So I’m Trying To Learn How To Drink Beer

Thanks, Marisol. :)

Alright, you know that I've been a bit of a beer snob for quite some time now. However, I have had to keep my pint glasses empty for the most part in order to work at some weight loss. Keep THAT in mind. Beer=weight gain (at least in my case). Even though I had what I considered a good diet my regular consumption of beer led to my gain. I still enjoy a brew every now and then though...and these are my favorites:

I like these in the summer, especially:
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen (with an orange slice)
Boddington's
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
New Belgium Mothership Wit: new fav--only available at the brewery though :)

Newcastle
Guinness
Young's Double Chocolate (I concur that it does taste like chocolate)

Kudos on the mojito recipe up there...done correctly, it's an awesome refreshing experience! There's a place in Denver that I'll take you two when/if you visit that makes superb mojitos.

To go along with my "cutting calories" route, I've become a fan of Absolut Citron/soda with a twist of lime. Maybe it's a "girly" drink...but try it anyway.

Finally have a few free moments.

I am glad Dave made the distinction between ales and lagers, especially since lagers are the dominant American beer. I have found ales to be far more interesting in general, though there are some very good lagers out there, especially bocks (spicy), schwarzbiers (dark and malty), and pilsners (pale but hoppy).

I quibbled with Dave's beer ontology earlier, in terms of boldness. If you're going by maltiness or by color of the beer, stouts and porters are the boldest. Both are ales. The stout, according to Wikipedia, is short for a "stout porter", so I guess Dave and I are both right. I owe him a beer.

In terms of hoppiness, the boldest beer I have had is India Pale Ale (or IPA), which is slightly hoppier than a pale ale. If you're looking for an example of extreme hoppiness, try Victory's Hop Devil Ale. That's a little too hoppy for my tastes; the best IPA, IMO, is Bridgeport's IPA. Delicious and floral, you can really taste the hops.

Some good starter beers, in addition to the others I mention, are Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Lindeman's Framboise Lambic Ale, Boddington's Pub Ale, JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, and Franziskaner Hefeweizen. So many more, too.

Brown ales are also good starter beers. Very smooth and tasty.

Also, if you get a chance, try as many Belgian beers as you can. Though they are often pricier than domestic microbrews, they are totally worth it. Tripels, dubbels, lambics, trappists... they're all worth a try. Some specific beers to look for: any of the Chimays, La Chouffe, and Leffe Blonde.

Please write us updates as you delve deeper into the wonderful world of beer.

Lastly, if you haven't yet, go to wikipedia and waste a few hours reading their various pages on beer. It's a friggin' treasure trove. (Though you might wind up reading about Chinese Communism or Marmots after so many clicks.)

Daniel,

I guess I will make a few recommendations...

Newcastle - very little carbonation and a nice taste.
Boddingtons - think of a light guinness, but completely different. creamy british pub ale.
Chimay - a bit pricey, but definitely worth it. The blue is nice, but at $8-10 each they can get pricey. also note that at 9%, it has a bit more alcohol than many beers, so take it easy on these.
Corona (or almost any Mexican beer)& a lime. - You really can't go wrong with a coooold Corona, a lime and hot weather.

Also, you may try Terrapin Cream if it is available there. It is brewed here in Athens, GA and I am not sure about it's distribution level. I just know that it is a) good, b) easily available, and c) i can get a pitcher of it for $7 at happy hour at the pizza and beer shack across the street from my apartment. :)

Let me know how these work out.

Also, you should try a mojito if you get a chance. (Be sure to only buy one from a place that uses fresh mint leaves ) Maybe it is because it has been super hot lately, but these are f-ing amazing if they are made properly.

Mojito Ingredients:
3 sprigs fresh mint
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice or lime juice, fresh
1 1/2 ounces light rum
club soda, chilled

Directions:
1. In a tall thin glass, crush part of the mint with a fork to coat the inside.
2. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir thoroughly.
3. Top with ice.
4. Add rum and mix.
5. Top off with the club soda (or seltzer).
6. Add a lemon slice and the remaining mint.
7. Serves one.

That seems correct.

You should check out the old Simpson's episode which explains how "Barney" became who he is ... it all started with a six pack!

I don't know if there is any one beer or type of beer that a guy should start with. For years, I tried drinking beer and never really got into it until I tried Guinness on draught. For where I live, Guinness isn't a very popular beer--plenty of people here drink it, but they're heavily outweighed by those who prefer domestics. I honestly see how it wouldn't be a very accessible beer, but it was the first one I really enjoyed.

You try different stuff, and you find what you like. The great thing about beer, though, is the endless chances to try new stuff. You will even find sometimes that you need a break from a favorite.

skip the beer, go straight to wines (preferably red's), and move into ports and Madeira's...

Growing up in Texas i cut my teeth on Budweiser
- Not recommended, but a bud light is great when eating nachos at a drag race

Mexican
- Everyone loves mexican food, add a beer to it. I like Negra Modelo because it's smoooooooove. Especially c-c-c-chuoooold. With a lime.

I learnt my pilsners in Holland and I drank...untold rivers worth
- Grolsch

Beer, real beer,
- Duvel ( belgium )
- Being summer, Witbier ( Hoegaarden ) with lime in a tall glass is da shizzle.


As far as teas go

Earl Gray, HOT! ( with honey )

Hey, hey! Some domestics are good. Ever try Sweetwater (I recommend 420 or Brown)? It's easy to lump stuff like Budweiser or Miller or (blech!) Coors into a big group called "domestic", but it's just not fair to some good stuff out there.

I'm kinda a beer n00b myself. I usually steer clear of the fruity beers (like Blue Moon), but only because fruity carbonated beverages make me sick. Here are a few of my favorites:

Killian's Irish Red (or Green -- doesn't taste much different, but it's special for St Patty's day).
Boddington's Pub Ale
Sweetwater 420
Sweetwater Brown
Newcastle Brown

...and several others.

Don't be afraid to drag someone into the liquor store with you to go pick out beer.

Find a (local) friend that knows his beer and go out to the bar with him -- then refuse to drink the same beer twice in the same visit.

Try high gravity beers too, but be careful! High gravity beer can sneak up on you worse than wine.

Maybe you should start with what hereabouts is used as a handy refresher: lemonade and beer mixed together. Worked quite well for a lot of friends of mine. (And why should one not learn from the success of all those funny alcopops with which the industry is getting the youngelings connected to alcohol very successful.)

As noted earlier: beer is an aquired taste. And starting on a porter is, also as previously stated, a bold move. That being said, here are a few of my personal favorites (with a bit of local bias - i live in Denmark, but i'll try and stick to beers that should be available elsewhere).

Light beers - These should be fairly accessible, even for the untrained palate

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale
Sol
Tiger
Royal Weiss (probably quite hard to get, as Royal is a danish brand)
Fuller's Honey Ale
Badger Golden Champion

'Regular' beers - as in the traditonal bitter lager/pilsner (think budweiser)

Brooklyn Lager
Nørrebro Bryghus New York Lager (Probably also tricky to find abroad - Nørrebro Bryghus is a danish microbrewery)

Darker beers, brown ales, Stouts (i'm not much of a porter fan so there are no porters here - the roasted malt adds too much of a burnt flavor for me)

Newcastle Brown
Ruddles County
Hobgoblin
Old Tom Strong Ale
Young's Double Chocolate Stout (yes, it tastes like chocolate)


Hope that helps a bit :)

I was pretty sure Papazian listed them with Porter last, but it's been 10 years since I've checked his book. So I checked the wikipedia. Interstingly it says there's no difference at all but symantecly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_(beer)

I can certainly live with that.

Awesome, Mjgiarlo. Much appreciated. :)

Sam Adams is a domestic microbrew, though it is possibly the most well-known and well-traveled microbrew. It's good stuff for being widely available.

I don't have time for a full comment at this moment -- and it's killing me, because I love beer and can't wait to talk brew with you -- but I disagree with Dave on a couple points. For instance, I would say that a stout is bolder than a porter, though that depends on how you're measuring boldness. If judging by hoppiness, an IPA (India Pale Ale) trumps most porters and stouts. But I'll save that for my real comment. Maybe tomorrow morning.

My (quick and dirty) advice? Keep on doing what you're doing: buy sample packs and drink with friends in case you don't like what you've got. No two beers are the same and Dave's rundown of the various kinds of beer is good, though it gets even more granular than he let on. It took me many months to get hooked on beer, and even then I never really got the full range of beers until I moved to Seattle -- the Pacific Northwest is a hotbed for microbrews, and there's no lack of liquor licenses.

I'm forcing myself to stop typing right this instant. More later.

Is Sam Adams considered a domestic? I was under the impression that it was higher quality than the other tripe in this country.

Avoid domestics is the best advice I can give. =)

Thanks, Dave. Good stuff.

Beer is an acquired taste. Know that now. Also, for the record, you started with the boldest variety of beer made. Probably a poor choice for popping your cherry on.

There's two main techniques/types to making beer, Ales (brewed at room temp) and Lagers (Brewed in a chilled environment). Most of the beers in the world are Ales. The one you chose, a porter, is the boldest. In order of flavor would probably be something like this.. (keep in mind that there's a TON of over lap).

From light to dark, or mild to rich: Pilsner, Pale, Golden, Tan, Brown, Dark, Stout, Porter.

Another thing to keep in mind is that for each of these, there's also a galaxy of variety in the bitterness.

If I had to recommend a decent starter beer for someone it would probably be a nice golden ale like Red Hook ESB.

Good luck and have fun, beer is a great thing, and something great minds have enjoyed since before humans had written language.

Cheers!
-Dave

I tend to prefer fosters bitters in the big green can if I can't get something like oberon which is a local brew.