to give it a little something extra.
(Courtesy Port City Brewing Facebook)
Courtesy Port City Brewing Facebook
Belgian Style Witbier
Another craft beer that’s similar to Blue Moon is the Allagash White, brewed in Portland, Maine. Like Blue Moon and the Optimal Wit, it’s brewed using wheat, orange peel and coriander. And over the years, it’s won multiple awards for its taste.
(Courtesy Allagash Brewing Company)
