New to Microbrews-where to start?

I would suggest starting at a store that offers mix-and-match 6-packs or individual bottles for sale. That is a terrific way to build your palette without paying for 5+ beers you may not enjoy. And remember to try multiple examples of a particular style as there can be a wide range between breweries.

As far as 'must trys', I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions, but it really comes down to branching out on your own and finding what YOU really like.

Welcome to the club. The rewards are rich.

 

Take a look at the top beers list on here (Top 250). That's probably the best place to start. Everyone's tastes are different, so I would recommend picking up singles of beers to see what you like and dislike and go from there to see which styles you prefer or really like. Even the top beers on a list or from people's recommendations may not be for you. You will only find out when you try them.

Welcome aboard to the addiction.

 

it's probably best to wait a while before you try saga, lest you ruin the chances for any competition.

 

These are all heavily flavored on one way or another, because I like lots of beer in my beer, so it might not be the best "intro" to craft, but if you love beer, sooner or later you'll drink these

Surly: Abrasive, Coffee Bender, Furious, Misanthriope (taproom only), Pentagram, Wet, Cacao Bender
Indeed: Day tripper, Hot Box, Stir Crazy, Let it Ride, Rum King
Summit: Saga, Frost Line Rye, Horizion Red IPA, all the Union series
Schells: all the Stag series
Belgians: Cuvee Renee, Rodenbach grand cru and Rodenbach Vintage 20xx, anything by Hanssens, St Bernardus 12, Trappist Rochefort 10 (8 and 12 too, but 10 is my fav), De Molen Hel & Verdomenis, Petrus Pale Ale, Boon Marrige Parfait Guezue and Kriek, St Frullien Saison, Dupont Saison and cuvee dry hopping, anything by De Cam
Oskar Blues: 10 fidy, Deviant Dales
Goose Island: Bourbon county anything
Southern Tier: Oaked Unearthly, Yeti, Oaked Yeti, Espresso Oaked Yeti (the best of the series), Oatmeal Yeti, Rumble Oaked IPA
Founder's: Centennial IPA, Imperial stout, KBS, bombers
Town Hall: Masala Mama, anything barrel aged from them, and most of their beers in general are above average
Samuel Smiths Imperial stout
La Fin Du Monde (forget the brewery name)
Steele toe anything (especially size 7)
Tall Grass: Oasis, Ethos
Dark Horse: IPA, Plead the Fifth stout
Stone: Ruination, Sublimely self righteous, oaked arrogant bastard
Bells: Blacknote, hop slam, Oracle (a whale, but can be found at at beer fests and such- Batch 9000 and Bourbon Barrel Batch 9000. BB9k was a palatte wrecker for me.)
New Holland: Blue Sunday
Brooklyn: Sorachi Ace
Sam Adams: Rebel IPA
New Belgium: Ranger IPA, Fat tire, French Armatis IPA, Le Terroir, La Folie
21st Ammendment: Hop Crisis, Oyster stout
Bent Paddle: Black ale, IPA
Central Waters: Bourbon barrel stout, Peruvian Morning (when its not infected) Bourbon barrel barleywine
Lion Stout
Full Sail: Barley wine

Wisconsin beers:
New Glarus: any Thumbprint series 4 packs or Bombers
Alesmith: Speedway stout
Anderson valley brewing: Boont Amber ale, IPA
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
3 Fontien: Guezue, Kriek
(The Bruery is overrated IMO, but lots of people love them...maybe you will be one of them, so I feel obligated to mention them)

Have to trade for/hit up tastings/friends:
Russian river ...ation series (especially concecration and supplication) Pliny, blind pig, Alchemist Heady Topper, Cigar City Oaked Jai Ali, La Cumbre Elevated IPA, Jack's Abbey Hoponius Union, Smoke and Dagger

Go wander around these stores:
Four Firkins
Zipps
Uptown MGM
Byerley's off 100 and 36th
Liquor barrel


Thats just a short list of the notable beers I think everyone should try in the (mostly) MN distro

(reading over that list makes me very thirsty. does that mean something...?)

 

Where are you located? If you have local breweries at your disposal go to them, and order a sample flight. Talk with the bartenders, and maybe even the brewer. Learn. It truly is a fun journey.

 

I'd say don't bother with the top 250. I know way too many people that are relatively new to craft that even though they haven't had a vast majority of the great to world class options available locally they are chasing all the Heady Topper's of the world. Walk before you run

 

The Beers of Fame list is a much better starting point than the Top 250. Or at least it used to be - "hads" are quickly making the two lists exactly the same.

 

I'm not recommending he start trading for this and chasing that. There are numerous beers on that list that are available year round locally.

That's the list I meant. The beers that have stood the test of time. Or just pick ones off of the top 250 with a thousand or more reviews.

 

dave's brewfarm

 

I personally like to call my local bar (The Lockview in Akron, OH) when the mood for a good craft beer is on my mind, Arrogant Bastard is on tap and they fill your personal growler for a decent price. Also if you don't have a growler, they have 2 sizes available for the discerning beer enthusiast.

 

First Question: Where (ish) do you live?

That will impact what is available in stores, but will also determine if we say to try going to taprooms or particular bars and say to order flights of beer - that way you can try a number of different things and figure out what sort of beer *you* like. At which point, it'll also be easier to provide some direction.

I'm a big fan of flights, or going out with friends and trying a bit of what they've ordered, too.

Your tastes will also likely change even over the course of a couple of years.

 

radical changes to my pallet have occurred over the past 13 years of drinking. st paul brewed grain belt was the first beer I liked and that led me to prefer old man style lagers. Grain Belt was my beer of choice, but PBR, old style, hauie, leinie's original, iron city, etc were all suitable substitutions. I gradually worked through pilsners, marzens until I tried sprecher black Bavarian and discovered dark beers, but hops were still the enemy in my mind. I don't know if it was harpoon ipa or sweetwater ipa that converted me to a hophead, but I got both those in trades and it didn't take long before finding stone ruination in a store was the highlight of my life and you couldn't get me to take a glass of RIS. somewhere in there I bought a four pack of NG sour brown, which I loved and everyone else I know hated it. now I seem to gravitate toward seasonals and sours I guess I kind of came full circle going starting with schells style beers and ending up back at schells