general beer guide

[watermelonman]

I've done a little bit of searching, but I can't find anything that fits the bill. I apologize for asking what must be a fairly frequent question, but hopefully I can still get a good answer.

Can anyone point me at a good general beer guide? I want to know what is what and why. I started liking beer a bit over a year ago (a few pints of Newcastle on tap convinced me), and I know what I like and what I don't like, but I haven't got the least bit of clue as to what a pilsner is, what a lager is, or what an ale is. Barleywine? Who knows?! I like wheat beer, and I imagine it has something to do with wheat, but I couldn't say what.

[b3s]

a good start would be michael jacksons beer hunter (http://beerhunter.com/beerstyles.html) guide to styles. another good reference is over on john palmer's how to brew (http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter19-1.html) online book. The visual chart helps, and there's a good description of ales vs. lagers.

your best bet, though, are michael jackson's books (http://beerhunter.com/publications.html). specifically the beer companion and the ultimate beer books.

[studentofbeer]

b3s hit the nail on the head.

a family friend introduced me to Michael Jackson's Ultimate Beer book and that did the trick for me. I've spent so much time looking through that book my roommates thought I was crazy (heck, it was better than studying school work!) and each time i pick something up.

Its got a good intro about how beer is made and then has great pictures and short descriptions of beers from around the world in all different styles. Its not completely comprehensive, but I guarantee it'll provide hours of beer knowledge. It will teach you what each of those styles means, what the general flavor profile of the style is, what some good examples of beers that fit those styles are, and even what you might want to think of drinking them with. It, along with lurking on boards like this and talking to people at the local "paint shop" really expanded my taste for beer in ways I never even knew existed.

Also b3s recommended John Palmers' How to Brew. It's a great book to look over, but using it to try brewing is probably the best way to learn about beer. Ive only homebrewed about 3-4 beers and not all were good (a couple were downright bad), but it really taught me about what goes in to making beer.

Anyway, I suggest you start with Ultimate Beer-- it's what got me hooked and interested in increasing my beer knowledge. It's worth the $30.

[b3s]

the section of palmer's book i hyperlinked was the style description portion...good quick-and-dirty intro to styles.

[chazwicke]

What B3s and Student said. I have seen one of those "Beer for Dummys" books but have not looked at it. Also stay tuned to this board and go back and read some of the old threads especially the Tasting Notes section. Try some of the beers reviewed there and read the notes to describe what you are tasting. Lastly drink any cask ales you can get your hands on!

[hopjack13]

what everyone else said! or you could just hang around here like chaz said, i know i've learned a lot here. before i thought i knew everything...now i really do..j/k :p

[sallad]

i find this one useful for describing styles and flavors that should be found within! from the Beer Judge Certification Program (http://www.bjcp.org/style-index.html)

[paul84043]

Great advice here, but there's no substitute for first hand experience.
Buy them when you can, and taste for yourself.
Try not to pre-judge, it could be disastrous.

I always thought that a smoked beer sounded nasty, but tried one anyway. It was fantastic.

You don't really know until you try it yourself.

[davesarman]

Along with what everyone else said, is to read about the beer while you are drinking it, that seemed to be a very good learning tool for me as well.

[KEN954954954]

BUY THE HOME BREWERS BIBLE."THE NEW CONPLETE JOY OF HOME BREWING" BY CHARLIE PAPAZIAN.DO YOU BREW YOUR OWN BEER? IF YOU DONT YOU SHOULD BE SO YOU CAN GET THE FULL PLEASURE OF THE REAL BEER EXPIERIENCE.:)

[stronk]

CAMRA Good Beer Guide (any year).

[axis714]

ehx 2 sallad 4 the judges notes on styles i learned quite a bit from the read...i appreciate the info enormously/