To drink beer or not...

[bluefoxicy]

I've never really had beer.

Some have recommended that I pick up a mixer case, or a pack of regular Sam Adams, and try it. Others have suggested I simply introduce myself to beer via my own homebrew, since I'm making the stuff anyway.

Discuss.

 

[BigKahuna]

WOW...How Old are You?
Never had beer before, and now you're trying to make it? That sounds a bit odd, but whatever. Pick up some 6 packs, mixed if you can. You'll need the bottles anyway, and it'll give you an idea of what you want to make.

 

[bluefoxicy]

WOW...How Old are You?

.... 17? Pic from February:

I'm 23. Next question.

(Last time I went to a liquor store they threw my ID back to me and claimed it was fake, and then threatened to call the cops. I went to another and the woman looked at my license, then gawked at me literally wide eyed for a few seconds... was funny.)

Never had beer before, and now you're trying to make it? That sounds a bit odd, but whatever. Pick up some 6 packs, mixed if you can. You'll need the bottles anyway, and it'll give you an idea of what you want to make.

I guess it makes sense to. That seems to be the popular opinion so far.

 

[Rezilynt]

If it is in your area, the New Belgium Folley pack will have 4 very different styles of beer to try. That would be a good starting place.

 

[david_42]

Hey, I understand. I got carded three months ago & I'm 56.

What I would do is track down a brewpub or two in your area and buy a sampler. There are generally 3-4 ounce servings of what's on tap. They also come with a sheet describing each beer. I frequently buy samplers when I first visit a pub.

 

[k1v1116]

I would say put together a range of styles of craft brews. it would be a shame if you were turned off beer because your first encounter was with a BMC. bud light was just about all I was exposed to through high school and I only started to like beer after I started brewing mead and decided to try brewing a batch of beer out of curiosity.

 

[bluefoxicy]

bud light was just about all I was exposed to through high school

Someone said to not touch budweiser or coors because they taste like ass water. Some locals have recommended Sam Adams and ABA. Haven't checked a microbrewery pub.

 

[beerthirty]

sampler or good brewpub. Beers taste so different from country to country and style, don't be discouraged if you don't like the first one.

 

[bluefoxicy]

sampler or good brewpub. Beers taste so different from country to country and style, don't be discouraged if you don't like the first one.

This is a good consideration I hadn't thought of. Darker vs lighter beer, belgian, IPA, etc. For some reason the consideration hit me when thinking about brewing, but buying just came as a flat "find a good beer" problem to me.

 

[ChshreCat]

At a lot of brewpubs, you can get a small sample of each beer for about the price of one. Then you can see what you like.

 

[Wrathbone]

If you're 23 and a clerk won't sell you alcohol, then threatens to call the cops, let them call the damn cops. You're not doing anything wrong.

 

[beerthirty]

If you're 23 and a clerk won't sell you alcohol, then threatens to call the cops, let them call the damn cops. You're not doing anything wrong.

Check their business license, if it says the are incorporated (inc.) they cannot refuse to do business with you. Once the cops verify you, you will be remembered and will never have a problem again at that store.

 

[Rick500]

Honestly, I'm not too fond of Arrogant Bastard. Some people love it... probably not the one I'd try first, though.

Sam Adams is a decent bet, if you're trying to find something good at the grocery store. It's not nearly as good in bottles as it is on tap, though.

You mentioned Belgians, etc. For me, Belgians were definitely an acquired taste. I have a bit of a natural aversion to sweetness or sourness in beer. I've learned to love Belgians, but for the most part, they're either a tad sweet or sour, and it took me a while. I'd start with something more middle-of-the-road first.

Same with hops. If I'd started with a double IPA or something, I probably would not have been able to drink it. (Now I absolutely love super-hoppy beers.)

A few you might like that aren't really "extreme" in any sense are Sam Adams Boston Lager, Bass, Guinness (probably want to try Guinness Draught first, rather than Guinness Extra Stout), Sierra Nevada Pale Ale... Anything labeled "amber ale" or "American pale ale" is probably pretty middle-of-the-road.

Then you can learn whether you tend to like malty, hoppy, sweet, etc., and start trying some that have more of those characteristics.

I'm sure I've missed some great "starter" beers, but just off the top of my head, those aren't bad choices.

 

[phissionkorps]

I always heard Arrogant Bastard was great, and I have pretty diverse tastes. Picked up a bottle once, and it was one of 2 beers I've ever not been able to finish I thought it was so horrible (the other was Belui Medvedb). I'd go with something else at first.

 

[Revvy]

This is a good consideration I hadn't thought of. Darker vs lighter beer, belgian, IPA, etc. For some reason the consideration hit me when thinking about brewing, but buying just came as a flat "find a good beer" problem to me.

I listed in your other thread a way to work through the bjcp styles...the ones I suggested took you from light to dark...I don't remember which ones they were, but I listed all the styles, and the numbers I thought would be worth trying in your other thread...

 

[bluefoxicy]

I listed in your other thread a way to work through the bjcp styles...the ones I suggested took you from light to dark...I don't remember which ones they were, but I listed all the styles, and the numbers I thought would be worth trying in your other thread...

Nods. You and many others. I'm just collecting more data

 

[Revvy]

Nods. You and many others. I'm just collecting more data

Yoda says,

"Data not needed, drink beer you must!"

Get some beer and start drinking, this isn't an intellectual exercise, it is the bliss of life.

 

[mr_goodwrench]

Good advice, Rick... I would definitely pick up a Sam Adams sampler 12 pack. They come out with a different one for each season so it is a good way to sample lots of styles. They aren't always the BEST exapmles of a particular style, but they are usually pretty solid.

As for looking way young, I just turned 36 and only within the last year or two have I stopped getting carded EVERY where I go. I finally started to get some creases & lines on my face. Definitely helps with the 16 & 17 year old check lane girls(who btw, SWMBO claims are all clearly in love with me...)

 

[bluefoxicy]

Yoda says,

AWESOME! XD

I didn't know Yoda was a fan of Tatooine Lager!

 

[bluefoxicy]

Definitely helps with the 16 & 17 year old check lane girls(who btw, SWMBO claims are all clearly in love with me...)

16 year old girls are all insane. They chase older men. I thought it was weird so asked around; some of my high school friends have confirmed, now that they're nearing mid-20s too...

The other problem I seem to have is 35-40 year old women (and MEN?!) coming after me. Can't it ever be someone my own age ?_? Or at least 18, and not some teenager's mom....

 

[phissionkorps]

Some coug's are pretty hot...I wouldn't be complaining

 

[beerthirty]

Most 35-40 year old women could teach you a thing or seven, unfortunately not about beer. Those ladies seem to be few and far between.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Check their business license, if it says the are incorporated (inc.) they cannot refuse to do business with you. Once the cops verify you, you will be remembered and will never have a problem again at that store.

It's just funny, some of them (mostly foreign actually, the type that have really bad english and always look confused) seem to just assume fake IDs work, so mine must be so good they can't tell, and obviously fake since I don't look 23.

Maybe I should mention I never participated in the olympics in beijing?

 

[KingBrianI]

sam adams octoberfest has just hit stores and should be easy to find and readily available for you. its a very easy drinking malty brew with low hop flavor and aroma that should be a good first beer to try. it also fits the season and the bottles are good for bottling homebrew.

 

[mr_goodwrench]

I tell ya, after 11 years of marriage, its nice to get googley eyes at the grocery store... whether she's 16 or 46!!

 

[mr_goodwrench]

Most 35-40 year old women could teach you a thing or seven, unfortunately not about beer. Those ladies seem to be few and far between.

I believe our frozin neighbors to the north have a name for them....

 

[ChshreCat]

When I was 20 I dated a 36 year old woman. She had a daughter who was closer to my age than she was. Was a nice time though.

 

[Beerthoven]

WOW...How Old are You?
Never had beer before, and now you're trying to make it? That sounds a bit odd, but whatever.

I never had mead or Apfelwein before making it myself.

 

[the_bird]

Check their business license, if it says the are incorporated (inc.) they cannot refuse to do business with you. Once the cops verify you, you will be remembered and will never have a problem again at that store.

My bosses always made it EXTREMELY clear to me that I was under absolutely no obligation to see alcohol to anyone. I couldn't quote you the exact statute, but they made it 100% clear that I would never get in trouble for refusing to sell beer to someone, even if they later proved to be of age. Now, they *may* have been telling me that just to make sure I was plenty confident to ask for ID and to BE a hardass, but I'm pretty sure that at least in the state of VT, if thy don't want to sell to you, they can't be made to.

ANYWAY, I have the exact same problem; 32 and I look 17. Pisses me off to no end.

As to your beer "problem," get some Sam Adams samplers. Not the *greatest* beer in the world, but very good, usually pretty representative examples of the style, not egregiously expensive and they sell enough of it that you'll usually get beer that's fairly fresh. Plus, the bottles are crown-tops and the labels come right off, so they're great for collecting for bottling.

 

[bluefoxicy]

Some coug's are pretty hot...I wouldn't be complaining

In my experience, the older a woman gets, the more demanding she gets. They always have this air about them like they expect something, and it better be exactly that. Always feel like I'm getting stared down like a piece o' meat.. actually, I've gotten yelled at and lectured by a few, in a very condescending manner, for trying to back away (gracefully at first, then more directly if they get more aggressive). Go figure.

Working in retail as a teenager, I noticed that teenage and college girls tend to get somewhat confused about things not going there way, with college girls being a little more forceful and irritable; while somewhat older chicks would simply get visibly irritated, indignant, or angry, even to the point of coming in mad because they ALREADY know they're going to have to knock you around for hours to get what they want out of you.

Sensing behavioral patterns here...

Beer only gets better with age, right?