budding beer enthusiast seeks to expand tastes.

You should do a run of styles by country. Go to a bottle shop and pick up some beers from Belgium, the UK, Germany and different styles of craft brews from the US. That's how I expanded my palate anyway.

 

Founders Porter, the whole Sierra Nevada lineup basically. There are tons of good brews in your area. Take a peek at what is available there:

http://www.seekabrew.com/distro/index.html

Look into what interests you, try new stuff and have fun.

 

^Founders Porter and Founders everything else.

 

I second that.

Especially being in the full swing of the great American hop craze ... not to mention the full-on American imperial stout craze. We're doing some fun, cool things with the classic styles, but the classic styles are still awesome in their own right.

 

Boulevard's smokestack series (all of them) are awesome and go across a wide variety of styles. Also, just about anything from Unibrou is delicious, along with alot of stuff from Great Divide.

Ps. i have no idea what of those is available around you

 

Great Lakes Brewing Company Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. IMO, all of Great Lakes beers are good if not great examples of their respective styles.

 

Just find a place that sells single 12oz bottles and just get one of a bunch of stuff. When you run out of beer go back and repeat again, but with different beers. Keep doing this until you have tried almost all they have to offer. If you get a few of style A and dont like them then dont buy those anymore. If you like style b then get more of those.

Yummy!

 

Also to add to that. Always retest your palate. 5 years ago i didn't like Ipas, but love them now. I used to not like imperials, but I love them now. currently not a big fan of Belgium, but will try them periodically to see if things change.

 

I started working my way with many of my local options and began to expand to others distributed in my region (Great Lakes). I have just begun to dabble with trades.

 

if you're already trying porters... the next step is stouts!
southern tier choklat, speedway stout, founders breakfast stout...
could also try some barleywines.... or a scotch ale.

 

Do you live in or near Richmond? If so, visit Corks and Kegs or Once Upon A Vine, ask for help w/ beer selection, describe what you like or don't like, and wait for suggestions. The world of beer is large.

One idea, as suggested above, is to try everything by Sierra Nevada and Founders. This will give you a range of experiences from two good brewers. Try some Belgian style beers, too.

 

Founders Porter is the best thing I've ever had that called itself a porter, but I have a hard time believing it isn't really a stout. Anchor porter is my go to.

One thing I wish I'd done earlier is find good session beers. Try some English Bitters. Left Hand and Goose Island both distribute in VA--look up Sawtooth and Honkers.

 

both excellent pieces of advice. nothing substitutes for experience. plus, it's a fun road to travel.

 

I'd agree with the guys above, I'd try each of the Sierra Nevada beers, along with Great Lakes if it is in your area. Those are the two breweries that have gotten me into good beer. Also, Samuel Smith is a good foreign beer that isn't too expensive and should be everywhere. I'd suggest anything by them also.

 

Don't make the mistake so many beer enthusiasts due and turn your back on lagers in the early stages. Sick of yellow, fizzy lagers many beer geeks run away from lagers, especially once they start tasting IPA's and the such. But make no mistake, there are many awesome, well made, craft lagers. Grab a six pack of Brooklyn Lager. It's widely available and is classified here as an Amber Lager. It's awesome.

Also, grab some Anchor Steam. Excellent stuff.

 

Don't forget the Black IPA style. An overlooked style IMHO. Have fun and cheers!

 

For those new to craft, I always suggest going into the pool one step at a time. Some people think jumping off the deep end and getting into the more complex styles right away, and for many people that might be fine (I was grabbing anything and everything off the shelf back in the day and I liked them all).

But if you'd like to develop your taste for beer, the less complex styles are great to start with. Pale Ales like you've done, Hefeweizens (which are a major blast during the summer months), Porters and Pilsners (real ones) are all great places to start.

That said, try everything out. If you try one early on in your exploration and don't like it, give the style a rest for a year or so while you continue to explore what you like, and there's a good chance you'll dig that style as your appreciation for beer evolves.

Bottom line: have fun, don't take any shit from beer snobs, and drink what you like

 

Gotta agree- however keep an eye on the bottling dates of the beers in the mix-a-six section. Some bottle shops use that as a way to get rid of beers nearing their freshness date