New drinker, looking to get some recommendations!

If you like Blue Moon
Try Allagash White

 

Why would you "really like to get into" something that you (so far) don't really like?

 

Definitely keep exploringe Belgian wit beers: Alagash, Weeping Willow, and Unibroue are some I like.

If you like those you might enjoy a belgian tripel: Unibroue makes one of the best (la fin du monde) and Westmalle is another great brewery.

Even though you may not enjoy the maltiness and the bitterness of say a guinness (yet), you might enjoy a good german dunkle (means dark) very different from stouts and porters.

You didn't express an opinion on hoppy beers but it something people tend to love or hate. Yet pallates change over time and hop forward beers are pretty diverse so I suggest exploring SN pale ale is a good suggestion as stated above for a baseline "do I like the hop thing?" test.

Why not take him at his word?

Flawed logic.

 

This great adventure called life. Trying new things.

 

You're right, I'm a buffoon.

 

If you don't mind blue moon may I ask you why not? What is it about blue moon that stands out above all other beer that you have tried? To my palate blue moon is malty and sweet in the finish, kind of thick. Lots of first time beer drinkers have tried a few macros and a few IPA's and are thinking "this is not what I thought it would be . Where's the regular beer?" I recommend wiehenstephaner. Try the original premium lager, try the dopplebock, the hefewiezen and try the pilsener. If you like any of these then try other styles. Belgians can taste funky so I would not start there. Realize though that for as many styles as there are you may not like all of them and for every style there is a variety of beer from a variety of brewers that will vary in flavors and in intensity. If it is citrus taste you like but not bitterness then perhaps some American Pale Ales

 

I would try an easy pale ale to start off with. I like mirror pond pale ale from Deschutes brewery. Its a good, simple pale ale that I think is down There. Since you like wheat, i would try the Lost Coast Great white. its a good beer and also the beer that started me off drinking craft beer

 

Welcome! Grab a few hefeweizens, you'll thank me

 

I agree with @utopiajane 's logic of asking why you think you liked the beers that you've liked so far too, since that can really help you get some ideas of what to look for next. If you're not sure, I'd encourage you to try to pick apart the flavors in Blue Moon and determine what draws you to it over others. Citrus? Mouthfeel? ABV%? Then, check out the beer's page here and look for similar beers in the style. Going with what you know is often a good place to start.

Personally I'd suggest the Saison/Farmhouse ale style, specifically Tank 7 from Boulevard which you are likely to be able to find. Saisons are a funny beer though, as sometimes they can be somewhat light, citrus forward, and crisp, and other times can bring out these weird (in a good way) funky flavors that you may not expect - it really depends on what the brewery is trying to accomplish, and what yeast they use. If you see a beer you're curious about, pause for a second and look it up on here. Check out the reviews, look for the flavors people are describing.

Another quick suggestion: beer is (generally) best when fresh, and is mortal enemies with sunlight. Most good shops will do a good job about keeping sensitive beers (more hops = more sensitive to sunlight) away from the sun and pulling them when they get too old, but it is always worth being aware of the date and the storage location. Generally, the dates are printed right on the bottle or label somewhere.

Not trying to overwhelm you with too much info, but to me its an important point for someone just getting into beer to keep in mind - I would hate for you to unknowingly grab an old bottle well past it's prime and think that was the intended flavor and subsequently put you off of your beerventure.

Cheers!

 

buy yourself some anchor steam, worked for me.
welcome to the best site around!cheers

 

Its kind of hard to make recommendations when we don't really know what you already enjoy. So let me suggest a different strategy. Go to the Beer 101 section under Beers and then on to the Beer styles link. You'll find a hundred or so descriptions of different styles of beer. Start looking through those descriptions till you find one that interests you or fits with something you already liked. Then look at the list of beers in that style. On that page they will be ordered by number of reviews, which is basically going to be influenced by availability. Read a few of the reviews that tell you about what the reviewer thought the beer tasted, smelled and looked like. Again look for a beer that sounds interesting to you. Then go find it.

If you can find it on tap somewhere that's better because many places will also sell you a flight of beers (i.e., multiple smaller glasses of their different on-tap beers) and ask the server to give you the one you are interested in and then make up the rest of the flight from similar beers. Lots of bartenders/servers are quite happy to let you know what they enjoy and think you might enjoy if you can give them a few clues/hints.

Most importantly. Have fun. Its a journey not a destination.

Edit: As an example of what can happen with a bit more information/knowledge, I was once at a beer tasting where one of the women employees was joining in with the approval of her boss. She indicated that there was a particular beer she wasn't interested in because she'd heard it was quite bitter. Since we'd chatted a lot over the previous year when I was on buying visits, I asked her while she was sampling one of the beers, if she enjoyed grapefruit. She said "Sure." So I suggested she give a try to the one she had passed up since it would taste a lot like grapefruit. She did try it and found she liked it.

 

I would recommend tasting some classics before diving into craft beer.
England - Fuller's London Porter, Samuel Smith
Germany - Weihenstepnaher, Schneider, Aecht Schlenkerla, Augustiner.
Belgium - trappistes, Duvel, Rodenbach, Delirium Tremens/Nocturnum.
Czech Republic - czech pilseners.
USA - don't really know what you should start from, Sierra Nevada?

 

You need to determine what YOU like, doesn't matter what I like. When I started out I just but singles and kept track of what I what liked and didn't like, eventually I started to see a trend with the beers I liked and now use that as my guide. I always like to revisit certain styles I didn't like in the past to see if my tastes have evolved. That is the joy or craft beer!

 

Definitely didn't mean to say that. Have one on me if your ever in the Durham/ Chapel Hill area! Cheers.

 

Stick to that style you like for now.

The Allagash White is a fantastic upgrade from Blue Moon. Same style, but much better regarded beer.

This site, and rate beer also, have a way of organizing the top picks within your certain preferred style so there is no need to consult the forums. Just use the site features.

From Belgian wits the natural extension is a Belgian tripel or farmhouse ale. Watch out for the date on the bottles though. A triple or farmhouse that has been sitting on the shelf too long is not the same experience as a relatively fresh example.

 

Some quick recommendations:
IPA's, "Two Hearted Ale" by Bells and "Flower Power" by Ithaca.

Pale Ales, "Sierra Nevada Pale Ale"

Amber Ales, "Fat Tire" by New Belgium, "Rare Vos" by Ommegang, and "Hopback Amber Ale" by Troegs

Wheat Beers: "Dreamweaver" by Troegs, "White Lightning" by Full Pint and the "Hefe-Weissen" by Paulaner

Bocks: "Troegenator" by Troegs, "Salvator Doppel Bock" by Paulaner and Yuengling's Bock

Here are two Stouts you might not just like but love: "Breakfast Stout" by Founders and "Old Rasputin" by North Coast

 

Just keep trying different beers. We all have styles we enjoy and some we don't so don't worry about feeling like you are "missing out."

Cigar City is good, and I also recommend you check them out. But before you start drinking huge IPA's or Barleywines, try some more wheat beers, amber ales...stuff that isn't too extreme. Sam Adams is a gateway for many. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a good place to start if you are wanting to venture into hoppy beers. You may find that you like hoppy beers, or may not. But SNPA is a good place to start.