Help me start drinking beer!

[Cpl. Klinger]

When I do drink, right now I limit myself to mostly wine and hard alcohol. I like dry wines and in hard a I stick to scotch, vodka, whisky and tequila. Most of the time, I don't mix most of that either. Most I ever do in terms of mixed drinks is Crown and coke, screwdrivers, and the occasional vodka/Sprite mix. But beer, I've never seemed to be able to get into beer. Maybe it's the stuff I've tried (Miller/Bud/Old Style), or maybe it's an acquired taste. But I'd like to actually start liking beer. What do you recommend to a newbie beer drinker? What can get me started down the beer snobbery path?

 

[dans4420]

Ive been fighting with this same thing for years. I am a rum or whiskey and coke guy.

From time to time i pick up different beers but at the end of the day beer has that beer taste and i cant bring myself to enjoy it. No matter the flavor breed or ingredients.

The closest i can drink is some of the hard cider stuff, also try some of the wheat beers there the lightest on the "beery" taste.

Sorry not a big help but im a realist.

 

[BuddieReigns]

You just drink it. I'm not a big fan, but when I do drink it occasionally, I drink High Life. Sometimes I drink Budweiser, or I just drink malt liquor. When it comes to malt liquor I drink Mickey's or Magnum. While some people love it from the get, (my brother as a toddler had to be watched at family reunions because he would go around asking for sips from everyone), if you don't like it at all, I imagine you will just have to start drinking it to acquire the taste.

 

[Mr. Habib]

I've found it helpful to open the bottle first.

 

[Tnichols00]

I have had a few friends that were in the same boat...

Here is what you have to do, go buy real beer, not bud, not bud light but go find yourself a nice pale ale, (Triton Brewing right in Indy makes a good one called "Sin-Bin").
Go buy 7 six packs of this pale ale and drink one six pack a night, by the end of the 7th day you will love beer!!!

The trick is to man up and just do it

 

[BehindBlueI's]

If you like whisky, you'll probably like this:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale - Aged in Ky Bourbon Barrels

Most of the stuff you've tried is a pilsner beer. Pilsners are golden beers with light flavor. Think of it as the beer equivalent of Pinot Grigio. With your taste in wine, you probably won't like anything lighter than a lager when it comes to beer.

In no particular order,

Something in the India Pale Ale (IPA) genre, perhaps. IPAs are on the bitter side of the spectrum and are more full bodied. High hops content, lots of flavor.

Stouts may work for you as well. Stouts are dark, have a more grainy/hoppy taste, and are much stronger in amount of aroma and flavor than pilsners. That said, stouts are overpowering to many. Its called "stout" for a reason, and some of them are sort of like drinking a loaf of black Russian peasant bread. Guiness is probably the most common brand in the US.

Dialing it back a notch from IPAs and Stouts are ales. Ales vary in hops level, and are often sorted into sub-categories like amber and red ales. Hops level and color vary. Samuel Adams makes several types, as well as some excellent lagers. The majority of beers I like are lagers and ales, particularly red ales.

Finally, you might like a fruit beer. Mike's Hard Lemonade is what usually comes to mind when I say this, but there are plenty of fruit beers that aren't oversweetened koolaide with alcohol in them. Ceres Red Erik is fantastic, but I don't think you can get it stateside.

 

[Sgtusmc]

Cheaper beers taste watery. Micro brews tend to be bitter. I like amber beers, not too dark or it'll get too bitter. Blue moon is pretty darn good. I drink 1-2 beers a month, if that, now. I swear that Apple Ale beer tastes like wine. I started a new medication last Sept that had the side effect of ridding my desire to drink and smoke. I was quite the lush prior to sept, drinking about 2 liters of vodka a week.

 

[TheEngineer]

Your biggest issue here is relying on "Miller/Bud/Old Style" to turn you into a beer lover. If you arent a fan of "the beer taste", you wont really tell a difference in any of your run-of-the-mill american pilsners/light lagers. Dont get me wrong, my fridge is packed with MillerLite once a week...but its my beer of choice for parties/friends/working in the garage etc (its much cheaper that way )

I suggest trying some of your lesser known breweries...local micro-brews (not sure where your from, but if anywhere near Indy SunKing comes to mind) and smaller nation-wide breweries (Dogfish Head, Bells, Brooklyn, etc.) take great pride in their brews and come out with spectacular flavors. Also, keep in mind that beer is brewed around the world, not just the US...there are some fantastic foreign (imported) beers that will blow you away. Without knowing your specific likes and dislikes, I cant really suggest anything specific but a few favorites of mine are:

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) - Tadcaster, United Kingdom (England) - BeerAdvocate

Mary

Start on the lighter side...american lagers, pilsners, ales...before hitting most of the darker stuff...bock, doppelbock, stouts, porters. All beer is delicious in my book, but i've seen people run away from beer entirely after one bad experience. That being said, color isnt everything...IPAs (india pale ale) will trick you if your not careful...be warned.

Since your both whiskey fans, look for a bourbon barrel stout...a bit on the "darker side" for some but nowhere near anything resembling "used engine oil" (this is how people refer to most of the beers I drink )

 

[w_ADAM_d88]

Sunlight Cream Ale - By Sunking... it's a very easy beer to drink, not to heavy and has a great taste. Or you can do like I did when I was a teenager... Shotgun the first beer, chug the second one, drink the third. By the time you get to #3 you wont even taste it.

 

[Scutter01]

The INGO Beer Snob thread has LOTS and LOTS of great beers that other INGO members have reviewed. It's a great place to start.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/163988-the_official_ingo_beer_snob_thread.html

 

[TheEngineer]

If you like whisky, you'll probably like this:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale - Aged in Ky Bourbon Barrels

Looks like great minds think alike...

This is actually one of the bourbon barrel stouts I was thinking of when I wrote my last post...its actually the GFs favorite. Shes not much of a "dark beer" drinker, but she is always willing to try mine and found this one to be delicious

 

[Noway Jose]

Can you pinpoint what is the beer characteristic that you can't get into? If its bitterness, which many non-craft beer drinkers despise, I'd recommend staying away from any pale ales or india pale ales (ipa). These beers are designed to let the hops lead the flavor. If you can stand sweetness better, try a darker beer like a stout or amber. Another option is a cream ale or lighter Belgian, sometimes referred to as a blonde. Friends that work at a microbrewery usually suggest a cream ale to customers who haven't gotten into big beers yet. Aim for something with a lower abv and ibu until you find what you like best.

 

[Scutter01]

If you like whisky, you'll probably like this:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale - Aged in Ky Bourbon Barrels

Looks like great minds think alike...

This is actually one of the bourbon barrel stouts I was thinking of when I wrote my last post...its actually the GFs favorite. Shes not much of a "dark beer" drinker, but she is always willing to try mine and found this one to be delicious

Funny you should mention that. Here's a review of that particular libation in the Beer Snob thread:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...cial_ingo_beer_snob_thread-2.html#post2819496

Finally, you might like a fruit beer. Mike's Hard Lemonade is what usually comes to mind when I say this, but there are plenty of fruit beers that aren't oversweetened koolaide with alcohol in them. Ceres Red Erik is fantastic, but I don't think you can get it stateside.

Mike's is not a fruit beer or a shandy. It's a hard liquor. Not to beat a dead horse, but I've been on a shandy kick lately, and have reviewed several in the beer snob thread.

 

[Rob377]

For a beer neophyte, I'd recommend a good German Weissbier. Something like Paulaner, or Erdinger. Sam Adams makes a few weissbier interpretations that may be easier to find. I like the coastal wheat, especially.

On that note, Sam Adams Summer Ale will be easy to find right now, reasonably priced, and a overall well-balanced, easy to drink brew.

Another good choice would be a Belgian Abbey ale or Trappist beer, like Chimay. The white label is a little easier drinking than the red or blue, and at 8% ABV, it packs a punch.

They're more approachable than the "lets see how much hops we can cram in this crap" IPAs that are the craze right now. More body and flavor than the mass-produced corn-product filled garbage that passes for beer.

 

[Scutter01]

Another good choice would be a Belgian Abbey ale or Trappist beer, like Chimay. The white label is a little easier drinking than the red or blue, and at 8% ABV, it packs a punch.

The only caveat I have with that is that a beer neophyte isn't going to know that a Belgian shouldn't be served ice cold like the ****-water he's likely used to. That said, I agree that it's a very palatable selection.

 

[PapaScout]

Many breweries will serve a 'flight' sampler of several different beers. Usually a couple of ounces each of 5-10 different beers so you can try several to see what you like.

My recommendation would be to go this route similar to finding a handgun you like. Try a lot of them in small doses to see what fits you.

 

[littletommy]

I always like the seasonal sampler packs from Sam Adams and Goose Island. Sams club and Meijer usually have them. I also like magic hat and third shift amber lager, both are flavorful but on the milder side.

 

[mainjet]

gumballhead... Mmmmm.

I also like Corona with a lime wedge thrown in.

I am no snob. I just like these.

Good luck

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Funny you should mention that. Here's a review of that particular libation in the Beer Snob thread:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...cial_ingo_beer_snob_thread-2.html#post2819496



Mike's is not a fruit beer or a shandy. It's a hard liquor. Not to beat a dead horse, but I've been on a shandy kick lately, and have reviewed several in the beer snob thread.

Yeah, I know, its technically a malt liqour. However whenever I mention fruit beer, its what people tend to say. "You mean like Mike's Hard Lemonade?"

You ever try Two Dogs Lemon Brew? It was an ale out of Australia that was brewed from lemons. The brewery went under and was sold to some big congomerate that stopped importing it to the US, and then the whole thing went belly up. It was REALLY good.

I also like shandies, used to make them myself when I was working in the garden. If the OP likes dry wines, though, he probably won't like the sweeter side of beers.

 

[SMiller]

Ice cold Coors light on a hot day will get you in the right direction!