How to tell if beer is good

[Seawolfe]

I would recommend finding a brew pub and asking if they have anything "cask conditioned". There are very few commercial brews Im crazy about, but I almost always like the cask conditioned brews.

 

[cwhill]

Great. You can knit us all some carboy covers on your next hobby.

Holy crap I just spit out a mouthful of my beer laughing..That is damn funny!!

 

[bluefoxicy]

Great. You can knit us all some carboy covers on your next hobby.

I don't knit; I crochet! </Cloud>

 

[Pi Kapp Beer Guy]

Well truth be told you wont be disapointed with your first batch if you dont know what it is supposed to taste like anyways. So go with it. Your certainly at the right place for advice as all of the fine brewers have helped me with even the most mundane apects of home brewing. Plus if you decide its not your cup of tea or beer for that matter i'm sure we could help you get rid of some of that brew equipment.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

I gotta say that brewing when you haven't even tasted beer is like becoming a porn star when you're still a virgin.

I have to admit this was my first reaction to this. Most people I have known hated the taste of beer when they first tried it, just like many other "adult taste", it grows on you.
This is intriguing in a way, now I will not suggest lining up 12 < 10 year old kids to do a tasting test. It's illegal and they all would vote for cool aid.

I have grown exponentially as a home brewer when I started to collect some beer snobs as friends and really listen to what they comment on. I spent a long time brewing what I like, but to grow you have to test and challenge yourself.

Best of luck, and there are a lot of FAQ's, and stickies here that will give you a good background, and thoroughly confuse you.