New to beer, what should I try?

[m53]

Hello. I have always drank mostly bourbon, as I never cared for beer or wine.

A few months ago, I needed some alcohol and only beer was available, so I drank an Amstel out of a bottle, and found it much more palatable than I had expected. This was the first beer which I had tried from a bottler rather than a cup, and that was the difference. I had found the foam disgusting, and foam is much less prominent when drinking from a bottle.

Since then, when my options are either cheap beer or cheap whiskey (Early Times), I go for the cheap beer. I have had Coors Light, Bud Light, Budweiser, and Miller Light. Of these, I prefer Coors light, although none of these excite me much.

I read a little about beer on the internet, and then purchased and tried Blue Moon, Guinness, New Castle Brown Ale, and Samuel Adams Boston Ale.

My favorite is New Castle Brown Ale. I like the sweetness and grain flavors. I also enjoy Blue Moon.

I disliked the Guinness and Samuel Adams Boston Ale. Both of these taste to me primarily of grass, which I find unpleasant. Is this the taste of hops? Does this mean that I dislike hops?

I also enjoy beer more at room temperature than chilled; does this indicate anything about my taste preferences?

Which beers should I try next? I would like to explore the supermarket/ small liquor store options first.

[MrNate]

Hmm... Try a Paulaner Salvator, a Hacker-Pschorr Edelhell, a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and/or Summer Ale, maybe a Hoegaarden or a Smithwick's. Those are some of my favorite "easy drinking" beers.

The grassy flavor is most likely hops, though I've never tasted it in a Guiness. Keep in mind that there are many different varieties of hops, not all have a strong grassy flavor (though if you're tasting this in guinness, you may be very sensitive).

For many beer enthusiasts, the rich, foamy head is part of the "good beer" experience and is something to be savored. In addition, beer has a "nose" like wine that is best enhanced by pouring into a glass. That being said, I recently discovered that I like Troeg's Sunshine Pils better out of the bottle because of the abundance of head, which I found distracting in a glass. I'll probably get bashed for that as well.

Many beers are best drunk at cellar temperature, as cold numbs your tastebuds. A typical guideline being, "The darjer the beer, the warmer it should be served." I rarely drink anything darker than a Helles below cellar temperature.

My best advice is to keep sampling. Don't get caught in the trap of finding one beer you kind of like and stopping there. I rarely buy more than a six pack of any given beer. It's much more interesting to buy a large sampling of half liters or 22oz bombers.

[Richard English]

No beer can give of its best from a bottle. Beers that taste better that way are generally rubbish beers. After all, would you drink a top quality bourbon from the bottle?

Keep sampling - and make sure you try some English beers (and Newcastle Brown is not a very good example - better than Dudweiser, maybe, but poor by absolute standards.

One day you will try one of the true classics (Fuller's 1845, maybe?) and then you'll be hooked for life.

[MrNate]

I keep meaning to try the 1845. How bitter/hoppy is it compared to the ESB?

[Richard English]

1845 is slightly more hoppy than ESB. However, because 1845 is bottle-conditioned (ESB is not) it has a greater depth and complexity of flavour.

Generally I prefer cask-conditioned beers to bottled beers, but I make an exception for 1845. Fuller's did make it available on draught and it wasn't so good as in bottle. It tasted much stronger on draught and seemed unbalanced. Bottled 1845, despite its strength, is actually very easy to drink and the high alcohol content doesn't become apparent until you try to do something silly (like walk after 5 pints of the brew).

There are many wonderful beers but 1845 is at the top of my particular tree.

[MrNate]

Well, I'm sold. I'll have to pick up a sixer this weekend.

[Richard English]

Originally posted by MrNate
Well, I'm sold. I'll have to pick up a sixer this weekend. I might be wrong, but I suspect that 1845 will be sold in single bottles (never cans, by the way) and not six-packs which are a uniquely US method of packaging.

Enjoy (I know you will).

[fretlessman71]

Yep, the 1845 is worth the hunt, to be sure.

Just because you don't like the hops now doesn't mean you won't later on. Drink what you like, avoid what you don't, but don't be too surprised if your tastes change a little bit and the hop flavor becomes more palatable. My tastes are still changing after all this time... case in point, I haven't had a porter in over 2 months (:eek: )....

[MrNate]

I'm pretty sure I've seen it in six packs. I know I've bought the ESB that way - six 1/3 L bottles.

I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you to learn that they package many things differently for Americans.

But back on topic... Hoppy beers may not be the best thing to suggest to our new friend here - at least not right away. He's a Bourbon drinker, likes Newcastle because of the sweetness and grain flavors, and finds the hop flavors in Guiness objectionable. Though it may be good to you and I, I suspect that the 1845 may be a bit overwhelming for him at this point.

It might be better to steer him towards the more malt-dominated styles first: Bocks, Oktoberfests, Brown & Milds, Irish Reds, etc. I may be off base, but it seems a better way to ease a drinker of Kentucky Hot Sauce into the wonderful world of beer.

[steveh]

Originally posted by MrNate
I'm pretty sure I've seen it in six packs. I know I've bought the ESB that way - six 1/3 L bottles.

The ESB, Porter, and London Pride are available in sixers, but the 1845 is only the pint+ bottles (probably because of the bottle conditioning), along with the Vintage...also worth hunting down.

S.

[Richard English]

That was my impression. They are actually in 500ml bottles - rather less than an Imperial pint but about the same as a US pint.

And I am sure you're correct - I don't believe anyone has yet managed to produce a "can-conditioned" beer. I suspect the pressures involved might be too great.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Richard English
I don't believe anyone has yet managed to produce a "can-conditioned" beer. I suspect the pressures involved might be too great.

Well, I actually pointed to the larger bottle as opposed to the smaller ones used in 6-packs -- not to mention that the 1845 is a little more "premium," so it rates the bigger bottle only (marketing, I'm sure).

S.

[MrNate]

Huh - beg yer pardon, then.

Shoot, now you've got me wondering if I saw the 1845 in the local liquor store or BevMo out in CA. Guess I'll find out this afternoon.

[Richard English]

Here's a picture and details http://www.fullers.co.uk/frames.phtml - just follow the links to beer and then brands.

[MrNate]

Originally posted by Richard English
Here's a picture and details http://www.fullers.co.uk/frames.phtml - just follow the links to beer and then brands.

Not sure what you're getting at there, Mr. English... Mind elaborating?

[Richard English]

That's the Fuller's site. Just follow the links and you'll find a picture of a bottle of 1845 and details about it.

[steveh]

Yeh - the Fullers site has always needed a compass or tour guide. Oh well, we like them for their beer, not their I.T. savvy, right?

S.

[Richard English]

I think the problem is that the site is an old one built in frames. This means that every page has the same address and so any link posted doesn't take a user straight to the desired page but to the home page. It's then up to the user to navigate from there.

But it's easy enough. Click beer, brands, 1845 and you're there.

[MrNate]

It's not so much the "how" that I was wondering about as it was the "why."

[Richard English]

So you can see a picture of a bottle of 1845 (and thus know what to look out for) and so you can find out more about this wonderful beer (and Fuller's other wonderful beers) and see why they are as good as they are.

Then take a look at the websites of the likes of Dudweiser, Swiller and Curse and compare.

[m53]

I had a six pack of Red Hook ESB and a six pack of Smithwick's last week.

The Red Hook had some nice flavors, but it was a little too bitter for my tastes.

The Smithwicks was interesting, although I did not enjoy it much.

Today I had a few bottles of cold Samuel Adams Boston Lager at a party; I like this beer.

My favorites are now Newcastle Brown Ale, Blue Moon, and Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

I suppose that I will have to experiment further. I am one to always look for shortcuts and patterns, even when they don't exist.

[wortchillergoal]

If you like Blue Moon, then you may want to try some of the Ommegang beers. These are beers that Blue Moon is trying to be.

Their distributor in Indiana is World Class Beverage. Their phone is 317-612-3105.

web site
www.worldclassbeverage.com