Beer suggestions

Just stick with Pararie's lineup and you'll be fine!

1) Check out beer of fame list on BA.

2) Go to seekabrew.com and see what breweries distibute in Oklahoma from the beer of fame list

3) Find a craft bottle shop near you and see what's in your area.

4) take your short-list after 1&2 are done and ask the store owner what they carry.

5) Take beer home and enjoy!

 

I'm not familiar with Oklahoma local beers - what styles do you find you enjoy the most right now?

 

That strikes me as pretty advanced for a beginner

 

Agreed. The fame list is the way to go:http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/fame/ The beers on it are great, and most are easy to come by.

 

I find it easiest to explore a particular style and then move on as your tastes develop. Take for instance Hefeweizens: Start with the highly-rated ones (i.e. Weihenstephaner), then compare it to other, local options.

 

Any style preferences? You can look up beer styles and a ranking by style that is helpful in looking for "recommended" beers. Cheers!

 

If you like wits you'll like hefes too. Weihenstephaner Hefe is more or less the bench mark of the style, and it is widely distributed in the states:http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/252/731/

 

The suggestion that I usually give is to start with a style or brewery and then expand. The other thing I like to do (being relatively new to craft beer as well) is keep up with the "What beer are you drinking right now?" threads on this site. Gives a good insight into what other craft beer drinkers are trying and many will give brief tasting notes. If I see rave reviews about a certain beer, its about time I tried it!

 

Personally...I wouldn't worry about beers that are on a list...you are unique...become familiar with the different styles then drink fearlessly and objectively...don't be afraid to give a beer a second, third, fourth chance because your palate will mature with time and experience...and have fun...it's beer-- a liquid that transcends what is captured in the bottle or can to good times, camaraderie, and generosity

 

Keeping it simple to ease your way into things here are a couple for each style I find to be tasty and reasonably priced/readily available.

Saisons - Ommegang Hennepin, Goose Island's Sofie and Boulevard Tank 7

Stouts - Left Hand Milk Stout, Ten Fidy, Samuel Smith Stouts(Imperial, Oatmeal and my personal favorite Organic Chocolate)

I'm personally not a big Porter fan so I will leave those recommendations to others.

I 2nd the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier recommendation if you like wheat beers. It's top of the line, great price and easy to find most everywhere.

I would also recommend a few Belgian styles that may be accessible and well priced like North Coast Pranqster Belgian Golden Ale, Ommegang Witte and Goose Island's Matilda

 

^Second the left hand milk stout and their nitro version as well. Also Black mesa red badger stout if you haven't tried already. You may also like anchor porter.

In regards to other styles, in oklahoma...well....im drawing blanks. If your looking to trade then defintely look for Allagash white and black and their saison. Its an amazing brewery. I guess you could say the prairie of the northeast except more belgian oriented.

Oh, and Tallgrass Halycon wheat would probably be up your alley.

 

This. I didn't think I was a fan of porters until this one passed my lips. Can anyone tell me how Bell's Porter compares? I'm a huge fan of Bell's but I've never bought this one since I'm not the biggest fan of porters (but I know that when they're good, they're damn good).

 

Porters are still hit and miss me, but anchor is certainly one of the few I enjoy. Can't say anything for bells as Ive never had a beer from that brewery unfortunately.

For the OP, also try founders porter, I believe OK has that now.

 

Founders Porter is supposed to be pretty good! I have had it but again I'm not a fan of the style...yet. So my opinion I would take with a grain of salt. You could still tell it was quality just not my jam.

 

Not really at least for myself Belgian Quads/Tripels, and Imperial Stouts were my favorite styles when I first got into the whole Beer Advocate thing 4 years ago. Double IPAs, sours and the really big Barleywines/Old Ales etc are the ones that take more practice IMO.

 

IPA. You're welcome.

 

I haven't had Anchor Porter in years so I can't honestly make a comparison with Bell's to that. However, I think it is fair to compare Bell's Porter to Summit Great Northern Porter. Both are moderate ABV working man's porters. Bell's is maybe a little more chocolaty and roasty, Summit has a title more burnt malt character. Both have a lighter mouthfeel than the average American Porter. Hope that helps.

 

Not sure if you can get it in your area, but it' available year round and not too pricey.