Please recommend some "TRUE" beers for me to start drinking.Please explain differences between lagers, ales, ?

Question

Hello, I'm not a drinking Noob per say, but I'm ready to become a mature drinker of beer. I'm Looking to find good-quality, not so mainstream/advertised beer that is available at the liquor store...

I'm also having a hard time deciphering the differences between ales, lagers, drafts, etc... I think draft is like keg beer...

I really like Blue Moon and other Wheat Ales, but how else can you tell and truly appreciate the different types of beer out there. It is so overwhelming. Before, I used to drink just to get drunk. Now at 24, I'm looking to enjoy the experience more. Can someone please enlighten me a bit? Thanks.

Answer 1

There isn't room to give a full treatment here; and even if there were, individual tastes vary.  I'm rather fond of wheat beers as well, but not everyone is.  Try a wide variety and, as silly as it may sound, keep notes.  What matters is what you like, not what someone else says is a good beer.  Sam Adams produces a full range of almost every kind of beer you could want; their Oktoberfest is usually excellent.  (Sam Adams also makes a high quality porter - but I hate porters even if they're good.)

When you're ready for something expensive and hard to get, ask your local importer about Hacker-Schorr Weisse.  :D

Answer 2

Bro, yes it can get overwhelming at times.  I say start with your local Microbreweries and good local beers then branch out, try everything you can...only your taste buds can tell you what you like.  

Draft is beer from a keg or tap.  Just like Bottle is beer in a bottle etc...etc..

All beers can be broken down into two categories; Ales and Lagers.  Ale is top-fermenting yeast and Lagers are bottom fermenting yeasts...thats it, just a difference in a way they are brewed with yeasts.  All beers fall under these two categories.  Ales are anything with Ale in their names (pale ale, blonde ale...etc...etc..), wheats, porters, stouts...you can look up the rest.  Lagers are pilsners, bocks and dopplebocks.

Blue Moon is actually a Belgian White (Witbier)...which is a Wheat beer...which is an ale. Blue Moon is made by Coors-Molson, I only drink Blue Moon with an Orange slice, then it's fairly good.  There are better Belgian Whites on the market...I suggest you go looking for some and try as many as you can.  

My current favorite beer is a wheat beer too; Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat...delicious...go buy some today at your local liquor store.

Answer 3

where do you live? here in so cal and a few other places in the US there is a restaurant called Yard House! they have on average 130 beers on tap all different kinds.  they workers there are trained on flavor profiles and types of beers and where they come from (i'm one of them) anyways they can help you pick what kind of beer would fit you.  blue moon is great its one of my fav. but i also like fransikaner hefevise and franiskaner dunkel ( a hef and dunkle mix) there is also hoegarden white and blanchdebruxles. those are all white/hef beers.  the different types of beers very from hops and the brewing process. look it up on-line and you can find what the differences.... like a lambic is an open fermented beer with actual fruit mixed in! they are great! lindamens has a few great ones.

Answer 4

Mixed packs and bottle shops are your best friend as an eager and new beer enthusiast.  Don't discriminate, try it all.  I adopted the practice of never drinking the same beer twice a few years back and so far haven't had to bend the rule much in my travels.  Note what you like, avoid what you don't.

In Colorado I'd be drinking Boulder Brewing (Hazed and Infused = God), Avery (Hog Heaven Barleywine), Flying Dog (Mixed pack, Gonzo Imp. Porter), Oskar Blues (Gordon), Tommyknocker (Imp. Nut Brown), and I'm forgetting a bunch no doubt.  Colorado is good for beer as is the region in general.

All I can say is avoid beer in direct light and always check for freshness dates if you can.  Many places treat the craft beer section of their store like the red headed step child of beer.

http://www.beeradvocate.com is a good source for info as well.

Answer 5

Great White

Hemp Ale

Answer 6

There's really no such thing as an "untrue" beer.  I mean, okay, Smirnoff Ice is not beer, but basically, "beer" is a large category of different drinks.  The Brits like to think that only ale counts as beer, but they're wrong and everyone knows it

The big difference between ales and lagers is that ales are fermented with a yeast that floats towards the top of the brew. This type of yeast ferments more quickly and at a higher temperature, but also adds more esters and other flavoring congeners in the process.  These give ale its characteristic fruit-ish flavor.

Lager is fermented more slowly and at lower temperatures with a yeast that sinks to the bottom.  The taste is often described as being clear or fresh, as the cooler brew doesn't produce many secondary flavors.  Additionally, in secondary fermentation, lagers are stored just above freezing temperature, which helps mellow the taste and makes the beer less cloudy.

"Draft" or "draught" beer on a label usually just means the  beer hasn't been pasteurized, but seeing a list of 'draft beers' usually means those are the options that are available on tap--directly from a cask or keg.

The way to appreciate the different types of beer is to try them.  I recommend getting variety packs from different breweries and comparing characteristics.  It helps if you keep a log or journal of the beers you try, and the characteristics you notice.  

Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 7

Bell's is a pretty good beer but Im from kalamazoo so im a little biased towards it.

Answer 8

I can't describe the taste very well, but I can suggest some brews to try. Anything from the Stone Brewing Co. Sierra Nevada Stout and in season Bigfoot ale. Used to enjoy Guinness, but all we are getting is watered down stuff now.  Used to drink Australian "Sheath Stout. Have not seen it for years. Just keep looking for micro brewers stuff, as a lot of it is really good.