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Beer!
Super Namicchi
Orange County, CARegistered User regular
Orange County, CARegistered User regular
so this saturday i'm getting together with some friends for some beer, brats, and gaming (nerd).
now, i just turned 21 very recently, so this is my first time actually seeking out beers to try. i'm really interested in diving feet first into this curious world of ales and stouts, so i can find what i like and what i don't like, with the goal of one day becoming one of those beer snobs you see talking on the moving picture box about hops this and microbrews that.
my only request is that the recommendations you guys throw out try to give a reason doesn't involve a ratio of money spent to level of drunkenness. while i understand the value in getting the most bang for your buck as it were, budget isn't particularly a concern at the moment and i actually want to find something that i like. also there will be bonus points given if you tell me whether or not it will go good with bratwurst.
tl;dr: nerd wants to know what beer you people drink and why so he can geek out on saturday along with some brews and brats, price not really a big issue.
thank you!
now, i just turned 21 very recently, so this is my first time actually seeking out beers to try. i'm really interested in diving feet first into this curious world of ales and stouts, so i can find what i like and what i don't like, with the goal of one day becoming one of those beer snobs you see talking on the moving picture box about hops this and microbrews that.
my only request is that the recommendations you guys throw out try to give a reason doesn't involve a ratio of money spent to level of drunkenness. while i understand the value in getting the most bang for your buck as it were, budget isn't particularly a concern at the moment and i actually want to find something that i like. also there will be bonus points given if you tell me whether or not it will go good with bratwurst.
tl;dr: nerd wants to know what beer you people drink and why so he can geek out on saturday along with some brews and brats, price not really a big issue.
thank you!
Super Namicchi on
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you can search for local breweries and then go from there.
PS posting location can help.
Finding great beer is all about location, as most of 'good' stuff is micro breweries so you have to find stuff that is in your area.
Personally I have the following at home and enjoy all of it:
Edit:
States isn't a small enough location to determine what you can buy. Need to know the state.
Sure, that part I got....where in the states?
See, in the DC area I'd say Yuengling (apparently the brewery is close).
Also, Magic hat, everything flying dog, several belgian beers...it's a matter of personal taste. However...I tend to prefer bitter beers on a BBQ, hence most American Hops based beers will be good.
kind of a big country...
i'm in the wild and woolly state of arkansas (insert hillbilly jokes here), northwest region bordering on Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
You should be able to get Samuel Adams and Sierra Nevada.
Crossover Liquor in Fayetteville is suppose to really good. Edit - looks like there is a liquor world there.
Anything by Bell's brewing company if they offer it.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Goose Island IPA
Also look for a "craft pack", which will be a bunch of different kinds of beers by one brewery. Always a good bet when you don't know what to get.
that is some fantastic advice considering i live 20 minutes from fayetteville
thank you, this is the sort of help i was looking for. i'll be keeping an eye out for those.
EDIT: and as for the store in question, there's a very big place past the missouri border that we're planning on going to with a ridiculous name - http://www.macadoodles.com
When it's hot out (and also during BBQ's/parties where I'm inviting people that aren't necessarily hopheads) I'll opt for a blonde ale (like Fireman's 4) or a Kolsch (like Pyramid CurveBall).
Used to be a big fan of Shiner Bock, but they did something to it and I no longer am a fan; I've found Live Oak Big Bark to be a nice replacement to that.
What kind of beers do you like?
that's actually why i was throwing the question out here to get a 'what and why', because for the mostpart i am a complete beer novice. asking me what kind of beers i like is asking a blind man what the color blue looks like ;P
edit: I'm enjoying the Sam Adams pack, as it has their Blackberry Wis, plus a good range from Boston Lager to lighter Pale Ales.
Microbrewery stuff is good and the craft pack is a GREAT idea.
This may be stuff that elist beer drinkers out there might frown on but Heineken Light is a tasty beer.
I have to warn you though about two things:
1 - Alchohol percentages - If you buy beer anywhere other than a liquor store, depending on your state, the beer may only contain 3.5%. Utah, for example, has the watered down version. When I am up there, I get around this by buying the "full strength" beer from the af base. Ask before you buy if that matters to you.
2 - The two beers I recommended are expensive but you said money was not a worry so yay...
I'll second Rogue - Dead Guy Ale it's delicious.
Not sure if I'd recommend any of the dogfish IPA's to a new beer drinker, might scare him or kill him.
Rogue - Yellow snow IPA is good
Honestly it's hard to recommend beer to people. The best way is to buy something new every time you go to the store and see what YOU like.
Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat
Tommyknocker's Jack Whacker
La Rossa
Most Sam Adams and Magic Hat beers are pretty good, too. I also recently had a Peg Leg Imperial Stout that I enjoyed. Rogue - Dead Guy Ale mentioned above is also pretty tasty.
NO! THERE IS NOT!
Anyways:
Guiness(it really is yummy)
Dog head IPA($$$, hard to find, but good. Very good introduction beer)
Stone IPA
*Actually anything Stone brewery ever made.*
Rogue dead guy ale
Arrogent bastard(I think Stone makes this as well)
Oh, and since you're new to beer, be sure to enjoy the Heff's. Blue Moon is the easiest found, then comes a billion other brands. Just mess around with the heff's.. there light, cheap, and the "girly" beers.
Generally beer is something pretty personal.. no two people are gonna be the same. Some days you will find yourself wanting a nice heavy beer.. other days a light one, etc etc. Go by some bars that have 100 taps and such.. pick random ones. Ask the bartenders(if its a slow night) what the strongest beer they have is.
re: beer being personal
yeah that's what i've heard. i really just want to experience it all!
Boulevard is good, brewery based out of Kansas City at the 18th largest in the US. You should have a large selection of these at your local booze store. Their Lunar Ale and ZŌN are both amazing beers, not as hoopy/bitter as the pale ale, and probably much tastier to someone that hasn't gotten a lot of familarity with beer. I prefer their Pale Ale, not their IPA.
It seems almost everyone in here is recommending Pale Ales/ IPA's which are some of MY favorite as well, but for a beginner? It is a terrible suggestion.
Edit: Don't know if they'll have it where you go shopping, depends on how wide a selection they have, but if you see any Oberon, it is the 100% perfect summer beer, out of Bells Brewery in Michigan (third best brewery in MI, IMHO)
I miss Tesco's
Without any expectation, an IPA or Pale is just as good as any other kind of beer to start with. My sister-in-law hated beer and would never drink it, until I gave a her dogfish head 90 minute. Many beer enthusiasts would say that's kind of an advanced beer, but whatever works.
For a novice I'd just say don't start with barleywine, and don't start with beer that has been brewed with fruit. Not that beer brewed with fruit is bad, just that since you're trying out beer, might as well try a non-doctored version of whatever ale you're sampling. And I'm not talking about a citrus garnish to a hefe or belgium white does, which is how it's often traditionally served.
And avoid Lambics for right now. I enjoy many types of beer, but it's still a rare day when I can toss back 10 oz. of a Flemish sour brown.
That all said, since you're kicking it with friends, and it may be an extended bout of drinking, I'd say start with pilsners to amber lagers, and the lighter colored and fruitier ales.
Of course, you can always ask for a taste of a beer you're not familiar with and most barkeeps are pretty good about doing that for free - I just wouldn't go abusing it by asking for tastes of several beers in one sitting.
A mix-n-match 6 pack is a good idea, but a few pointers:
Avoid beer in green/clear bottles, unless you can get it from WAY in the back of the cooler, away from the light. Why? Chances are decent they'll be skunked (pretty much exactly what it sounds like), especially if the store inventory doesn't turn over much.
IPA's are great (Stone Ruination FTW), but I'm not sure they're the best introduction to the wild world of beer. They have more hops flavor - bitter/citrusy/piney. I've found that most people like the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, but some of the other pale ales/IPAs are going to leave you with bitter beer face. They also tend to be heavier than most other beers.
I'll second the Boulevards - they're pretty good, and I'm a fan of their Lunar ale.
Things you should try (along with some common breweries):
Trappist Ale - Chimay, Westmalle
They're funky flavored. Banana and cloves. Don't buy a 750ml bottle until you've tried one and know you like it.
Hefeweizen - Paulaner, any number of American wheats.
Light and refreshing - really good in the summer!
Stout/Porter - Guinness, any of the Rogue brewery stouts, Samuel Smith
Guinness is a pretty dry stout, most of the others will have a richer flavor. Avoid Imperial Stouts (like Rasputin) until later.
Middle of the Road Ale - Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Newcastle
A middle of the road ale.
Pale Ale/IPA - Dogfish Head IPAs, Longhammer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Have more hop flavor.
Good luck, and welcome to beer!
Fixed that for you.
well that'd be another year
may 24 just passed you see ;P
also i appreciate the advice to seek out the local bars and try beers en masse, but that doesn't help my saturday plans, chums. thanks for all the recommendations so far! i'll have a pretty good list to work off of come sat
Make sure to try the standard American fair: Bud, Coors, etc etc etc. This way when you are broke and need a case for you and some buddies you wont buy something you hate.
Despite the lack of love around here for anything Mega brewed, im a Rolling Rock fan, great for hot southern days. (They are right about the green bottles though, get it where turnover is heavy or someplace that doesnt have windows all over the damn place (I get mine at the grocery store).
Also heavy brews, guiness, bass, etc, can take some getting used to (an aquired taste) if you buy something along those line dont write it off forever, come back in a few years and try again. I used to hate Guiness and Bass pale ale (Black and Tan) but now in th winter months, its great.
Try pairing different beers with different foods. Starting out with straight beer might be hard, so some finger food or a meal could help break the bitterness into manageable chunks.
Personally, I always like to have a pale ale with a salmon burger, and etc. For snacks, I can't see how you can go wrong, taste-wise, with good nachos. (Unless you overdo it on the alcohol. Then things can get super-nasty)
so oddball / strong flavors don't turn me off. recommend your strongest!
I'm a huge fan of Sam Adams. Their seasonals are especially awesome, currently they have their summer ale out. Give it a shot, it's a great beer to drink on its own or with a BBQ or something. It has a slight lemon taste to it. The Cherry Wheat and the Pale Ale by Sam Adams are also great beers.
If you're still new to drinking, I'd probably tell you to hold off on the IPAs. It took me some time to be able to appreciate them when I first started. If you're going to be drinking all night (be it casually or heavily), I'd recommend staying away from stouts and IPAs and sticking with ales or lagers. YMMV, though.
Of the "cheap beers" I like Yuengling the best, although it's a crap shoot to find if you're not on the direct east coast. It's slightly more expensive than Miller or Coors or Bud, but infinitely tastier, in my opinion.
Flying Fish makes great beers, especially their Summer ale. It may not be available everywhere, though.
As a geek, you pretty much have to try the Monty Python Holy Grail Ale. I'm pretty sure you can find it in 6-packs now.
If you want to get wacky, lots of smaller breweries put out specialty beers in pint bottles. Usually when my crew gets together for movies or gaming, we grab a few six packs and a few pints, then pass the pints around. My absolute favorite beer is made by a company called Wells and it's a banana bread beer. Fantastic.
Chimay (Blue is my preference)
Guinness
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout (Nut brown ale is good too)
Boddingtons
Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Make some Black & Tans, use Guinness Extra Stout and Harp
Those are some of my frequent buys...
I don't go drinking with this people much.
Abita Pale Ale
Abita Restoration
Modelo (one of my fraternity brothers from San Diego refuses to drink anything but)
Of course I also drink my fair share of Coors Light and Yuengling. College isn't free
and the gengars who are guiding me" -- W.S. Merwin
Currently I'm on a Belgian kick (Abbey/Trippel from New Belgium; Salvation and Preaching to the Choir from Avery; my friend's fantastic homebrewed Belgian) which is a yeasty, fruity, subtle-yet-complex range of beers.
You've got "dark beers" such as stouts, porters, and brown ales at one end of the spectrum. There, you get lots of malt and little hops. Rich flavors, often resembling chocolate or coffee (which are often the byproduct of roasting the malt, not from additives, though tehre are exceptions). They're generally pretty smooth. Guiness is a popular stout but it's about as bland as the style can get. Newcastle makes a decent, if not spectacular, brown ale. Porters are a really varied style of beer and no two are ever going to taste the same.
At the other end you've got "hoppy beers". Pale ales and IPA. Featuring tons (I mean tons) of hops, very little (if any) malt. Flavors are often bitter, but the choice of hops can often produce pleasant, citrus-like flavors that can be balanced enough to be palatable.
Along this spectrum you've got things like red ales and ambers, lagers and pilsners, blondes and E.S.B.s and English milds and on and on and on. Wheat beers are a category all their own and you either like them or you don't.
My best recommendation is pick one style and spend a month or so sampling as many variations in that style as your wallet and liver can afford. Your choices are going to vary from region to region, state to state, city to city; I live in Boulder, the beer Mecca of the world, so it's entirely possible that you won't be able to get my top picks wherever you are. If you can get anything by New Belgium or Avery, you're guaranteed great beer. Fat Tire is only the tip of the NB iceberg.
Eventually you'll figure out which styles you like and which you don't, and which beers you really like despite maybe not liking that style in general. I despise most IPAs, but there are a few I love to death. You might hate stouts but really like Guiness, who knows. Try everything and don't let recommendations dictate your preferences.
dead guy ale is good
sam adams is a good mass-brewed beer
try everything and anything
thanks for all your help. you are all truly scholars and gentle(wo)men.