New to craft beer

One of the first craft beers that really blew my mind was Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, I would explain it as a Hazelnut flavored Newcastle to somebody not familiar with craft beer.

Give Firestone Walker Pale 31 a try. It has the nice flavors of hops without the deep bitterness that many Sierra Nevada hoppy beers have.

I'd also recommend heading to a local brewery, in Denver you have many great ones to choose from, and trying the different beers they make there.

 

This. You have great breweries and distro in Denver, so I'd recommend trying different flights at different breweries to really start figuring out what you like. I'd also establish some favorite breweries and follow them on Facebook so you're aware of upcoming special releases. Checking out the Colorado Brewer's Guild would be a good idea as well.

 

I know this is probably pretty general, but you can use the following website to see what is distributed in your area:

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

A good place to start would be checking the stouts & porters section of this website
American Stout: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/158/
American Porter: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/159/

Russian Imperial Stout: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/84/
Baltic Porter: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/80/
English Porter: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/101/

I'd also recommend staying with American Pale Ales. Some of them will have those nice flavors from the Sierra Nevada, without so much bitterness: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/97/
-one of my personal favorites is Deschutes Mirror Pond Ale


Theres so much to try, and you should drink what you like (not just what other people say is good). Look for some local breweries you can head to and have some tasters too. Have fun on the journey

 

Welcome. If you'd like to get into stouts and porters, I'd recommend starting with either Anchor Porter or Founders Porter. There may be better examples of the style, but these two beers are the perfect entry points into dark beer. From there, give Left Hand Milk Stout a try. You will read varying opinions for and against nitro (personally, I enjoy it), but you can't go wrong with either version.

tjensen is correct. Colorado is an absolute leader for craft beer. Once you feel ready to tackle the bigger stouts, you'll appreciate knowing that two exemplars come from your state--Great Divide Yeti and Oskar Blues Ten FIDY.

 

Oh, and Left Hand Black Jack Porter is a fine offering of you'd like to try one more local.

 

Variety packs are a great way to start. I slowly got into it a few years back with stuff you can easily find in supermarkets. Sam adams variety/magic hat variety packs are good examples. I found my favorite flavor profiles and just expanded in those styles. Now im a fiend for IPA's and pales. My suggestion would be to just try everything you can.

 

If you can find a great place that has a good selection of rotating taps I'd hit that up. I've tried a lot of beers and styles doing that. It's also cheaper.

 

Buy a four-pack of Bitburger (or a good German or Czech pilsener -- Pilsner Urquel will work), drink one each night for four straight nights and see how you adjust to that level of bitterness. If you get a 6-pack, drink one at time for 4-5 nights in a row. Don't drink more than one a night. Take your time with it and figure out what you're tasting, if you like/hate it and why.

If you like that bitter bite by day 4-5, you're set. And you'll soon have NO trouble handing Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and other bitter American pale ales, IPAs and such.

If you don't like it by day 4-5, no worries ... you might need more time to handle the bitter. But my point: your palate will adjust to that bitterness if you keep trying it with an open mind and doing what you're already going -- focus on the flavor and the parts you DO like. Good for you that you could tell you like the flavor of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It's super yummy. But, yes, it IS very bitter compared to Miller Lite, Bud Light and such. Just know that the bitter there isn't something off ... THAT is what hops really taste like, and you'll find that bitter is tasty, too. Takes some time to get used to it.

As for stout/porters, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout is as easy as any I can think of to drink. Tastes like coffee, dark chocolate and is plenty sweet without too much alcohol content. Left Hand Milk Stout is good. Yeti is good.

Good luck and don't be afraid to try everything. Just take your time and enjoy the ride ...

 

Try a few German Hefe-Weizens like Weihenstephaner or Franziskaner, Pilsner Urquell or another nice Czech Pils. Great Divide and Left Hand offer quite an array of very well done styles- the Left hand Milk Stout would be a great entry for you. Try the Sam Smith English Ales and give their cider a try. Once you move through a bunch of these that folks have nicely recommended, try an Aventinus from Schneider (German). I'm fairly certain you'll like it. Beer is like reading; there's more to discover than one has time.

 

Before you go and buy all the stuff that people recommend that you should try and spend a lot of money, go to a local brewery like @douginromeo said. Try the different flights (usually several different beers in small amounts) and see what styles that you like and are ready to enjoy. Typically, over the first 2-3 years, your style preferences will change alot and then back again. Having the local breweries that you have there will give you great options and various styles to try. Everyone had a particular beer that got them into craft beer, but it's usually different for everyone. The best way is to be able to try smaller amounts of an entire brewery line up and go from there. Buying random six packs that people online suggest will deplete your bank account and not promise any satisfactory results. Once you find a few styles that you enjoy, go somewhere to a bottle shop or liquor store that sells singles and then try different beers that fit into the same styles that you enjoy. Just my opinion, but that's my advice for whatever it's worth.

 

In downtown Denver is Flying Rock Tap House- over 100 taps of craft beer, you could order some sample pours of many different beers and then call a cab to take you home.

 

Go to both the summer beer fest 7/25 & 26 and the GABF 10/2-4 both in Denver. That will get you a ton of pours at a great price. After those then start grabbing singles and 4-6 packs. You'll know what you like from there.

Plus go to your local beer store and make friends with the manager. Ask him/her straight up for ideas. Most of the time they will love to give you advice. I still ask their opinion even though I've been into craft beer for over a decade. People love to help.

 

Try youngs double chocolate.

 

For stouts, try Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout (English, really good), Sierra Nevada Stout and Porter are great as well, Deschutes has a stout and porter, both excellent. Once your palate becomes accustomed to stouts dive into some Russian Imperial stouts, the big boys, Old Rasputin, Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (that's a heavy hitter) and don't be scared to try new stuff. Cheers!

 

Go pick up a Mississippi Mud. They're good for beginners (it opened me up to new and better beers), plus they're CHEAP. Muds aren't the greatest thing on planet earth, but they're a great stepping stone from BMC. Blue Moon also did that for me, but you've already checked that one off. Cheers!

 

There's some good advice in this thread. Someone suggested "Flying Rock," which is actually Falling Rock Tap House right across the street from Coors Field and has a phenomenal tap list. Grab flights (a selection of small pours of various styles) from a local brewery or brewpub and find liquor stores with a nice mix-your-own selection.

The internet is a wonderful resource to learn, but if you prefer getting you knowledge in paper form, I'd recommend picking up Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer, which will give you all the information you want to know for a very long time.

Mostly though, just experiment. Try everything. Some of it you'll like, some you won't. You said SNPA was too hoppy for you, but I've known a lot of people who have thought that and then become major hopheads. Don't worry about a beer's rating on here, just try and try and try. In the real world nobody cares about BA ratings, and neither should you. If you like it, you like it. Still, this site can be a great resource to find similar things to what you like.

Just remember, have fun with it. Don't be afraid to try everything and don't be afraid to ask questions on here, at beer bars/breweries, or at liquor stores. A handful of beer people can be snobbish, but overall this is a community where the overwhelming majority of us really want to bring more people in and be helpful.

Welcome aboard.

 

Denver lucky man, buy this book
Tasting beer by Randy Mosher, it will get you started on terms. Or just do it like most of us did, drink allot of different beers.
You will figure it out, its just beer.
read the beer 101 here...

sorry I didnot read anyone else posts on this one. so sorry If I duplicated anyone.

 

Hello craft beer, goodbye disposable income.