New Guy looking for advice.

Stick with Modelo, Shock Top, Blue Moon, other BMC...

 

As I have answered others, re-read the post - I didn't criticize his favorites as being bad, I just advised him that it may be in his best interests to keep them to himself.

 

you said very few people would take him seriously, and that he should never admit to liking those beers.

 

Yes. But again, I didn't say those choices were bad ones, just advice to keep them to himself lest he be criticized as I am being criticized now. So much for opinions.

 

Reason being? why should he or anyone keep beers they enjoy close to themselves?

Wouldn't it be pretty easy to point him in the direction of beers he might like, based on the beers he said he already enjoys?

Hell, I enjoy Olde English, what does that say? I drank Killians the other night- are people going to take me less seriously?

 

Ok you win. I take my comments back. Satisfied?

 

There's already plenty of good advice here I agree with. Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with the beers you've mentioned. What you might find if you get into craft beer is that the beers you like now will have served as good gateways that you'll have fond memories of in the future.

I would say find beers in the styles that you've already specified you like and, as others have said, build mixed six-packs at your local liquor store where you can do this. Depending upon where you live, you should be able to get Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, New Belgium, and Sam Adams products without difficulty at decent prices. Each of those brewers brews pretty much all of the regular types of beer and makes decent brews. Someone working at your local store might have some good recommendations as well.

Another good option is to find a local, off the radar brewery. You can sample the various styles they have and see what you like, and if it's small enough, there will likely be few reviews here. Beer Advocate opinions and reviews are a great resource, but it's also nice to not have your perception skewed by what others may or may not like. Not to mention you can also support your local brewer, which is a nice thing to do.

 

Ignore all the bullshit advice on websites like this - the audience here is the 1% of the 1%'ers of beer. Just go find the best beer stores in your area and start picking up new six packs. Also seek out beerfests, beer tastings, and brewpub samplers to find the styles you like.

 

Moderately.

 

IPA's were too bitter for me back when I started (remembered 2 Hearted, Burning River, & Commodore Perry just being too much for my palate to handle)

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the first beer I tried that made me enjoy IPA's a lot more in the future. A nice, easy-going, affordable, consistent, widely-available brew that I still buy quite often.

 

Albuquerque, eh? Please check out Marble Brewing Co., one of my new favorites. They have an imperial wit Double White Ale that's pretty darn good if you're looking for something closer to Shock Top or Blue Moon, but give their other stuff a try. Their red ale may be a good segue into IPA territory.

 

I'd say my biggest advice would be don't get too caught up in trying to grab specific beers. Everyone on here loves beer a ton, and won't hesitate to recommend their five favorite beers to you, but the reality is that if you're just getting started, you're not going to notice a big difference between that best-in-style offering and a cheaper, more available, more accessible offering.

The best thing you can do is just try beers. Luckily, this is also the funnest part (See? Beer is great). Mix a six, grab a sampler pack, grab a beer because you love the label or for no reason at all. Try to remember what you like and try things from the same brewery, or in the same style, or just drink that same beer happily for the rest of your life. Really, there's no bad way to go about it. Drink what makes you happy and enjoy it.

 

Yeah, that's why I added the "perhaps re-inventor" as Pierre Celis is more-or-less the father of the modern re-incarnation!

 

In Albuquerque La Cumbre Brewing Co. has made headlines by winning the Great American Beer Festival IPA category, however you have already said you might not be ready for this one (I hear it is very potent).

What people don't realize is that they also won a gold for Pilsner. They actually specialize in lagers and they get very good reviews on this site (though admittedly it is a small sample size). So you might go check them out, I am guessing they probably have a sampler tray where you can try a couple different lagers from them.

 

You should try beers according to countries as well. Most styles originated out of Europe so you should do a run of Belgian styles, English styles, German etc and perhaps try it that way. Also, Blue Moon is a cheap Belgian imitation, it does not represent the true quality of Belgian beer. (A bit of bias showing there, I know)

 

When I started to really get into beer I used two basic approaches to find beer. If I liked one beer from a brewery, I tried more of that brewery's beers. If I liked one style of beer, I tried other breweries versions of that style.

 

Since you are in New Mexico, Santa Fe porter is also a must try. It's one of my favorites in the style.

 

welcome aboard. hops can be an acquired taste, but acquiring it will open so many doors for you in the beer world. it's totally worth it, and if you can't jump right into IPA's, start with some american pale ales, like sierra nevada. most breweries have their own version of the style, and they're a more mild way to ease yourself into hoppiness.

 

to be perfectly honest, That sounds not that bad. German beers arent a bad place to start and end. Thats what happened with me. I started out with German lagers in my early days of craft. Then I went off the wall with big BA beers and overhopped Belgian sours. Now Ive come back to enjoy a great Helles/Dunkel just as much as a fresh Zombie Dust.

Explore new stuff, but never be afraid to drink whatever you enjoy. If and when you venture out, give some American versions of German beers a try. Bell's makes a good Doppelbock, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis is a good one too. Surly Hell and Columbus Brewing Summer Teeth are both great in their style.