I hear you. The wife, near-perfect as she may be, still thinks Bud Light is beer. I’ve gotten her to accept and enjoy Dos Equis and Bohemia, but when I turn my back she brings one of those blue boxes back into the house.
My father’s youngest brother is only 12 years older than me: our relationship has always been more brother-sister than uncle-niece, and in fact I stopped calling him “Uncle” Joe when I turned 21 and started going out to bars with him. One of the reasons why I love him is that he is the only other beer-drinker in the family; until recently he lived in NYC, and for ten consecutive years he arranged annual bar crawls in different parts of the city. I miss those…
Anyway, one day when I was in my early 20s we were out drinking together, and I ordered a Budweiser (I have “redneck roots” and would drink Bud, Coors Light, Natty Bo, etc. with my friends). He made a bet* with me that within ten years – when I could afford to drink more expensive beer – I would no long walk into bars and order Budweisers. I swore that he was wrong, that I’d always drink Bud, that it was underrated, that I’d remain true to my roots, blah blah blah.
I was happy to lose that bet. 
*Not the Sierra Nevada bet.
It was being brewed in Canada as recently as 2002, but you’re right – it appears to be off the market now 
That shows you how old my beer-drinking advice is 
Other excellent beers of the same style are the aforementioned Mackeson’s XXX Stout and the revived Samuel Adams Cream Stout.
It is being marketed as a premium product in the US, yes. The comparison to Coors is apt, stylistically.
Mexican beer is mostly crap that all tastes the same, but I will second that Negra Modelo is special. Second place is Dos Equis Amber. Both are heads above their siblings, Modelo Especial and Dos Equis Lager.
I love this stuff but haven’t seen it for a dog’s age (in and around NYC). I suspect they don’t import it anymore…
Which would be truly sad. I can’t search for it from work, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they stopped. They did that with the best ale ever brewed: Bishop’s Finger Kentish Ale. Can’t get it in the colonies any more.
Try the Sam Adams Cream Stout. It’s a very good representation of the style.
What? :eek:
Shepherd Neame has an ale-selling website – can you actually buy alcohol online? I know people bought/used to buy absinthe online.
Something about “importing alcohol with a license” and “shipping costs from the UK” make this idea a non-starter.
I’ll second (third?) what was said about going to a bar and trying different types. Just tell the bartender that it’s wide open, that you want something that doesn’t cost too much, isn’t too rough and won’t put your mouth in gear. Everything else is open to experimentation.
I got luck a while back and found a convenience store that sold craft beers by the single (I drink a few beers a year or less, and a six pack is wasted on me.) There probably is a store like that in your town.
Second page, and no one has linked to a Periodic Table of Beer?
Locate something you like, and branch out from there. One of the pros will have to explain the numbers in the cells.
One other thing you can do is get a beer diary app for your smartphone, just so you can remember what you like and why and then if you go to a bar you can always say “I really liked Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, do you have anything like that?” It’s kind of geeky, but it can help, especially if you do the suggestion of just going to bars and trying things out to see what you like.
OK, I’m singling you out because you mentioned Rogue and seem knowledgeable. I absolutely love Rogue Dead Guy Ale. I’ve read the specs of what type of hops, malts, etc… are used in it. However, there is a taste to it that I can’t quite put my finger on, it’s not present in other beers. The only way I can describe it is that I took one whiff and one sip and declared that it reminded me of college.
What is that? Is there something special I’m missing? Are they mixing in a small amount of bong water?
I’ll recommend this, too.
If you happen to have a Flying Saucer nearby or other like-minded establishment, they’ll also have beer “flights” which are small-ish samples of different beers. At the Saucer, they tend to be 5 beers sharing a common theme (Texas beers, German, IPAs, etc), along with a small description of the beer.
And as long as it’s not too busy, the bartenders and staff at the various Saucers are very good about talking to people about beers, especially local craft brews and stuff you might like based on what you’ve already tried. It helps that they tend to have 50+ different beers on tap and are willing to give small samples to see what you like.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Dead Guy definitely tastes different than the run-of-the-mash Rogue brew, that’s for sure.
Despite the moniker “ale”, Dead Guy is the only bock in Rogue’s catalog. And a Maibock at that – a little less malt/more hops than other bock styles. So subtle grassy (heh) notes – or “bong water” – isn’t way off the mark.
Last night I had Heavy Seas. I tried the Loose Cannon ale and the Winter Storm Ale. Both were pretty good. The Gold Ale might as well have been Coors.
I tried two new-to-me beers recently: on Saturday night I tried Anchor Steam (liked it, and it might be one of the prettiest beers I’ve ever had, but it’s pricey!), and last night I finally tried Fat Tire (also liked it, but I think I prefer Stella).
This thread helped me realize that I’d gotten into a rut with my beer drinking…now when I’m out I want to try new stuff.
Anchor Steam deserves to be much more popular than it is (and it is popular). Excellent beer, and you are right - it is a pretty color.