Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

[Tau_Zero]

Ben Franklin was a smart guy. Forgive me if a thread such as this has come and gone, but search yielded nothing of the sort.

For a while beer made my taste-buds shrivel in disgust, wondering why their god would shower them with such putrid liquid willingly. Then they learned to stop worrying and love the bomb beer. However, the typical college fare is not worth the aluminum it comes in. Keystone? Natty Light? Pabst Blue Ribbon, for God's sake?!? Bah, I need the real stuff.

The problem is that I don't know much beyond the crap. I've had some of the more common ones here in America (Molson, Guinness extra stout, etc, a wheat beer or two, etc.), but not very many and with no real rhyme or reason to the choices. I had a beer out of Munich the other day (I can't find the paper where I wrote down the name) and made the decision that it was time to get educated, time to be come a man and separate myself from the drunken college masses.

So, I need your help in exploring the wide world of this beverage. I assume it'd be good to try a variety of different types as well as different brands and origins to get a feel for what tickles my fancy. Suggestions would be much appreciated. A sort of order or progression in these suggestions would be even better. And if proper pairings with food could be given, it'll be that much more enjoyable.

PS - While we're here, feel free to throw out any other drink you feel needs at least an honest try, if not more, at some point in one's life.

[Azrael]

Things most liquor stores will have, and are good:

Anything Sam Adams (Highlight: October Fest)
Anything Harpoon (Hightlight: Winter Warmer & UFO)
Most things Hagic Hat
All things Dogfishhead (Knock you on your ass Hightlight: 120 minute IPA)
Smithwicks, Guinness, Boddington's
Things called "brown ale"
Other things called "porter"
Woodchuck, Strongbow and Magners Ciders

Things that are great, but can be hard to find:

DELERIUM NOCTURNUM. And TREMEMS. And NOEL. BUY THIS SHIT. NAO.
All things Chimay
Every Ommegang I've ever found
All things Rogue
Things labeled Imperial Stout

[kid c]

my favorite beer ever would be boulevard wheat, but its quite hard to find... as in i cannot find it anywhere in illinois. but besides that i stick with the following

312- a decent wheat beer, but tastes semi metallic to me sometimes
fat tire- makes me feel like a man, also makes me feel like im drinking beer that was brewed in somebody's bathtub
killians red- my currant favorite, i could drink it all day. also its irishy
red stripe- a little bit more expensive, but well worth it. the bottles are hella neat too. takes like a punch to your pallet.

you can find those at any normal grocery store, and id recommend trying them all at least once. maybe just go to a bar and drink them all? thats probably what i would do.

[Tau_Zero]

312- a decent wheat beer, but tastes semi metallic to me sometimes

Oh man. I was just out visiting relatives near Chicago last week and this (along with Guinness) is what they were primarily drinking that week. It was pretty darn good.

[danpilon54]

I feel your pain about crappy run of the mill beers. I fail to understand why anyone would buy such swill when they can get a glorious concoction of deliciousness for only a few dollars more. Here are some of my favorites:

Hope you live in canada because my number 1 favorite beer only exists around nova scotia. Its called Sleeman's honeybrown. By far the greatest beer that has ever touched my lips.

My other favorites that are more findable are Stella Artois and Hop Wallop. Stella is just a very good pale beer, while Hop Wallop is a ridiculously hoppy yet very delicious ipa. Other favorite is Hoegaarden (White beer).

[22/7]

List of beers

I have had and enjoy everything on that list. We should drink sometime.

I would also like to add a couple to Azrael's list. I'm a really big fan of Tiger, which has been imported in the last year or more, as well as most of the beers from the Breckenridge brewery. The Breckenridge 471 is absolutely sublime, and possibly my favorite beer of all time, which is kind of unfortunate because it's a seasonal.

Also, Tau_Zero, don't ever put PBR in the same category as Natty or Stones again. I know it's swill, I do, but it's drinkable at temperatures as high as 60F, so for camping/climbing/canoing trips it's amazing.

[Endless Mike]

Yeah, PBR is my go-to bar beer when available, followed by Miller Lite (which I know is bad, but it's cheap and readily available and not as bad as Bud Light).

My favorite beer is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Some of Sierra Nevada's seasonals are good, too (Celebration is not so much). It's rare that I really drink something at home, and when I do, I like to try new things, so I usually grab a random sixer or two at the store.

The best advise I can give is to try lots of different styles (that is, a pale ale is very different from a stout is very different from a pilsner is very different from a brown ale) and figure out what you like and don't like and go from there. I don't like stouts, (and by extension, porters), myself, so I tend to stay away from them, but will gladly try a new pale ale any day.

My roommate got a pack of Tiger since it was really cheap (like $5 for a six-pack). It's pretty good.

[LeapingLizards]

best beer I've ever tasted, this weird dutch number called "Delirium Tremens."
comes in a big stoneware bottle with a cork. Absolutely heavenly taste. Good to buy one bottle and share.

[Endless Mike]

I had either that or Nocturnum and thought it was awful, and tasted like someone mixed wine and beer and bottled it.

[Mathmagic]

Hope you live in canada because my number 1 favorite beer only exists around nova scotia. Its called Sleeman's honeybrown. By far the greatest beer that has ever touched my lips.

Ummm, that's a Canadian micro-brewery; they distribute to all over Canada: http://www.sleeman.com/en/html/beer/distribution.htm

[Azrael]

best beer I've ever tasted, this weird dutch number called "Delirium Tremens."
comes in a big stoneware bottle with a cork. Absolutely heavenly taste. Good to buy one bottle and share.

It's Belgian. And the bottle isn't actually stoneware, it's just painted.

[Belial]

Delirium Nocturnum is the best beer in the history of beer. It is proof that at least two gods love us, and they're willing to share. It is hot, deific threesome action in a bottle.

Tremens and Noel are also awesome, but...Nocturnum. Seriously.

[22/7]

Yeah, PBR is my go-to bar beer when available, followed by Miller Lite (which I know is bad, but it's cheap and readily available and not as bad as Bud Light).

My favorite beer is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Some of Sierra Nevada's seasonals are good, too (Celebration is not so much). It's rare that I really drink something at home, and when I do, I like to try new things, so I usually grab a random sixer or two at the store.

The best advise I can give is to try lots of different styles (that is, a pale ale is very different from a stout is very different from a pilsner is very different from a brown ale) and figure out what you like and don't like and go from there. I don't like stouts, (and by extension, porters), myself, so I tend to stay away from them, but will gladly try a new pale ale any day.

My roommate got a pack of Tiger since it was really cheap (like $5 for a six-pack). It's pretty good.

Miller has been my go-to drink (I'm poor, cheap beer is good) for a long time, but recently I can't seem to find a can/bottle/draft that I really like the taste of anymore. Maybe I've just been drinking it too often too long and need to switch it up. Also, I love Sierra Nevada brews. And Tiger is not "pretty good." Tiger is sweet, sweet nectar of the gods.

Ok, so it's not that good, but I do enjoy it quite a bit, though at least somewhat for sentimental reasons.

[Ragavin]

Most of my favorites have been mentioned, I would just also like to add to the list Pyramid Hefeweizen and Kirin Ichiban. Very tasty. This thread makes me sad. I'm cutting back on my beer intake to lose weight.

[Belial]

Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about Pyramid Hefeweizen. Delicious.

Negro modelo is also tasty.

And Red Stripe. More mainstream, but so good. I started drinking it because I approved of their ad campaign so hard and wanted to support it. I kept drinking it because it is tasty as hell.

[Ragavin]

Argh. Forgot about Negro Modelo. So good.

It sounds like we have pretty similar reasons as to why we got into Red Stripe. I was very surprised that it was also a good beer.

[mosc]

Eh, I can't get to beeradvocate from work or I'd drop you a few links to goodness but you should start with familiarizing yourself with the styles of beers and then finding the staple examples OF those styles. Then you will at least have an idea of what you like and you can go from there. Personally:

Styles I like
-Stout
-Belgian Abby ale/Trappist (often referred to as Tripel or a dozen other names)
-Porter
-Pilsner
-Ale (although many use ale as a generic term for many types, I am referring here to the more specifically british/irish styles of that name)

Styles I don't like so much
-Lager
-IPAs (Imperial Pale Ales. The word imperial is optional. It just means strong.)
-Bitters (a distinctively british style)
-German Wheat
-Belgian Blond

There are definitely some more famous beers in each of those. Also the categories are not as rigid as one might expect with lots of borderline cases and odd balls that don't fit or beers that are clearly more in line with one category but call themselves something else.

When I get home and have better access, I'll link to some of the more iconical beers from each of the lists. As for Delirium, the Tremens is a Belgian Blonde and the Nocturnum is a Trappist. Two fairly different styles. The nocturnim is much more my style but the tremens is one of the few blondes that I can tolerate. Particularly on draft, it's good. Nocturnim is one of my top 10 however and is truly great. Still, there are better trappists out there. Belial or others who have expressed love for it, I'd urge you to track down Rochefort. They make an 8 and a 10. The 10 is a better beer but I generally prefer the 8 because it's not as brutal. Also, if you're willing to take a little bit lighter body from your belgian, there are two of my absolute favorites: St Bernardus Tripel (they make lots of others not as good) and Maredsous 10 (made by the same company that makes Duvel, another awesome one but lighter still).

[22/7]

-IPAs (Imperial Pale Ales. The word imperial is optional. It just means strong.)

I was unaware that IPAs were also called "Imperial Pale Ales". I had always heard them referred to as "India Pale Ales". A quick search turned up that initially (1750s ish?) the style was created to create a beer that would withstand the harsh journey and large temperature fluctuations of brewing beer in England and then shipping it to India. However, shortly thereafter, England breweries began trading beer to Russia as well, and this beer, though it had the same large amount of hops and higher alcohol content, was known as Imperial Pale Ale.

*The more you know.*

[Belial]

It sounds like we have pretty similar reasons as to why we got into Red Stripe. I was very surprised that it was also a good beer.

I know, right? I was expecting to have to choke it down, but NOPE.

Belial or others who have expressed love for it, I'd urge you to track down Rocheford. They make an 8 and a 10. The 10 is a better beer but I generally prefer the 8 because it's not as brutal.

I will do this thing you said. Thank you.

[mosc]

IPA I guess most of the time does mean India Pale Ale but a better description is Imperial Pale Ale and on occasion that is what it stands for so that's typically an easier concept to start from. However, you're right to point out the name I was using is far from standard.

Like I said though, the names and types are all over the place. To make things consistent, you quickly end up calling things by names they weren't intended to be called. Either one gives up and the type of beer stops meaning a damn thing or you end up with fun inconsistencies like what IPA means. As a funny anecdote, a few modern beers have tried to solve the confusion by calling themselves IIPAs or "Imperial India Pale Ale"s. Yeah, not helping I agree.

I would have thought the bigger complaint would have been in the whole lager/pilsner debate. It usually centers on innumerable American beers (budweiser being the most notable) that call themselves "Lagers" but are much more similar with the eastern European "Pilsner" style.

EDIT RESPONSE: I'm probably not spelling Rochefort right (now fixed). I can't browse sufficiently to check it. ~10oz dark bottle with a tan label predominantly featuring the number 8 or 10 in a circle. Usually $5-$10 a bottle. The "10" is considered by many among the top beers ever made and among that elite list, it's by far the easiest to actually get a hold of. Many of the others are never exported or even sold to the public at all. It's far from a novice's beer though. The 10 is for 10% alcohol (which I think it exceeds in spades) and it certainly doesn't hide it. The 8 is a much smoother and easier to drink beer with much of the same rich flavor. Notable that despite coming in such small bottles, you won't be complaining. Drinking larger volumes of these beers is difficult.

[Belial]

Yeah, PBR is my go-to bar beer when available

I HATE YOU!

I had either that or Nocturnum and thought it was awful, and tasted like someone mixed wine and beer and bottled it.

....I....what? You're saying words, and I know what they all mean, but they aren't coming together into any kind of sense....

[22/7]

Yeah, PBR is my go-to bar beer when available

I HATE YOU!

Oh, c'mon. PBR isn't that bad.

[Mr. Mack]

My advice would be to find out who your local microbreweries are and try anything they sell that sounds interesting. Microbreweries can do some strange and amazing things.
Also, Samuel Adams Black Lager, that's my favorite beer sold outside of Georgia. If you're in an area that sells Yuengling, I'd recommend that as well. It's by far the best macrobrew.

[mosc]

Yuengling is not a microbrew. It's the oldest continually operated brewery in all of north America. How do I know this? I went to college about 60 miles from where it's made. Anyway, people think it's new because they never had enough supply to export it out of the state until about 2001. Between the 1800s and 2001, it was a Pennsylvania only thing. The rest of you are just recently finding out about this popular Lager.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuengling

EDIT: Spelling is Rochefort... Editing old posts

[Flying Betty]

Yuengling is not a microbrew. It's the oldest continually operated brewery in all of north America. How do I know this? I went to college about 60 miles from where it's made. Anyway, people think it's new because they never had enough supply to export it out of the state until about 2001. Between the 1800s and 2001, it was a Pennsylvania only thing. The rest of you are just recently finding out about this popular Lager.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuengling

EDIT: Spelling is Rochefort... Editing old posts

Yuengling is about the only beer I have any kind of taste for, and that's only because I went to school in PA. I don't think you're allowed to graduate until you've had your fair share of it. And yet somehow you can't get it around here. In Ohio. Which shares a freaking border with Pennsylvania. Gah!

[Blubb3r3ng3l]

on the subject of beer, and on the support of the Red Stripe advertising campaign... I give you a whole bunch of red stripe commercials. They make you laugh. Hooray Beer!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pjrv9CSOQRA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BfGkhhm4vXw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q_A6N9L-LUQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q_A6N9L-LUQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VjsmcirFuRA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VaLqII_tP7A&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue4LhLUp4CU&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64h1ifiw ... re=related

Pelforth Brun was a fantastic beer I drank a lot in Europe, and I'm a fan, to be honest, of PBR when I need a cheap beer. Grain Belt Premium is another cheap favorite. Lienenkugals makes a good beer or two, and I agree with the previous statement of Sam Adams, in general, making great beers.

I only recently turned 21 though, so I haven't had a lot of time to devote to the art of drink. I plan on enrolling in the 'Old Chicago's Brewmaster Tour' or whatever it's called at an Old Chicago pizzaria in my neighborhood, and brining along with me a pen and paper for deciding which beer I like.

[nsmjohn]

If the beer is darker than an Amber I probably really like it and will have one as a treat. If it is lighter I will probably drink it to get drunk.

Some Favorites:
Fuller's London Porter
Newcastle Brown Ale
Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter
Lost Coast's Great White (only light beer on this list)
Lost Coast's Downtown Brown
Rogue's Dead Guy Ale

[Sungura]

I've never had beer. Which is a good first beer to try?

[hendusoone]

Azrael posted pretty much everything that I suggest. I can't say I enjoy IPAs, though.

A couple additions:
1. Anything labeled Samuel Smith's. Delicious stuff. Especially the Oatmeal and Imperial stouts.
2. Saranac. Probably hard to find the further away from NY you get. I really like their Adirondack Lager and Pomegranate Wheat. Their Black and Tan is good, so is the Nut Brown Ale.
3. Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

For a good first beer, my vote is Sam Adams, either the Boston Lager or Boston Ale. Probably the Ale. Once we get closer to summer, Sam Adams Summer Ale will work, too. You have to drink at least six (spread 'em out over a few days) before you say you hate it, though.

[Belial]

Yeah, beer is very much an acquired taste.

[Girl™]

Can't resist, man. Can't resist.

[22/7]

My advice would be to find out who your local microbreweries are and try anything they sell that sounds interesting. Microbreweries can do some strange and amazing things.
Also, Samuel Adams Black Lager, that's my favorite beer sold outside of Georgia. If you're in an area that sells Yuengling, I'd recommend that as well. It's by far the best macrobrew.

A little more on this. If you're just looking to expand your beer horizons, either make a beer checklist, and either weekly or whenever you drink, attempt to try something you haven't tried before (and really pay attention to the smell, the taste, the consistency, the color, things like that) or start buying beers based solely on their name or how much you enjoy the bottle/packaging. I'm not saying you won't find shitty beers that way, but it will open the doors to microbrews, etc.

Also, if you find a particular beer you really like, find out who brews it and go try other stuff by the same brewery.

[Belial]

or start buying beers based solely on their name or how much you enjoy the bottle/packaging.

I second this. It's how I found some of the best.

[Amarantha]

Gee Willikers beer! I don't know where to start. And if I do, I probably won't ever stop. Since many wonderful beers have already been mentioned, I shall just say to the newbies that the beer that made me start to like beer was Newcastle Brown Ale.

Also, I had a Leffe Brune with lunch, and then two Coopers Pales (free!) at welcome-to-the-Master-of-Finance-course party.

[Endless Mike]

Yeah, PBR is my go-to bar beer when available

I HATE YOU!

I'm sure that link being blocked here at work is a good thing.

Anyway, when I say "go-to beer" I mean "I am at a bar and I either spend $3-4 for the 'cheap' stuff or I spend $6+ on something I'll enjoy for two or three beers after which I won't be able to tell the difference." So I'll usually have a couple good ones then move to the cheap stuff for the rest of the night. If it's for home I have no problem spending $10 on a six pack.

[Belial]

...actually, the link isn't bad. It's just an explanation of the Pabst project.

The upswing is that any time someone expresses a like for PBR, a participant is to scream "I HATE YOU" at them.

It's a simple mission.

[SecondTalon]

Yeah, PBR is my go-to bar beer when available

I HATE YOU!

Oh, c'mon. PBR isn't that bad.

Yes. It is.

I HATE YOU!

The Pabst Project

If there's anything I am happy to do, it is make the world a better place. And if there's anything else I like to do, it is help you to do the same. And if there is another thing I like to do, it is drink King Cobra while a hot girl with nice hips sucks on my toes, but I guess that's really not terribly relevant here. Anyway, back to the whole helping-the-world thing. I have taken up a project lately, and you can help. I will now explain.

A while ago, it was brought to my attention (I did not know this because I rarely read the news or keep up with what's current or leave the house much and basically what I'm saying here is I live under a rock) that there's this new thing that is big with the hipster crowd, and it is: Pabst Blue Ribbon. You know, the beer. Now, I wouldn't say that I consider myself a beer snob, or really any kind of a snob at all, but have you ever actually tried Pabst? It tastes like I assume piss would taste if you drank a gallon of piss and then pissed it out. I couldn't tell you why, but I was filled with a quiet sort of rage by this. Maybe it's the fact that I've had PBR before and maybe it's the fact that I have no love for hipsters in the first place, and the knowledge that people are so pretentious as to drink horrible beer solely because it's fashionable only really exacerbated this. Anyway, since I'm not one to sit idly by and let the world annoy me, I thought up The Pabst Project, which I plan to put into action. I've also recruited homeless people I encounter into it, and now I am inviting you to participate.

pabsthipster.jpg

Above this paragraph is a decent example of the sort of person we're against here. Tight thrift-store shirt - and sometimes there'll be a big old belt buckle and maybe a trucker hat. If you encounter someone like this, someone who reeks of hipster, simply walk up to them (it helps if you're tanked) and ask them:

"Excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but - do you drink Pabst Blue Ribbon?"

If they say no, thank them for their time and keep walking.

If they say yes, scream "I HATE YOU!" in their face, then run away.

Repeat until no one drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon anymore.

Thank you for your time.

[mosc]

If it's for home I have no problem spending $10 on a six pack.

My usual trip to the beer place consists of 12-24 bottles and a price tag of $40-$80... It keeps me from being an alcoholic due to lack of funds alone, lets put it that way.

My boss made the mistake of letting me get "a case" (24) of "whatever kind of beer(s) I wanted" for an office party and I specifically asked if there was a price limit and he said "no way!". I came back with an assortment of my favorites from across the globe and a little receipt for 24 bottles: $135

[TheTankengine]

I have a little project for the beers i drink. Whenever i drink a new brand of beer, I save the cap (I don't drink cans, unless they're Guinness). I started a couple months ago and I'm up to 84 caps now. I really wish I had started sooner, as I'm sure I'd be over 100. It's gotten a little difficult after I hit 60 or so; the acceleration has really dropped. I used to go to the store and only get a 6 pack of something new, which worked well for a while. But now I always get the feeling that I just want to drink what I want to drink.

In conclusion, I love beer.

[Endless Mike]

If it's for home I have no problem spending $10 on a six pack.

My usual trip to the beer place consists of 12-24 bottles and a price tag of $40-$80... It keeps me from being an alcoholic due to lack of funds alone, lets put it that way.

My boss made the mistake of letting me get "a case" (24) of "whatever kind of beer(s) I wanted" for an office party and I specifically asked if there was a price limit and he said "no way!". I came back with an assortment of my favorites from across the globe and a little receipt for 24 bottles: $135

See, at the bars here, spending $4 on a Miller Lite bottle is not uncommon and can actually be cheap in some places. Happy hours aren't included in this, of course. I actually rarely drink at home anymore.