Rookie Questions

I think I know enough now to know that certain beers require certain type of glasses, I do not always follow this because I do not own all of these glasses, but it is nice to have the beer in its proper glass.

Regarding what beers to try and so forth, I would say it is up to you. Sure, you will come across the popular ones and that is ok to have, they are popular for a reason. However, do not let someone tell you that one beer is better than another, they may be different and that is what makes each of them good. Find the styles that you like, but be open to try others too, that is half the fun of having beer, trying something you never have before.

As I tell people I come across, regardless of what you may be drinking, enjoy beer, cheers!

 

@jnuss93 welcome to the site. When I first started getting serious about beer, approx 10 months ago I followed @DaverCS and focused on the the various types that I liked at the time, always focusing on the beers in the 90% range using the majority rules rule and I pretty much didn't know shit. After you are comfortable with what you like, you can start venturing out by reading reviews of others who have the same taste as you. Also load BA on your phone, it can come in handy when looking for beers. When you look up a beer on the site under Style | ABV you will see a hyperlink to that style which takes you to a page that gives you a description of the beer and the right hand side gives you some food paring advice along with glassware and suggested serving temp. Not sure what town you are in in Louisiana, but find yourself a good craft bar that has specials and gets small kegs (quick turnover) and you can expand your horizon, that is what worked for me. And it never hurts to have a bartender(s) that are beer geeks and can point you in some interesting directions. Once you are comfortable with your taste, it never hurts to try beer that others don't like. I have drank down many a keg that no one would touch and enjoyed every drop. Everyones taste are different and you will never know what you like until you try.

 

Lots of great replies already, so I'll stay out of the way. But I just want to say "welcome!".

 

Great questions, and I have to admit that I envy you. Discovering beer all over again would be an amazing experience. There will always be new beers to discover but starting virtually from scratch is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Settle in and enjoy the ride!!!

 

Not sure if this is for real. Can someone not even know of the existence of American craft beers (or their great imported cousins)? With that being said, welcome to BA and a new world I guess.

 

Welcome to BA. Enjoy drinking craft beer. There are a lot of resources on this site.Glassware, Beer styles etc. Be sure to read reviews of beers you want to buy. Especially if you have web access when you are in the store.

As suggested- visit http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/ for the answers to most of your questions.

I store my beers, including IPAs outside the refrigerator. Light is the enemy. I store my beers in a tall beer store box and cover the box. If you live in the south, there may be some temp issues. Up to 70° may be the best temp for storing. My storage area ranges from 50° to 70°.
Some beer geeks store their IPAs in the fridge.

You will find that you like certain styles, and breweries. It's all a matter of personal taste.

Be sure to check the ABV percentage of beers you buy. 10% for 12 ounces is two Buds.

When you buy IPAs look for the bottle date. The fresher the better. Not all breweries display a bottle date,
and others display it inconspicuously.

Also, look at the youtube beer reviews. Lots of good reviewers out there.
You can get ideas from this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/what-beer-are-you-drinking-now-934.290985/

Have fun!

 

Why don't you take a picture of that section of larger format beers and/or write down the ones that strike your fancy. Then come back to BA and look them all up! Better yet, download the App for your phone and look them up on the spot. I've been drinking craft for a few years and I still do this when I come across things I don't recognize.

 

I second this. The BA app is invaluable and has helped me prioritize my purchases on more than a few occasions.

EDIT: Also, be prepared to not fall in love with every new beer or style that you try. Don't feel like you have to like something just because everyone else does. Finding your own likes/dislikes is part of the fun.

 

White & Red blends are the big thing in wines now, helps them achieve a certain taste profile, some choose to list the varietals some don't. If you buy French wines, you are buying by region, there is no obligation on their part to list the varietals that compose that wine, but most know. A Bordeaux can be red or white just to name one

 

There are no easy rules to judge quality... Label design means nothing, state/country of origin means little, bottle size or can means nothing... you just have to try it for yourself.

In regards to large corked bottles specifically...they are not necessarily better quality than 12-oz bottles or cans. This site's top rated beer comes in a 16-oz can. Whether or not a brewery chooses to use a large corked bottle is often based on the volume of beer they produce in a batch. Small batches might not be worth running a bottling/canning line, but OK for larger corked bottles. Limited or specialty beers, which many people on this site rave about, are often in smaller batches and therefore often in corked bottles. However there are exceptions where some breweries put the same beer in 12-oz bottles and 24-oz corked bottles (e.g. Duvel, Brooklyn's Sorachi Ace, Victory's Golden Monkey, and many more). Some breweries might use corked bottles simply for the look or tradition too.

Glassware... every beer style has a specific recommended glass type, but that's mostly marketing. A nice tulip glass is universally appropriate for holding and viewing beer and to funnel the aromas to the nose... something like this:


I would drink a larger bottle of beer in one sitting if you can or share with a friend. Oxygen and UV light are the two worst enemies of beer. Once you crack the beer it's being exposed to oxygen and will develop off-flavors (read this link about oxidation )

 

Many great answers above.

I would just add that you should do a quick Google search of small breweries and craft beer taprooms nearby. Many times these places will have the option to purchase a "flight" of beers. A flight will consist of several small samples of different types of beers they have on tap. You will figure out pretty quickly what you like and what you don't.

Make it a point to head in and sit at the bar. Ask questions to staff or regulars and you will be surprised at how much people like to talk about beer. The vast majority of people who are into craft beer are friendly and usually helpful to someone who is interested in learning.

 

The app actually drives me crazy and i find it very hard to use the a UX perspective. I actually just open safari, google the beer, and usually just go to the BA page dedicated to it. Faster on the fly. Google fixes all spelling mistakes, etc.