Teach me how to be a wine or beer connoisseur

What makes a good wine or beer?

The most basic answer would be “one that delivers the taste and aroma that you like”. Not everybody likes the same thing so try different things and see what appeals to you. With wine - is it red or white, dry or sweet, fruit driven, etc.

For me I like beers with taste and the Millers, Buds, etc. are just crap. You need to be more specific in trying to define either beer or wine since there are such an incredible range.

For many people, price defines the best and you can go down that road. I don’t have unlimited funds so I tend to try to stay with wines between $8 and $30 per bottle and I expect good fruit and balance along with a strong finish.

What you can try is consult any of the trade magazines such as Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate or Steve Tanzer for professional recommendations and try to find someone that matches your taste profile and follow that persons recommendations.

Check out Michael Jackson AKA “The Beer Hunter”

I’ve never met a wine that I liked so I can’t help you with that, but for beer -

  1. Look for a local micro brewery, especially one with a bar. Often times the bartender will have a very detailed knowledge of the 3 or 4 that are currently on tap. Talk to them. If you think Guinness tastes burned, say that. If you like Guinness, but it’s too strong, say that.
  2. No local brewery? Some liquor stores have sample packs - 6 different beers in a 6-pack.
    C) Drink slowly from a wide glass and chill properly. All three help you appreciate the aroma as well as the flavor.
  3. Come on out to the Great American Beer Fest in Denver!

You want to learn about the major styles - if you know you like Heffweizen but can’t stand Pale Ale, well… that says a lot about you.

Try homebrewing. The people at the homebrew shops know a lot about various styles and etc. as well.
I could go on for hours about this, but you’ll never hear me bashing American beer - anyone that does has never had real American Beer. 1400+ breweries and the entire world judges us on Bud/Miller/Coors :rolleyes:

You can keep you wine and keep your tea!
My curse on him that brings me coffee!
I’ll drink porter, if I may.
It makes me feel content and happy.
Porter quaffed down with a laugh.
The gentry have their aching livers.
Water is all right in tea,
For fish, and things that swim in rivers.

Got a couple of years?

If you listen to the wine and beer snobs (like me), they will go on and on and on about flavor profiles, terroir, malolactic fermentation, 2-row vs 6-row barley, hopping levels, ad nauseum. But in truth, good beer/wine is the one you like. All we relly ask is that you open yourself up to new tastes and try a variety of potables before you settle for Bud Light.

If you have any specific questions, we will be more than happy to answer them.

Some very cool bars near you may specialize in having several beers on tap, and a few I’ve known allow you to join a beer club where you get a checklist kept on file behind the bar, and every time you come in, you can order a new and different beer and get it checked off the list. 100 beers later (a process that could take days or years, depending on how often you drink), they give you a T-shirt and put your picture on the wall. Anyway, a place like that would enable you to try lots of new and interesting beers as well as most of the “classics,” without having to buy a six-pack of everything to see if you like it or not. I recommend taking notes as you go, to remember the ones you enjoyed.

i am a wine drinker. i may, or may not be considered a connoisseur. i try wines that are recommended to me, or just strike my fancy. if i like it, i will buy more. if i do not like it i won’t buy it again.

IO live in Mich which means I have readt access to Canadian beers. They have a variety and have an alcoholic content of up to 6 1/2%. Molsons,Labatts,Bradors etc.

I remember the Canadian beer, Sleemans, really did like them. I do like Stella Artois and Heineken.
I hear so many opinions on what is the best. People On this board prefer Guinness over Heinekens but my roommates prefer Stella Artois and Heineken.
Wish countries produce beer that is considered the best?

No.

That is, there is no “best”. I don’t like German beer and I think their purity laws stifle creativity, while some people think the Belgian stuff isn’t true beer. I use Guinness as an example, but outside of Ireland I don’t drink the stuff. If you aren’t into the darker brews, try a hefeweizen or an amber. Maybe an IPA, just to see if you like it a little more bitter. Michelob Amber Bock is one of my favorite mass produced, but it doesn’t taste like an amber nor a bock. If you can get Blue Moon, give it a try (but don’t let them put a slice of fruit in it!), try new things! .

Like wine, everyone has a different opinion on the best beer, you gotta shop around.
Me, I think a pilsner is a pilsner - Bud, Molson, Fosters, blech. But pilsners from different countries have different styles, so shop around.

Try German, Belgian, British Isles (Smithwicks baby!), African. Try the different styles; try them with different foods (not just wings and pizza). Take a minute to look at the beer, smell the beer, savor the beer, just don’t chug the beer (at first).

I’d recommend going down to your local microbrewery or else a nice multitap bar (if one exists). Smaller samples of beer can usually be gotten there, either for free (it’s better to pour out 2 oz. than have a pint returned) or else a nominal price, almost always less than a dollar a sample.

Beer Festivals, which are almost always held in the summer, are a much quicker way to sample a lot more beers at once…just be sure to note what you like and what you don’t, and let us know and we can match you up with similar beers!