Beer suggestion help

I would think something from Anchor, Sierra Nevada, or Lagunitas would be in your wheelhouse price wise. Quality beer, wide range of styles, readily available in CA, and most importantly, fresh. These babies will be in the $7-9 range, try a mix a six to get more bang for your buck in the $10-12 range. And use the brewery website for unbiased descriptions, and this site for opinions. Most importantly, enjoy the search!

 

Good one, but still probably too hoppy for the OP (but ya never know)- I'd also try Anchor's California Lager, which fits his description to a "t".

 

Just go to your local beer store (a good one... not Wal Mart) and get a couple of 6 pack samplers. Pick some beers from Beer Advocate ratings or just ask the beer guy/gal working there for suggestions. Then drink what you like and pour what you don't. Next trip you will know what kind of craft beer to focus on! Enjoy the road because you will be on it for awhile!

 

I'll have to try it again - I haven't had much of it but I don't remember it being that hoppy. Let's go with the California Lager then!

 

Heady Topper!

(I'm kidding, of course, but these threads devolve from "Hey, what's a good, sweet, dark beer?" to "What about Sierra Nevada stout" to "what about sierra nevada pale ale" to "what about heady topper" pretty quickly.)

 

I'm thinking Marzens, Doppelbocks, and Irish Reds/Ambers are your ticket. English Brown ales too.

 

smuttynose old dog brown

 

If you want something cheap try Bass. A bit more expensive than that but the Laguintas beers are worth the price

 

Great suggestions to use the style guidelines to see what might meet up with your tastes. You can also look at the written reviews of the various beers to see what people's comments are - not just the number ratings, but where people have actually written out a thoughtful review.

Cheap and craft often don't play well together as others have said. You can do all the research you want up front, but it comes down to sampling to find out where your tastes lie. Flights and brewery tasting rooms are a great way to try a bunch of beers without making a commitment. It's a trial and error process, which also doesn't pair up with being economical. Personally, I "fear no beer" and will try anything once, so while I have my favorites, I'll always try something new to expand the horizons of my taste buds. Tastes absolutely do evolve too - just because you don't like something initially doesn't mean you never will (I didn't get along with IPA's for quite some time until I found one that blew me away). Sours, on the other hand - I was immediately hooked and my wallet is still angry. So you never know - most everybody is a fan of IPAs so it seemed as thogh I'd liked them immediately and didn't. Most fans of sours say they had to grow into them and I was doomed at first sip.

And you know what? Nobody says you HAVE to like beer (as sinful as that seems to all of us here). Maybe at the end of the day, beer just ain't your thing and that's cool, too.

Sierra Nevada has a nice portfolio and even on the East coast they are a reasonably priced option. You could cover a lot of ground sampling their beers, I think.

 

Ya know, I really wanted to suggest this. I wasn't sure if the price point was what the OP was looking for. (The six pack price point, not the bomber.) You really can't go wrong with anything Lagunitas.

 

Sounds like you need to try a WHOLE LOT MORE BEER. Seriously. Just try stuff, and keep tabs on what you liked

 

Sweet, malty and a little on the light side sounds like a Munich Helles. A lot of Germal style lagers may meet your criteria. Weihenstephaner original is really good, and I am sure there are some good local examples in Cali.

 

find a bottle shop with a nice make your own 6 pack section and go to town. some great stuff being brewed all around the country

 

OP, if you can get past the cost issue, the world will open up to you to find your favorites.

When I see your description, I usually think Vienna Lagers. Sam Adams Boston Lager, Leinenkugel Red and Victoria are some easy finds and are relatively cheap

 

Well, I'm using the term 'hoppy' in more of an old-school way, but I've definitely run across people that think beers like that are too bitter for them. A few decades ago I even saw a beer writer describe Anchor Steam as 'an IPA brewed with lager yeast' (or something along those lines), so that's what was running through my mind there.