Trying to get into beer

Good local bottle shop--introduce yourself and ask for suggestions. Stay loyal. Get goodies.

 

Was gonna say this! Strawberry's my favorite too but all four of SS's organic fruit ales are wonderful. Samuel Smith is a great starter brewery because everything they make is quite mild but delightful and a great example of the styles.

 

Lots of great advice on this thread. Find bottle shops that do tastings or local groups that will share bottles as ways to try lots of styles without having to spend a lot of money finding out what you like vs. what you don't.

 

What town? What brewpub?

 

Welcome to a great hobby! Enjoy the journey.

 

Start slow. Your in PA. Every bar in PA serves Yuengling (that's were I got my start). Adjust your taste buds away from the horrible macro crap we all drank in college. Try some other lagers and some pale ales. Decide if you like the more hoppy or more malty pale ales and then you can expand from there.

As others have mentioned.
A lot of stores or doing the make-your-own 6 pack thing. That will allow you to try a variety of different beers.
Flights/samplers at bars are a great way to sample stuff. Don't be afraid to ask the bartender to try something before ordering a whole pint.
Visiting a brewery is a great way to gain an appreciation for beer. Most give free samples. Plus its a nice cheap way to spend the day.
Cheers!

 

Start small. Try a Knee Deep Hop-D-Ranged and work your way up....

 

Find some Fathead's Bumble Berry. Good fruit (well blueberry) beer. Should be easy to find in PA. I know quite a few spots that stock Fathead's n southwest PA if that happens to be your neck of Penn's woods. Actually there is a Fathead's bar and grill on the south side of Pittsburgh.

 

Go to the bar and ask for a taste or two each night. if you dont like them, get what you know you like. but keep trying til you find something

 

Collect bottlecaps (or labels or something)! You'll try every style, cheap and pricey, light and dark, then you'll come to like and/or dislike them, then we can talk trade.

 

Also, this is MUCH cheaper than bars. It's better to find out you blew $10 on an ok sixer than on one 8oz. draft. For now, anyway.

 

Why? I'm sure many will disagree and say they loved beer the first time they tried it but I think most do not. I certainly didn't love it at the age of 18, err… 21, but now I do. Nothing wrong with getting into a hobby even if it's alcohol so long as you're responsible.

 

I always recommend Hefeweizens and witbiers (wheat beers) to people new to beer. They're light have some fruit flavors and are very easy to drink

 

Find a store that sells singles. Try everything.

 

Two words, one number: Mix-a-Six.

Learn to love it good.

 

This thread is comical. No one wants to "get into" craft beer. It just happens. Just like wine. No one says I want to get into wine. Either you like it or you don't.

When you're out with a broad at dinner, order a real beer with your meal. I mean a beer other than Miller Lite or Bud. Try a Sam Adams, or a Victory, Weyerbacher or Yards (since the OP is from PA). If you like that then good, hit up a liquor store and buy a bomber or a mixed 12pk. Figure out what you like. It's all trial and error. An acquired taste if you will. Then build on that.

 

As said, you shouldn't be "trying to get into beer." Sounds like a punishment.

Don't make the same mistake that some other do: Don't write-off lagers. PA is a great state for lagers. Have fun.

 

If you can find it..
Try Schneider Weisse Tap 7 Unser Original
Or Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus
They are not purely fruit flavoured beers but have a bit of spice, banana, dark fruit flavour.

 

My best advise for a newbie is to try as many styles as possible. However, if you're more interested in becoming a beer connoisseur, I would suggest malt forward beers like Dopplebocks, Scotch Ales, English Barelywines, Porters and Stouts.

Malt is just barley, nothing to be scared of, it's not bitter. After you try this then you can move on to sours like Flanders Red and Lambic and then Saison/Farmhouse Ales.

Here's a list of all the beers styles -

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/

The hop forward beers are IPA and Pale Ale and just about any American style beer can be very hoppy but not always. The American breweries really focus on hops more than English and German breweries. So, its usually recommended that you start with English, Belgium and German made beers first then you can move on to others. Find a place in your area that has a good selection of imported beers.

 

Why do you think you will not like hoppy beers yet? My first craft beer was ruinationa dn I LOVED it. I have been a hop head ever since. I think that it can't hurt you to try something really good that showcases hops at their finest. Try a resin or a flower power or a hop knife. Just get one and see.