You don’t need a Master Cicerone certification to recommend a beer to your friends or loved ones.

Ideally, recommend something you’ve previously enjoyed. You wouldn’t recommend a book or movie without first reading or watching it. However, when it comes to beer you can still recommend a particular style even if you’ve never tasted a specific brew (and if you’re lucky your friend will let you sample their draft). Below are some ideas of what to do when recommending a beer.

If you don’t know what they normally drink, or they have no idea the types of beer they like:

Like recommending a band, don’t start with something obscure. Your friend claims they want a beer that will kick them in the face but they don’t normally drink hoppy beers? Something like Dogfish Head’s 120 minute IPA is probably the wrong move. Going a little more subtle will make them happy and make you look like a beer genius. A standard entry-level pale ale is your best bet in this situation; Sierra Nevada’s Pale ale or Terrapin (recently distributed in Maryland) Recreation Ale are great choices.

If you know their normal go-to:

Play it safe and play to their tastes. Simple. Done.

Seriously though, toe the line of their comfort zone. If they claim to like ales (whatever that might really mean) try to get a specific answer.

For example, Blue Moon is generally considered a standard for most beginners expanding their palette. That right there gives you two options: fruit-flavored or wheat. See a familiar hefeweizen on tap? There’s your easy choice. Or let’s say it’s a lady friend who enjoys fruit in her beer. If the bar has fruited wheat beer on draft pick that one.

Also, you have the power of persuasion. Don’t just tell someone “Oh, you should try X.” Add some positive psychological vibes. Say something like “Oh, you should try X. It’s pretty good.” Or tell them it’s excellent and amazing if the phrase fits. How you recommend the beer is almost as important as which beer you recommend.

Just don’t use superfluous hyperbole. No one likes that.