you are all veterans

[boxthefox]

I am going through some of the threads, and i see that a lot of you perfer, or should i say talk about, a lot of beers i haven't heard of. I recently turned 21, May 13 actually, so i am kinda new to the beer world. I grew up around some beer with my uncle and all, and i have been drinking for a long time(not partying, i mean socially), and that is pretty much the extent of my experiences with beer. I was wondering if you all just take gambles when purchasing a different kind of beer, or do you already know what tastes good? I guess i am just asking how do i earn my stripes...i am a poor college student, so i can't really buy any good beers, so give me some recommendations.

Thank you

boxthefox
"BUCK"

[Vienna Lager]

Read reviews on the board and then try what you think might taste good.

[infomercial]

i started out just buying beers from countries i liked.
i'd say try to find a place that lets you make mixxed 6 packs of different beers and find a style you like.

[Wilson]

Originally posted by boxthefox
I was wondering if you all just take gambles when purchasing a different kind of beer, or do you already know what tastes good?


Sometimes. I've rolled the dice plenty of times and most of the time I come up a winner. I mean hey - its beer. Can you really loose?! I'd say though 80-85% of my purchases are on styles of beer that I like and/or have had before. Like Vienna said, read some reviews and if you like what you hear, go for it. Or take a style that you like, say a pilsner, and find the same style put from different brewery's. I hear ya on the poor college student thing. Been there done that. Everyonce in a while buy something different at the pub, or pick up a few random singles at the beer store. You dont have to spend a fortune to get good beer. Welcome to the site!

[corkybstewart]

Welcome to the board. I'm a crap shooter. I don't have access to many varieties of beer in my town so when I go to a bigger city I buy as many beers as I can find that I've never tasted or often even heard of. Then I can enjoy them at my leisure, at different temps, with different foods, etc. Also my kids, who both live in bigger cities, will bring me beers they've never seen before or they'll call and ask if there's any beer I've heard of that they may be able to find for me.

[Seymour]

Welcome! Oo, Wisconsin. Look for Capital beers. You won't find a bad beer from Capital. They specialize in lagers. Their Marzen's very nice, very malty. I don't know if they still brew the 1900, but it's a solid straightforward lager, like our great grandpappies used to drink. Tyranena brews Bitter Woman IPA; that should be available in your area.

I myself am a crap shooter as well. If it's new to me, and a style I like, I'll give it a spin. You're at the bottom of a very steep learning curve, my friend. Best of luck, and get back here often to tell us what you're tasting!

[HogieWan]

Happy Birthday - I just turned 25 on the 10th.

You just have to gamble and taste. My advise is ALWAYS return to beers you've tasted, whether you liked them or not. You will find your tastebuds evolving and some beers you thought were great may not be so, but most beers that you find yourself not liking, you will eventually warm up to. Some of my favorite beers are brews that I used to hate.

Cheers!

[xtalman]

Welcome to the world of beer. Personally I have been a gambler and generally have found very few beers I would not drink, I would not buy them again but I would finish what I bought. If you can get singles readily then that is the way to go. Try different styles and compare different takes on a style. Also like Hogie mentioned if you don't like something initially give it a try again later, your tastes change over time or you could have gotten a bad bottle/batch.

[kmlax]

GO BADGERS. I'm sure you know of New Glarus Beers. The Spotted Cow seems to be available everywhere in the state, though it isn't my favorite. I am definately a fan of all their beer - Staghorn Octoberfest in the fall, IPA in the summer, they brew a variety of stouts through the years, and don't forget the Oof-Da Bock (I think that is spelled right).

[HarkJohnny]

i agree with the "sample pack" idea. something like a "beers of the world" or winter or summer packs. or even a mix pack from the same brewery. then when you drink the beer, hit a site like www.beeradvocate.com and look it up. see what others think (not that that should make your opinion for you) but read especially their tasting notes... flavors, aromas, etc that they get. See if you can taste the same.

then in general... do you like it?

that's how I got started

[studentofbeer]

i'm 25 (happy bday hogie, i just turned 25 in april), i earned my beer stripes as a poor college student at northwestern in evanston, IL. basically you can go to the supermarket and look for sales-- you can often find good beers for $5.99 a six pack. also, drink less and drink better. save up for a special beer and go for it. there's lots of great beer in the midwest.

i bought michael jackson's ultimate beer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0789435276/sr=8-2/qid=1148490786/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-0663378-1062420?%5Fencoding=UTF8) and that's how i really got started. i just sat around at my apartment anytime i was bored or when my roommate was playing a single-player video game and read that book, and then sought out beers to try. i just became mildly obsessed, learning as much as i can. also i recommend trying to go on a tour of a brewery--usually cheap, informative and gives you the chance to taste beer.

i think you will find you go through phases of your interest and knowledge in beer. i started with the "basic" American craft brews, moved on to really being into English beers, then being fascinated with Belgium. Finally I began to embrace a wider view of things and started looking at beer as a partner to food and other things. each step of the way i thought i knew a lot and then learned more. so basically go in to trying beer with an open mind and i'm sure you'll be rewarded.

and i want to echo what hogie said about revisiting beers--you will be amazed to find how your tastes have adapted and changed, how beers you once thought great become merely so-so and beers that you detested or scared you become your favorites (for me, true hefeweizens really weirded me out at first and now i really like them).

[corkybstewart]

I completely agree with all the proceeding statements. I've been a beer drinker well over 30 years now, but I've really learned more about beer in the year I've been on this site than in all my previous years. A word of caution though. As a poor college student you'll need to be economical.. If a store has a really good price on a craft or imported beer, check the label for a "best before" date. If it's really old, it may be stale and the taste will have deteriorated. You might get a bad impression of a normally great beer.

[studentofbeer]

i'll also add i really liked thinking about beer seasonally, and the michael jackson book i mentioned helps with that. since he organizes part of it with "beers for summer" or "beers for fall." by matching beers to the seasons you can get a certain feel for why certain beers do what they do.

[MeridianFC]

As noted above the Michael Jackson book is a good start, I'd also recommend his other two books "The New World Guide to Beer", and "the Beer Companion". On organized the world of beer regionally the other stylistically. Also check out books from Roger Protz and Charlie Papazian.

But readin', while very important, ain't doin'. Experience can't be bought, borrowed, or begged. Do some reading and then go out and drink some beer. Or don't read and just go out and do (you might find you enjoy the beer more though if you understand its story). Drink beer from near, drink beer from far, and keeping your mind open the whole time.

Plan a trip to some of the sacred beer places: London, Munich/Bravaria, San Francisco, Brussels/Belgium, Downington, Chicago, etc.

Good luck.

[steveh]

Originally posted by MeridianFC
Plan a trip to some of the sacred beer places: London, Munich/Bravaria, San Francisco, Brussels/Belgium, Downington, Chicago, etc.

...down the street to Delafield, New Glarus, Madison, Milwaukee.

Buck, your uncle had a lot of followers (I had the good opportunity to work the Chilton Fest a few years back myself), there have to be plenty of beer geeks to rub elbows with down at the Calumet Inn -- talk to 'em, they - we - love talking beer, especially at the source!

S.

[JMilley]

First off, happy birthday man! Hope you had a good one. Second off, usually the local stuff tastes better than your regular grocery store beer. Don't believe the myth and ignore all the grocery beers, they are not that bad. For example, Natural Ice gets you drunk pretty quickly, and it costs like what, $5 for 12? Not bad. Not bad at all. Usually your grocery store will have your local brews (at least my local Smith's has a couple, including my all-time favorite, POLYGAMY PORTER!mmmm....yumm) for a reasonable price. Try it. I bet you will like it more than canned beers. Enjoy!

[zoom6zoom]

studentofbeer said it best- drink less and drink better. You'll see persuing the posts here that most of us are all about the taste and the experience, rather than just seeing how buzzed we can get. Your journey begins here, grasshopper...

[steveh]

Originally posted by JMilley
usually the local stuff tastes better... For example, Natural Ice gets you drunk pretty quickly, and it costs like what, $5 for 12? Not bad. Not bad at all.

See, there's a big disconnect between enjoying the flavor of good beers and "getting drunk pretty quickly," at least around this community. It's not about the buzz, it's about the enjoyment.

S.

[MeridianFC]

Probably more than most members here I'm all for "gettin' your drink on" but if all you want to do is get drunk go buy a bottle of cheap vodka and have at it. Nothing more cost effective than that.

Later when you grow up you'll probably be ready to appreciate some of the good things this life has to offer like well crafted flavorful beer.

[corkybstewart]

I've got no problem with drinking too much occasionally in the right circumstances(Friday night, Saturday afternoon), but I'd rather drink 2 Duvel 750's or some very good wine than 20 Natural ice(or even one natural ice).

[toneyc]

And this is the big reason I brew lower abv beers, I like drinking good beer, and lots of it, but I don't like hangovers.

:)
Toney.

[corkybstewart]

With the lower abv beers I find myself back at the kegerator far too often. If I'm drinking a Belgian dubbel, 9.5%, or an Imperial stout, I'll nurse that pint for an hour. My Irish red or saison, both around 5.2% pour down like water. And as some wise men said,"when non drinkers wake up, that's the best they'll feel all day".

[JMilley]

Originally posted by steveh
See, there's a big disconnect between enjoying the flavor of good beers and "getting drunk pretty quickly," at least around this community. It's not about the buzz, it's about the enjoyment.

S.

You said it:D .

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by Seymour
Welcome!
You're at the bottom of a very steep learning curve, my friend.

This is a learning curve you're gonna love!

It will be more fun with a companion. If you find a beer-lovin' honest woman who flips all the other right switches, hang on tight and enjoy. She'll even indulge you if you choose to homebrew.