Hello ba community, Until around the past two years, I've had no interest in beer whatsoever, then my coworkers got me to start drinking during some friendly dart games and I started off on what I described as "peewater" aka bud light...from there I got curious because there had to be more out there than this and I've been trying random beers blindly that have been recommended to me by waiters/waitresses at pubs. I only recently discovered the ba forums and decided to sign up for some good recommendations from real beer fans and here I am. So far, my favorite beer I've had is the Allagash Tripel Reserve: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4/448 I've also enjoyed Brooklyn Local 1, Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Hooker Blonde and Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Beers I do not like are very hoppy, bitter beers. I am not a fan of stouts either (at least not Guinness Draught). Can you recommend some beers that I may like? Thanks!
There are sooooo many to choose from. I would start with locals, trying different seasonals and year round offerings. Go to stores that offer a pick six if they are available. It is so fun just trying different stuff. When you find something you like, then invest in more. Just avoid IPAs and Stouts for now since you don't like them, chances are, as time goes on, your palate will open up to them. Maybe try a milk stout or cream stout or two.
The Ommegang brewery line would be one to experiment with (obviously avoiding their BPA), and might fit your tastes...
I suggest picking a good Brewery with good availabiliyu in your area and trying all of their offerrings. If. That way you wil get exposed to a variety of styles. You mentioned that you liked Brooklyn's Local 1 (a favorite of mine). Try more of brooklyn's styles. You said you don't like stouts based upon Guiness. Wait till you try Brooklyn's Dark Chocolate Stout. It is nothing like Guiness. It is also a good idea to find a good bottle shop and ask questions. Ask the staff what is new or if they have had anything recently they really liked. Most importantly, enjoy yourself.
Where do you live? It's hard to recommend brews without knowing where you live and hence the brews that are readily available.
This... but if you like the Allagash there are plenty of Belgian beers out there that are very good. Start with some beer you can get local and look for Belgian styles or other styles that you have tried and liked. The options are almost limitless. Cheers!
I am by no means an expert, but I would recommend some quads, like my perennial favorites St. Bernardus Abt. 12 and Three Philosophers. Not hoppy, not bitter, not stout. If paying approx. $7 for a 11.3 oz bottle doesn't faze you, do yourself a favor and pick up some Trappistes Rochefort 10 and thank me later. Cheers!
What ever you do, have fun. There are so many awesome beers out there and it can be overwhelming, just take it one beer at a time and don't let anyone tell you that a beer is bad if you enjoy it.
Yea, where do you live? What I usually do is go to the bottle shop and open ba on my phone. If a beer has a score of like 82 or higher ill usually buy it. That being said, don't necessarily let other peoples reviews stop you from trying new beers (unless it's reallyyyy bad lol). Most importantly have fun and enjoy! Cheers
Here is another idea: Go to the events section on this site. Plug in your area and see what is going on. A beer festival will give you an opportunity to taste a lot of different beers. A tap-takeover will give you an opportunity to taste multiple beers/styles by a particular brewary. In either casen the event can be a great time.
Hi, I live in CT. Thanks for all the tips. I found a good place right near by that has beer tastings weekly and also stocks a ton of stuff that is considered hard to get. They also have beeradvocate ratings printed out for each beer haha. Nothing seems to be less than a b- : ] I picked up some good ones.
Not sure if it's been suggested already or not, but I have always found that Anchor Steam is a great introduction to craft brew. Not only is it easy to find, it's also from a brewery that is regarded as a pioneer in the craft brew movement. Welcome to the wonderful world of great beer!
Based on what you've liked so far, I recommend: New England Brewing Co. 668 Neighbor Of the Beast (Come on, you live in CT!) Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Unibroue Don de Dieu Duvel Delirium Tremens Goose Island Matilda Chimay White
Find a good bottle shop that sells singles and get a nice assortment. Keep notes about what you like.
Id say drink the style or styles you really like right now and try different brewers version of the styles you like. Back in the 90's I thought there was no chance in the world there would ever be better beers than magic hat #9, SA Boston lager and cherry wheat and Pete's Wicked. I definitely couldn't even imagine drinking "bitter" beer. Through time though my palate changed and when the time was right I started trying styles I previously disliked and found I liked them and the rest is history. So yeah, drink what you're feeling right now and enjoy the journey! It will be awesome when you look back ten years from now and see how it all played out.
I would suggest trying as many beers as you can, excluding IPAs and Stouts, obviosly. I suspect, based on your enjoyment of the tripel, that belgian beers are your thing. Chimay Red, Blue, and most offerings from Unibroue are fanstastic if you can obtain them. I would also suggest giving some Hefeweizens and German beers a try. If in doubt, Sierra Neveda's Kellerweise is a great place to start. Hope this is helpful. Cheers, and welcome to the world of craft beer!
Right on man, I'm new to craft beer myself. This site has an amazing community of people that will offer some great beers to try and answer questions. Welcome!
