Beer Noob

Nakana

Nakana

So I've never really been much of a beer drinker and always stuck to whiskey or rum mainly.
The only beer I've really found all that drinkable is the Sam Adams white, but mostly I've tried the various American Pisswaters that my friends in college constantly tried to get me to drink.
Ya'll seem pretty knowledgeable on the subject, so what's a good non-shit starter beer?
 
Well, you've come to the right place, for as the great, Salmon smoking Texas_Blues once said, "We're a drinking forum with a pepper problem".

One thing to know about beer when going into it is that it's all made with different ingredients. The basics are Malted Grains (malt) which provide the sugar that is eaten by the yeast, hops (which provide the aroma and bittering components), yeast (which eat the sugar the grains provide and produce alcohol), and water.

The crappy BMC (Bud, Miller, Coors) that your friends drink substitute alot of their grain with Rice halls (cue headache) and very little hops.

Good beer has a decent amount of hops (to the point that you can taste them...hmm...tasting hops, don't get that with Bud), different grain types (which provide different colors and taste), loads of specific yeast (not your general Lager types...which can be quite good btw), and other ingredients too (fruit, oatmeal, coffee, pot, magic mushrooms, potatoes, tea, sake, etc etc). Hell, some are even fermented with Champagne yeast, some are aged for years in oak barrels before release, and some are even...GASP....homebrewed (like mine!)!

You said you like Sam Adams White. Let's start there. I don't like Wit beers (aka White Beers), but of the ones that I've had and not made horrible faces on were Hoegaarden Original White Ale (because it doesn’t have Corriander which is what I hate in Wit’s), Ommegang Witte, Ommegang Witte, Blanche by Weyerbacher brewing Company.

After that, start trying different styles of beer (because, as this list shows, there are many different kinds and tastes). Who knows, maybe you are a hop head and just don’t know it yet!
 
Oh, and just because you hate a beer now, doesn't mean you'll hate the same ber down the read. After building my hop tolerance (it's kinda like peppers, you have to build a tolerance to it) I now LOOOOOVVEE Stone's beers (Stone IPA, Arrogent Bastard) and two years ago I couldn't stand the stuff!

And I don't like Yeti Stout, but I'm drinking Oaked Aged Yeti Stout (same beer, just aged in oak barrals) and am LOVING it! some beers need to age ;)
 
Thanks IGGY.
I'm sure there's more than just the Wit's that I'll like, but I was drinking JD in a towny bar in Boston during NCAA hockey playoffs, and the townies force fed (ok, it didn't take much forcing) various Sam Adams styles until I found one I liked, and the White was the one that stood out the most.
I'll have to try some of the various styles I've read about on here and expand the palette.
 
I would go to the nearest wine shop or liquor store that stocks a good selection of imports and craft beers and just chat up the staff for some recommendations. If they are worth their salt they should have some opinions on the beers they sell.
 
Definitely going to give that book a look Chuk. The only liquor store in our town is attached to and staffed by the grocery store, and caters mostly in wine, but I did see some Rogue Dead Guy Ale and I'd heard several people say how good it was so I gave it a try.
Was a little stronger than I'd had, but also had a lot more complex flavor profile.
Think I'm developing a taste for the expensive stuff.
 
Learn a little bit about beers and ales, and if you have a local brewery, take a tour and do a tasting. When you learn what you like, try that by different brewers.
 
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/

I don't know if registration is required, but beeradvocate.com is one of the premier beer resources on the planet, so it's totally worth it.

Think about what sort of tastes you like right now. Skim through the beer styles section to see what might be a match, then find something in your area that will match your taste buds.

Then look over the the other sections
* Beer Styles
* How to Review a Beer
* Glassware for Beer
* How to Store Beer
* How to Pour Beer
* How to Taste Beer

And remember, the beer doesn't have to be one of the top 10 best beers in the world. Start simple. I learned how to review beers a few years back and the first beer I was taught with was Budweiser. I wouldn't go that route if you're just looking to learn more about beer and expand your palette. Fresh locals would be best, a brew on premises beer pub would be ideal.
Find a place that serves good beer and start chatting up the bartenders and the people around you. Beer drinkers are pretty social people, and we usually love to talk beer.

If you liked the witbier style, you may want to find a nice hefeweizen next. Brooklyner Weisse Beer by Brooklyn Brewing Company is a pretty fine example.
 
Thanks for the advise Skydiver. Living in small town Iowa there's not a lot of breweries at my disposal, but there might be a couple to check out next time I make a trip to Iowa City.
 
I'm a beer noob too. I will always be, I don't need know it alls telling me I'm wrong about some kind of beer so I'll stay a noob and just drink what I like ;)
 
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