Reccomend me a beer...results

[Josh]

Ok, I have gone through all but one of my reccomended beers. My findings indicate that I still have very mainstream tastebuds:

Sam Smith nut brown: I disliked this the most of the batch. I could tell it had some good things going on, but the hop level blew me away

Rogue hazelnut brown: Slightly better than the sam smith. Overall flavor was better, hop level seemed less, but still overwhemlming for me personally

Aventinus weisen dopplebock: Better than the above, seemed less hoppy and/or more sweet. Still had a funkiness to it, but it didn't want for complexity. My dad liked it.

Young's chocolate stout: Wasn't hoppy at all, but tough to get over the burnt flavor. The slight sweetness made it easier to consume. Widget can made it better. Had to sip it and not drink it.

Sam smith oatmeal stout: This was a suprise. better than I thought it would be. Better than the chocolate stout. Still too dark for me, but the hop level was easier to take. My dad really liked this.

Chimay red: still not tried this

Conclusion: I don't like big hop bitterness that a lot of these smaller brews have in them. The stouts either have less hops in them, or the burnt flavor is hiding them. Is there such a thing as a lighter stout style? If I could get a less burnt tasting, medium color, without all the hop action, I'd be eager to try it.

Josh

[corkybstewart]

Don't push too hard. Try a couple, go back to what you're currently drinking, repeat process. Over time, you'll probably start to get bored with your old stuff and get used to the bigger tastes of the new beers. Or maybe you won't. Not everybody does and it's not a crime(a crying shame maybe but not a crime).

[fretlessman71]

Porters are generally milder versions of stouts - there are a few in your area that are very good, namely Great Lakes and Bell's.

[Erin W]

It's been years, so I am not sure they still make it. Cherry Rail Ale from Door County WI was one of the most beautiful beverage affairs I've had...5 red stars in my little black book! If you find any if this bottled treat please post where so we can all have a sociable!?!

[chazwicke]

The reason you liked the oatmeal stout better is probably because the oatmeal tends to mellow out the harsher roastier flavors. I prefer the more subtle versions of stouts myself.

[HogieWan]

I used to hate hoppy beers. I just didnt' get it. I finally started liking SNPA and now I'm hooked on it. I recently discovered that my distaste for Flying Dog pale ale has turned to love.

I love beer!!!

[Josh]

Do the stouts indeed have less hops, or am I just tasting them less due to the dark roast? I like a raosted, nutty tone to a beer, but the hops action is something I am not used to at least at this point. One thing I liked a lot is the way that Rogue packages their stuff. The information on the package was interesting and helpful. They list the IBU of the nut brown as 33. It still seemed pretty heavy to me. Macro brews must be in the 5-10 range of IBU's, huh?

Josh

[fretlessman71]

Yep - you have it about right. And Stouts and porters are classically not quite as hoppy, although I like mine that way. It really sounds like you might be a porter guy - see what you can find.

[D0nc0smic]

wow, i haven't read this thread before, but the aventinus and the youngs double chocolate stout are two of my altime favorites. AS for porters, since someone suggested them, Magic hats current mystery beer is a damn decent porter. I have pretty mainstream tastes alot of the time too, for instance i tend to drink a ton of magic hat number 9, which is a pretty mainstream tasting beer for a microbrew, since it is very light and has the raspberry flavor, but sometimes i just want something easy to drink. As was said before, just try alot of different things and enjoy them.

[HarkJohnny]

even though those are stouts they still have a fair amount of hops in them... they are still an ale. the least hoppy beers are likely to be Oktoberfests such as Spaten or Paulaner. Lots of sweet malt flavor with just a hint of hops in aroma and flavor. only now they are a bit out of season... however you're a bit in luck.

seek out a Märzen or March Beer. it's along the same styles. Other brews you might like are Vienna or Munich lagers. Dos Equis Amber (sometimes called dark) is a pretty good Vienna lager. (you can slam me if you want but i happen to like this beer. it's true to style and goes great with anything served at a mexican joint)

[steveh]

Originally posted by Erin W
It's been years, so I am not sure they still make it. Cherry Rail Ale from Door County WI

Sad to report, Cherry Rail has been closed for a few years. They always had some good stuff.

Josh, I've never really considered Sam Smith Nut Brown all too hoppy, roasty - which can be a bit bitter, but in different character. But do yourself a favor: stay the heck away from 3 Floyds or Dogfish Head!!

S.

[Seymour]

Yeah, I don't know about Three Floyds, having never had any, but most of the DFH beers I had made my sideburns wanna draw right up on top of my head.

HarkJohnny, what do you think of Negra Modelo, or Bohemia? I always thought they were pretty decent Vienna lagers; Josh, you might give them a spin next time you're out experimenting.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by HarkJohnny

seek out a Märzen or March Beer. it's along the same styles. Other brews you might like are Vienna or Munich lagers. Dos Equis Amber (sometimes called dark) is a pretty good Vienna lager. (you can slam me if you want but i happen to like this beer. it's true to style and goes great with anything served at a mexican joint)

Probably the best Mexican beer out there. I know, I know Casta and other Mexican Micros are out there but are sort of hard to find. The Casta that I got from a Beer of the month some time ago was not all that great.

I don't really drink Mexican beer much but If I do It's Dos Equis. Anyone remember the old Tres Equis?

[hops99]

I'd go out and buy a couple sixers of the hoppiest, most bitter stuff on the market and drink those first - even if you have to choke them down.

Then....everything else you try will seem much milder and palatable in comparison. I remember the first IPA I ever had was a Breckenridge IPA at their brewpub in Tucson back in '96 or so - man, I thought it tasted like vomit/bile and I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth the rest of the night. But...I think it was a good experience for me in retrospect.

It's kinda like slowly wading into cold water in the pool. It's a heck of a lot easier to just jump in!

[mookow]

Originally posted by steveh
Sad to report, Cherry Rail has been closed for a few years. They always had some good stuff.

Josh, I've never really considered Sam Smith Nut Brown all too hoppy, roasty - which can be a bit bitter, but in different character. But do yourself a favor: stay the heck away from 3 Floyds or Dogfish Head!!

S.

Ditto for staying away from Stone Brewery's beers.

[HarkJohnny]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Probably the best Mexican beer out there. I know, I know Casta and other Mexican Micros are out there but are sort of hard to find. The Casta that I got from a Beer of the month some time ago was not all that great.

I don't really drink Mexican beer much but If I do It's Dos Equis. Anyone remember the old Tres Equis?

XXX - hehe the only one i know is Molson Ice (*shudder and shiver*)

and I like Negra just as well, if not just a tad less, than Dos Equis. Most of the mexican joints around here have Dos Equis on tap so i go with that. Dare I say I enjoy it with the lime :rolleyes:

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by HarkJohnny
Dare I say I enjoy it with the lime

:eek:

[Seymour]

I don't know if the four packs of Casta I found were just old or what, but I was pretty unimpressed. I had their pale ale and their bruno (dark ale, I suppose, an amber maybe?).

That Molsen XXX was some rough stuff. Had it 10 years ago and still shudder thinking of it.

Chaz, what was the Tres Equis like?

[zoom6zoom]

Originally posted by D0nc0smic
for instance i tend to drink a ton of magic hat number 9, which is a pretty mainstream tasting beer for a microbrew, since it is very light and has the raspberry flavor,

Raspberry? It's apricot.

[Erin W]

No love for Molson Ice? I love the skunky beers! In my fledgling days I drank Heinekens(2 limes cut small). Molson Ice is like a Heinie but with an extra blast from Pepe LePew. And for anyone in need of smelling salts, Nordik Wolf Light will due in a pinch! Color me goofy...but if your not gonna drink that, can I have yours?

[danno]

Originally posted by Josh
Is there such a thing as a lighter stout style? If I could get a less burnt tasting, medium color, without all the hop action, I'd be eager to try it. well, there's Guinness...

while geared towards homebrewers, the BJCP Style Guidelines (http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/) do a very good job breaking down the vast array of beer styles, giving characteristics for each of them, and also having commercial examples for each style...

Erin, you can skunk any beer, just pour it in a clear glass and let it sit in the sun for a few minutes...

[Sladek]

Originally posted by Erin W
No love for Molson Ice? I love the skunky beers! In my fledgling days I drank Heinekens(2 limes cut small).
OMG....yeah, you need the lime to disguise the awfulness of Heineken...

And yeah, "skunky" comes from being exposed to too much light. No beer is intentionally skunky.