This is an impossible question as far as I'm concerned. It's just whatever I'm in the mood for. If I want to chew my beer I might go with Guinness. If I'm feeling an amber, Fat Tire or Sprecher tend to do the trick. If I'm feeling lighter, Leinenkugel and Corona do okay for themselves. Dos Equis can be good as well.
Saying you don't like the taste of beer is like saying you don't like the taste of fruit. You may not like grapefruit, but you might love peaches.
I hated all beers at first. I found a beer I could tolerate (Corona) with my beer-virgin taste buds and drank it for a while. After a few times of getting drunk off of Corona I started to really enjoy other beers. Now, I can drink all sorts of beer and really enjoy them for the taste (ie, I don't have to get drunk to like a beer). I don't know if this is a unique experience or not.
Lately, hefeweizen... preferably Widmer Brothers. Or Sam Adams of one form or another. Had some of that Christmas Ale last year and liked it quite a bit, will probably get some more when it's back.
Gotta rep my home state with Kona Brewing Company Longboard Lager: And the best ale I've ever had, and continue to enjoy, the one and only Arrogant b*stard:
Generally, lighter colored beers such as wheat ales tend to be less bitter and more easily drinkable. By the "taste of beer", you probably mean the hops content, which gives the beer its unique taste. Maybe try sweeter beers that have more fruit flavoring, such as Blue Moon, Corona (with a lime, of course!), and Bud Light Lime. In terms of general types of beers, Belgian whites like Hefewizens are probably what you're looking for. In terms of forcing yourself to like it, going to bars is probably your best bet; since it's expensive and someone has to be the driver, you can get away with buying one high quality beer and nursing it a bit if you're the driver; just keep building up from there. The key is to find one you like, learn to drink that a bunch, and go from there. Starting with PBR, Natty or Beast is really rough.
Duvel is one of the greatest beverages ever created, in my opinion. Have you had the opportunity to try Duvel Green, by chance? I had some (in a test market) at The Toronado in San Francisco this past July. It's freakin' amazing. Michel Moortgat Answers BeerAdvocate's Questions on "Duvel Green" Photo of Todd Since we posted info from Duvel Moortgat regarding the release of Duvel Green (aka - Duvel Draft) in the US, there's been a lot of buzz, a ton of questions, and many of us have been waiting for something more official to be released to appease our inner beer geeks. We've yet to get the press release, but yesterday Michel Moortgat dropped me an email ... From: Michel Moortgat Dear Todd, Dear Beer Friends, It pleases me to see the excitement and interest shown on the BeerAdvocate website about the release of Duvel Green on draft. Since the official release is not until the beginning of October, no official communication was sent out. This seems to have led to several questions, which I am happy to clarify. What is Duvel Green, the beer released on draft? First, a bit on Duvel in the bottle. Created by Albert Moortgat, bottled Duvel has become one of Belgium's favorite ales. The secret of its success lies in using only best-quality ingredients, and in the well-balanced, very specific, complex brewing and refermentation process that takes over 90 days. After brewing and first fermentation - which takes about 30 days - the beer is tasted by the brew master and his staff. At this stage this beer is called "single-fermented." Typical Duvel flavors and aromas are already emerging, but the beer is lower in alcohol and carbonation, and the taste is slightly lighter and crisper. When approved by the taste panel, the beer is prepared for secondary fermentation in the bottle, which involves adding additional yeast and sugar and bottling the beer. During 60 days the beer ferments and matures in the brewery warm-cellar and cold-cellar, developing the familiar flavors, aromas and alcohol that shape it into Duvel you know. Now, a bit on Duvel Green: We in the brewery have enjoyed for decades the fresh, light taste of the 'single-fermented' Duvel, and we have traditionally cold-filtered and bottled a small portion of this beer for sale, but only at the brewery and a few selected locations in Belgium. The beer was labeled with a green label, as the nickname 'kleine' Duvel (or 'Green' Duvel) was used to describe the beer taken at a young stage of the brewing process of Duvel. A small quantity of Duvel Green has now been made available on draft allowing a wider range of beer lovers to discover the beer. Is this Duvel Green on draft the same beer as the classic bottle conditioned Duvel? Yes and No. Duvel and Duvel Green are both brewed in the same installations, using the same ingredients (water, two-row summer malts, Saaz and Styrian Golding Hops) but as explained Duvel undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle while Duvel Green is cold filtered and packaged in kegs. Duvel Green is certainly not a new beer, yet clear differences do exist between classic Duvel and Duvel Green in bottle or in keg. The 'classic Duvel' is a sophisticated, full-flavored and aromatic Belgian Golden Ale, with clean, refined, silky sweet dry taste, while a 'Duvel Green' on draft has a gentle hoppiness, soft carbonation, and a subtle, smooth dryness with hints of fruitiness. The beer is not refermented, but is does have young Duvel flavors emerging from the first fermentation. Two separate beers, yet from the same family. Familiar taste characteristics, but clearly different. Why is there a difference between ABV levels on draft vs. in the bottle? The single-fermented Duvel either leaves for a secondary fermentation (bottle-conditioning) in the bottle for the classic Duvel, or is conditioned for Duvel Green. The bottle-conditioned Duvel finishes at 8.5% ABV. Preparing Duvel Green includes cold-filtering, balancing the raw materials for optimal flavor on draft, and some cold ageing of the kegs. This results in a specific ABV level of 6.8%. A lot of questions on the forum are whether specific Duvel characteristics will be maintained? (Carbonation, foam head, aromas and flavors ...) Comparing the Duvel Green on draft and the Duvel classic can be an interesting exercise. The clear differences and the similarities are what make the comparison stimulating. It is clear that a lot of typical characteristics of Duvel in the bottle are created during the final fermentation of the beer in the warm cellar. So yes, there is a difference between the two beers, which is why all bars carrying the Duvel Green on draft will also carry the bottle-conditioned Duvel. When properly served Duvel Green will also have a large foam head. But it won't be as spectacular as the bottle-conditioned Duvel since the carbonation in the bottle is higher than in the keg. Also, the smaller 25cl draft glass does not have the carbonation-releasing small "D" carved into the bottom, as in the 33cl glass. I hope this is an answer to many of the questions raised on the forum. I'm happy to answer any questions you might still have, or you can ask them directly to our brew master, Hedwig Neven, who comes over to Boston for the Belgian Beer Fest. Cheers, Michel Moortgat CEO Duvel Moortgat
Beer is certainly an acquired taste. But when you get it, it's good. As far as dark vs light, that again is an acquired taste. I've never acquired the taste for stouts, but I've been drinking beer for the better part of the last 20 years. Yes.
I never knew about Leinenkugel until I went to Wisconsin for the first time this past summer. I absolutely loved it. The Lager is very good and I especially liked the Summer Shandy. Corona is crap, though...pure crap. Any beer in which you have to add something to it to make it drinkable is just horrible. Even with lime, Corona tastes like stale urine.
The lime is to camouflage the skunked taste, which is a product of the clear bottle that lets in too much light and breaks down some of the chemicals.
Time to bump. Lagunitas Brewing's Wilco Tango Foxtrot. (Yes, WTF, very good.) OMG. I have really died and gone to a hoppy, soaking heaven. You are so jealous that I still have 10 ounces to go.
I remember this thread. Since I stopped drinking mostly piss beer, I've moved up to slightly less than piss beer.
Cool story, moe. Seriously, try to find yerself some of this: http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/strange-brew-lagunitas-wilco-tango-foxtrot/
Depends on where I am. I'm in college so while I'm away from home and on my college budget I prefer a nice cold But when I go back home to Houston I like
Question to those of you who are much more traveled than I: Are American beers popular at all outside of the US? If so, what brands? It's amazing what marketing has done for some truly awful imported beers in the American marketplace. I'm thinking about Corona and Heineken. The beer is of a low quality (especially Corona), yet marketing has convinced us that we should pay a premium for it.
