Hello, everyone. I've never been a drinker; have, in fact, been a teetotaller, for most of my life. While I don't feel particularly deprived by this, I do like knowing things, and I've decided I want to understand beer. So, at 42-years-old, I ordered my first beer, recently, drinking more than the odd sip for the first time in my life. I look forward to learning more, and thank you all for having me.
The 'bar' is always open around here, so join in and have fun. There are plenty of features around here to provide a great learning experience. On the main menu if you click Beers and then Beer Styles you'll find an organized list of style names and taste descriptions. As a beginner, if you're looking for suggestions on what style or specific beer to try, a search of the Beer Talk forum that asks for threads that use 'newbie' in the title can be a starting point. Here's a link to a search that I did: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/142922962/?q=newbie&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=39 Explore the place to find all of the features. Have fun.
BTW, after reviewing the Terms of Service there appears to be no clause requiring anyone to actually drink any beer. So no worries there. Indeed, there are known members of BA, who drink beer very infrequently, and others who only drink Non-alcoholic beer. Point being, as @PapaGoose03 has mentioned, “The ‘bar’ is always open,” and there is no need to enjoy or even to drink a beer. Welcome to the community and enjoy the experience. Oh, and if you enjoy the experience enough, but wish to skip the advertisements, then you might want to consider a society membership. See the following for details. https://www.beeradvocate.com/society/
Welcome! If you haven’t found it already this link will take you to the Beer Styles page. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/styles/ It lists all the styles recognized by BA, click on any style to read its description and a basic introduction. I hope you enjoy your time here. Cheers!
I appreciate the reassurance. I doubt I'll ever be the “any beer is better than no beer” type, but you can't really cook without tasting, as it were. I look forward to the hands-on research, as much as the rest.
Welcome to BA! Your life is about to change in ways you can't imagine. Be sure to check in at the VB (the Virtual Bar), a.k.a. "What beer are you drinking now?" in the Beer Talk forum. There's a new thread every day. You'll see the same characters there most every day. (Pretty sure more than a few of them never leave.) Grab a beer, post a pic, and join the conversation. You'll learn a lot in the process. Cheers!
