Looking to try something new

Your question is not ridiculous at all. Many newbies come here to ask for suggestions, and there are many threads that were created. Only your tastes can define what you'll like, but if you let us know what specific beers or styles that you've had and likes, we can suggest specific beers. It will be helpful if you go into your personal data and let us know what state you live in so that some local beers can also suggested.

Since there are many newbies who have asked the same 'help' question, there are a collection of threads on the topic. Here's a link to a search that asked for 'newbie' in the thread titles:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/118230297/?q=newbie&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=39

Happy reading.

 

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Hofbrau Original

 

I second Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. If you like Sam Adams, then you probably have a taste for hops. The next logical step would be really any American Pale Ale, and Sierra Nevada is a very easy one to find. Also easy to find are Kona Fire Rock, Dale's Pale Ale by Oskar Blues, and 312 Urban Pale Ale by Goose Island. These are beers that are most likely available at most retailers that sell beer around you.

What you should really do, however, is go to the closest craft brewery with a tap room and get a flight of whatever they've got. That's the best way to really try new things.

 

I don’t see what state your from, but as mentioned Sierra Nevada PA is a great beer, it’s consistent, and it’s available everywhere beer is sold as far as I know. It’s cost effective as well.

 

I'm with @Mr3dPHD, in this day and age you're probably best off finding a near by brewery that's well regarded and makes a wide variety of styles and try a flight of different styles to get your bearing.
Also it would help to know your location so folks could reccomend regional breweries that package stuff.
In general, in addition to sierra Nevada (pale ale, sierraveza, summerfest when it shows up next month), I'd add Bell's and founders as other options that are reasonably priced and should be available near you

 

Welcome! You are in for an adventure! Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Deschutes, and Founder’s are all widely distributed and all have a variety of excellent beers at a reasonable price. Cheers!

 

Best advice for someone new to "craft" beer: check bottles/cans for dates before you buy. You don't want to base your opinion of a brewery or style that is new to you off of a beer that is well past is prime. Also, pour your beer into a glass, if you're not already doing so.

Wish someone had told me both of those things right when I started drinking beer... It was several years before I learned those lessons.

 

Back in the day when i was in a new city i would google the name of the city and the words “beer advocate” and a list of the best bars/restaurants, bottle shops, and breweries popped up. I don’t see that now, but when I googled my hometown a bunch of threads popped up. Give it a try with your area.

 

Go to the import section at whatever place you shop at. Try anything that looks good. Forget about American beer for now they are lost.

 

The best advice anyone can give you is to find a local bottle shop. A bottle shop isn’t a liquor store, not that there’s anything wrong with liquor stores, its a store that just carries craft beer (and often wine and/or cider) and sometimes they have taps. Talk to whoever is working there and ask them what they’ve been enjoying lately. Go back often and explore.

 

To progress from Bud Light, try a true Erupean pilsner like Pilsner Urquell. Most beer stores in the US will carry this. If you want to try the IPA craze, start with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or their Torpedo. All of those are relatively cheap for craft beer and easy to find. Have you ever had Guinness or other stouts before?

 

When I was getting into craft beers 4-5 years ago, I'd typically buy mixed 12 packs from some of the more well known, widely available breweries-especially mix packs that had different beer styles. It was a relatively inexpensive way to get exposure to a lot of the different types of brews available and figure out what you like/don't like.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

 

While I completely understand and mostly agree with what you're saying, and I would definitely advise him to avoid the haze craze, milkshake IPAs, pastry stouts, glitter beer, beer brewed with candy, cupcakes, unicorn tears, etc, I would still have to recommend he check out Bells, GLBC, SN, Deschutes, Founders, Anchor, and the like.

I'd also warn him that it's even more important to check the dates on imports and imports often use the less intuitive methods of dating do be prepared to Google how to interpret their codes.

 

The previously mentioned idea about buying pick-your-own-mix 6 and 12-paks is a very good idea. If you don't like something, it's only one bottle.

Keep an eye out for beer fests in your area. Yes, they can be a touch pricey, but you get to try gobs of different beers and styles. If you're going to try as many beers as possible at a fest, ask the server for only a half-pour. You'll be able to last much longer. If you like it, they'll be happy to pour you some more. And don't be afraid to dump a beer you don't like - look for the buckets on the floor.

Finally, look into brewery tours in your area. It's almost guaranteed that they'll serve some complimentary beer, before and/or during and/or after the tour. Read the description of the tour to see if the tour-fee-to-complimentary-beer ratio is worth it. The tours that give you unlimited beer for an hour or two can be well worth the money.

 

We still don't get Deschutes in Florida. =(

 

PU is a great beer, but now you have to explain to him how to figure out how old it is. If it’s 4 months it’s a buy, older which is more likely not a buy. Gotta be able to check dates to be fair.

 

Good suggestions so far, I would say add your state location to your profile. Which would help with other suggestions. My advise, try to find a local brewery that does happy hour. I know some states can't do that, but most do (I think). Any place that does $3 pints (I visit several places in Houston that do that, so its still out there) is a good way to try other things and explore places in your area on the cheep.

 

Sam Adams is a well ignored, but perfectly delicious beer. Few comparable beers available widely that compete with it. Not sure what to recommend, as you haven't said much else.

 

+1

First off, welcome to BA

You didn't say where you are so some of the suggestions might not apply.

Don't worry about imports for now. With rare exceptions there will be freshness issues and you don't need to look overseas to find good examples of European styles.

Don't worry about IPA's, NEIPA's dark ales, goses, sours, et Al for now. Concentrate on regular pale ales and lagers until you decide on your preferred flavor profiles.

Since you enjoy Boston Lager you should start with the pale ales and other lagers.

Sierra Nevada, Founder's, and Great Lakes are widely distributed, reasonably priced, and very good. I'll throw Anchor in also if you can find it fresh. If you're in the Northeast you can't go wrong with anything from Jack's Abby.

Once you've tasted a variety of beers, and settled on which styles hit your sweet spot, start exploring variations on those themes.

Visit the New Beer Sunday & What Beer Are You Drinking Now threads. These are the primary threads for just chatting about beers and the folks there will be happy to answer questions about the beer they posted.

Finally, the regional forums are a great resource. Find the one for where you are and ask about breweries in your area. As mentioned before, the best way to find out which styles you like is to find a good local brewery, with a variety of styles, and sample what they have to offer.

Finally, finally.
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Some people on BA can be jerks (You're an idiot if you don't know the difference between a pilsner and a helles! Anyone who likes Bud is a moron!), but they are a small minority; just ignore them.