I’ve never been much of a beer drinker; I preferred wine and mixed drinks. I’d have one or two if it was the only thing on hand at a party (Bud Light and Select, Michelob, the occasional Fat Tire). Recently though, I decided to make an effort to branch out a little (Red Stripe, Heineken, Boulevard) and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I do like beer after all, just not any of the kinds I’d tried before.
So, would any beer fans care to recommend a good brew that could further nurture my nascent interest?
www.beeradvocate.com seems a pretty decent place to start, with quite a lot of american beers topping the list and all.
I’m no expert myself, but my favorites range from Guinness (stout), to Bombardier (bitter) and Heineken (lager). I’m eager to sample Young’s Double Chocolate Stout (it’s got a decent score at BA, too), but I can’t get any here, and I don’t think I’ll be going to England any time soon.
Try local brewers wherever you may roam. Not that they’ve always got the best brews, but half the fun is the search.
You’ve got Boulevard listed, good call. Also, Schlafly’s is pretty good, and they’re local to St Louis.
And if you like a stout, I cannot recommend Young’s Chocolate Stout enough. Wasn’t at all sure I would care for it, but tried it at a local Yardhouse and was pleasantly surprised. Not too much chocolate, and balanced quite nicely with the stout.
Well, you are in St. Louis, which is a strike against you. A company town, and a crappy company at that.
Find a store with a decent microbrew section and see if they will let you make up your own six-pack. If not, buy singles and start drinking. Don’t be afraid to try something different. Work from light to dark.
Never drink any beer from a clear bottle.
St. Louis has a thriving homebrew scene. Contact these people and go to a meeting. They’ll guide you through the wonderful world of real beer.
When you are ready, Sierra Nevada will be waiting for you.
Dogfish Head Raison d’Etre is one of the best commonly available beers out there and is well worth a try. A lot of people like Sierra Nevada, but I don’t particularly care for it. For a lighter beer, I’d recommend Pacifico, which you should be able to find in the grocery stores if there’s a significant Hispanic population around.
You could try beers within a style or branch out to a different style. Take Heineken, for example. That’s a mild tasting Dutch lager. From there you could try a more refined style - Grolsch is a good widely available Dutch beer in that style. Or you could try something similar but a little more robust in taste, like a Czech pilsener. Or a German lager like Bitburger. The vast majority of popular beers are in this style.
Moving away from premium lager/ golden beer/ pilsener, you could try wheat beer. It’s still fairly mild tasting, but has a bit of citrusy zing to it. Hoegaarten is a widely available (Belgian) type. If you find you like fuller flavoured beers, you could move on to pale ales.
Until you have branched out a bit and got used to the wide variety of tastes, I’d avoid things like American Pale Ales, India Pale Ales, bocks, porters and stouts. And most Belgian beers. They’re liable to taste a bit too aggressive if you’re just coming to like the stuff.
I’m not a beer drinker at ALL-- I like girly fruity drinks. As such, to anyone like me who hates the taste of beer, here are some selections for you which I have found tasty:
Fruili Fraise
Mort Subite Framboise/Peche/Geuze
Floris Passion
McAuslan Apricot Wheat
Unibroue Ephemere Pomme
P.S., there are loads and loads of Canadian microbrews you should try. Breweries like Denisons, Church-Key, Scotch-Irish, Black Oak, Mill St. and King are very creative and always send out fabulous products.
I’ve had an like most of their beers (not much for Krieks/Lambics). But please, dear Og, tell me that their name is not pronounced “unibrow”.
I love Beglium’s various ales and would recommend giving Leffe a try if you can find it. Chimay is also quite good but I’d go with the red label as a beginner.
I would not recommend Heineken for you, as you are in the US. Friends of mine who have been to the Netherlands told me that the Heineken over there is much better than what you would get here in the US. I don’t personally know if that’s true (never having been to the Netherlands), but that is what I have heard from several people.
Now this thread has made me thirsty for a Yard’s ESA.
I hate Heineken, but I have had in the Netherlands, and it really did taste different. Same with a beer like Pilsner Urquell, which is merely okay here, but very damned tasty in the Czech Republic or adjoining countries.
Anyhow, without any idea of what flavors you’re familiar with and what you like, I’d recommend trying a sampling of different styles.
It’s hard to go wrong with anything from Bell’s (the Amber Ale is a good start for a mild, yummy beer), Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada (their pale ale is my standard session brew), Three Floyd’s (you must like hops to enjoy most of their beers), Victory (try their Prima Pils for an American take on the classic pilsner), Anchor (Anchor Steam is a uniquely American beer and, if I’m remembering my homebrewing books correctly, the only truly indiginous American beer style. Also, you can find it most anywhere), etc.
If you want to go foreign, here’s a good sampling to give you an idea of various styles (I’m not saying these are necessarily the best, but they are classic examples of the style):
Belgian Witbier: Hoegaarden
German Wheatbeer (Weissbier): HackerPschorr or Paulaner Hefe-weizen
Belgian Fruit Flavored Lambic: Lindeman’s Kriek (cherry) or Framboise (Raspberry)
Belgian Unflavored Lambic: Lindeman’s Cuvee Renee
Belgian Trappist Ales: Any of the Chimays will do
Stout: Darn whatever beer experts may say, but I do love my regular ol’ Guinness (with the widget) as a session beer. If you want something heartier, but still British, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout will do the trick.
Pilsner: Urquell is the standby, Czechvar gives you a good idea of the style, too. Don’t be afraid to try the Polish Zywiec or Okocim as well.
Brown Ale: Newcastle is, of course, the standard, but I’d suggest trying Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale
German double bock (doppelbock): Spaten Optimator
The widget part only refers to if you’re buing it in a liquor store. Obviously, the best way to have Guinness is from the tap, preferably across the pond.
But which Guinness do you mean? Draught or Foreign Extra Stout? If you mean the FES, then I am in 100% agreement with you.
I won’t recommend any specific beer, I’ll just recommend you find somewhere with a good selection that keeps their beer under proper conditions and try a wide variety of styles. You’ll soon find out whether you like hoppy beers, or malty beers, or sour beers, or fruit beers, or strong beers.
Or if you’re like me, you’ll discover you like all of them!
Bass. Pour it out and get a decent beer.
Young beer padawan, there are too many good beers out there for us to answer your question with any meaning. Go forth and sample a few hundred, then return, so that we may guide you with some sense of direction.
Although it does get a bit embarassing when people take you to a place with 150+ taps, and you’ve had every beer they have before!
I’ve drank beer all my life, and don’t like it as much as I used to. The only thing I like these days is Corona Light. Of course I squirt a little lime in it.
Really, that’s the best advice. There’s a lot of good beers, and tastes differ. Even a fine fellow like silenus, is, I think, misguided in his dislike of Bass, and his disdain for anything in a clear bottle. ( I, personally, could murder a Sleeman’s Cream Ale right now.) Try one of everything, and take it from there.
I never comment on anyone’s taste. Everyone likes what they like. But no one should like Corona. Especially for what they charge for it. If you bought Milwaukee’s Best Light and put a lime in it you’d save money and have a better beer. Just pretend it’s called Acapulco’s Best Light.
