All this talk of craft beer -- Do I keep trying??

So... I've never really been a beer drinker. I've pretty much always been a rum and bourbon person. Recently I've tried giving beer a shot, but I'm usually disappointed. At what point do you say enough is enough and just go ahead and enjoy my bourbon and water and call it a day?

Last week I did the tasting flight at Brownings. Of those that I tried, I could in a pinch drink the Hellis and the Wit? -- The She Devil and the IPA though are on the avoid at all costs lists. Definitely was a quick lesson that me and hoppy beers do not get along.

Do you push forward in an effort to try new things and introduce variety to your life? Or do you just head back to what you know you like?

The She Devil and the IPA though are on the avoid at all costs lists. Definitely was a quick lesson that me and hoppy beers do not get along.

That's actually pretty common. Most people don't like hoppy beers when they first start drinking beer.

As for whether or not you should give up, I think that depends upon what you don't like about beer. My girlfriend doesn't like the yeasty aspect of it, and that's really hard to get around. However, if you drink enough of it then you'll learn to appreciate it and even love it.

Generally speaking, dark beers are easier to drink early on. Here's my short list of "easy" beers that might help you get started.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout (The name says it all. If you like chocolate with a bit of coffee flavor, you'll like this. The perfect "first beer" for new drinkers.)
Cumberland Brews Nitro Porter (Like Guinness only with more flavor)
BBC Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (You like Bourbon, so this is a must try.)
NABC Community Dark (A great dark, easy-drinking session beer)
BBC Dark Star Porter (A porter that is both locally made and delicious)
Arcadia Ales London Porter (Lots of coffee flavor, with dark chocolate and a bit of caramel)\
BBC Nut Brown (Lighter than the porters and stouts that I've described so far, this beer is also a bit more refreshing)
Unibroue's Ephemere (This is a lighter beer, but it has a lot of candy-apple flavor to it. Perfect on a hot summer day)
Founder's Cerise (A lighter beer with lots of cherry flavor. Very easy to drink.)
Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout (Bourbon flavor, with lots of mocha and toastiness.)
Bell's Cherry Stout (A dark beer brewed with cherries. The cherries in this one tend more towards the sour end of the spectrum than the Cerise)
Bell's Expedition Stout (One of the blackest, heaviest, and best stouts I've ever had)
Left Hand Milk Stout (Extremely smooth. Tastes kind of like chocolate milk)
Dogfish Head India Brown (This one is hoppier than anything else on the list, but it is a good place to branch into hoppier beers. A brown ale with a nice, smooth malt character but heavy hops. Really the best of both worlds.)
Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss (A great example of a Bavarian wheat beer, with a lot of spice and banana flavor. This is a lighter beer.)
Three Floyd's Behemoth Barley Wine (More challenging that most up here, this beer represents maltiness taken to the extreme. Try this one once you get a bit more used to beer, but it is a great example of a barley wine.)

Now that I've submitted my reply, I'm afraid my list might have been a bit overwhelming. In the spirit of remedying that situation, here are the 6 that you should probably try first:

Young's Double Chocolate Stout, NABC's Community Dark, Cumberland's Nitro Porter, Bell's Cherry Stout, BBC's Jeff's Reserve BB Stout, Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss

Scott,

I've got some friends who fancy themselves as wine connoisseurs and any "wine" conversation ends up sounding like teenage girls comparing lip gloss flavors. I'm sure the same can be said about many of of us who enjoy beer, bourbon or whatever. Taste is a very personal thing and everyone has their opinions of what constitutes a great "craft" beer. Personally I consider some of the beers that are in vogue these days to be a waste of my time and money...I simply don't like them. Doesn't mean they aren't good beers, doesn't mean I don't know my beers, it just means I don't like some of them. My point is that rather than depend on someone elses judgement/discription why not simply get in the habit of asking for a sample when you are out and about. I have yet to have this request turned down by any proprieter who is proud of their beer. As an alternative, the Liqour Barn has a very nice selection of taps and for a reasonable charge they will allow you to sample the various beers.

I've got some friends who fancy themselves as wine connoisseurs and any "wine" conversation ends up sounding like teenage girls comparing lip gloss flavors.

Although I don't pretend to be a wine connoisseur, I'm still guilty as charged. Whenever I start talking about floral notes in wine, my girlfriend gets a good laugh!

My point is that rather than depend on someone elses judgement/discription why not simply get in the habit of asking for a sample when you are out and about.

My friend Patrick who works at the Springhurst Liquor Barn always finds it amusing when people ask him how to learn about wine. His response: "Drink it, and drink it often!"

I agree that taste is subjective, but I also think there are certain styles of beer and wine that are more challenging. White wine and dark beer tend to be easier to start with because the flavors are more familiar (tropical fruits, pit fruits, chocolate, coffee, caramel, etc.) and less overpowering. In that case I would argue that it is a good idea to ask knowledgeable people for advice when it comes to picking out beer you might enjoy.

In a culture that is on the verge of putting soft drinks into baby bottles, many people have a hard time dealing with something that isn't sweet, is bitter, can be sour, and has a drying effect in your mouth. Like you pointed out, not everyone enjoys every craft beer. However making the transition into beer from other drinks can be difficult because of our cultural idioms, and people who have been drinking it for a while tend to know the easy places to start.

Paul,

I wasn't throwing darts at ya bro (or anyone else for that matter), hope it didn't come off that way.

Paul,
I wasn't throwing darts at ya bro (or anyone else for that matter), hope it didn't come off that way.

Nah, it didn't come off that way. Sorry if I came off as taking it that way. My writing tends to come off sterile and clipped occasionally, which can make people think I'm upset at them. I was just making a few more points along with a jab or two at our culture, and I actually agree with almost everything you said!

Nah, it didn't come off that way. Sorry if I came off as taking it that way. My writing tends to come off sterile and clipped occasionally...

Wow, looks like I need to get off of the term "come off." Thesaurus party!

Don't give up.

Hops may be a little intense at first. i suspect most of us eased into them, because super hoppy beers weren't really available when most of us were growing up.

I'm too lazy to give you a list of beers to try. Go by rich O's, explain your situation, and they'll point you in the right direction.

Good beers can be very very yummy! I'd say keep trying....if you're just looking for a buzz go for hard alcohol, but if you want flavor, beer is where it is at!

One suggestion Allagash Curiuex - a belgian tripel aged in jim beam barrels

On the broader note look for the flavor profiles that you enjoy in your bourbon - sweetness, vanilla, oak, etc

thanks for trying new beer

Scott,
Seems like everybody has been telling you what beers to try, but I like you wonder why bother? Not everybody can like everything so why not stick with what you like. I grew up drinking Scotch and since moving to Kentucky have developed a taste for Bourbon. I do enjoy wine on occasion but really don't like beer very much.

The only time I'll drink a beer is on a hot summer day or occasionally with pizza. Even then it has to be cold which according to beer connoisseurs is the wrong way to drink it.

My recommendation to you would be to not worry about it. Drink what you like and don't let others influence you into drinking something different. They probably don't like what you do, everyone has different tastes and we don't call me to conform to a specific mold. If you want to try beer take some of the suggestions that have been offered, otherwise do not worry about it!

Scott,
I've gotten into the "Why bother" camp you're considering. I love good wine and fine scotch and just don't care that much for beer, especially expensive ones. I don't like bourbon, either. There's only so much I can imbide and only so much I feel like spending. So, why not do it with stuff I prefer and not worry about the rest? Plus, (and I'm not saying this to throw down a LHB gauntlet or anything) it seems to me that there seems to be something awfully trendy about all these fancy beers and that's another thing that lacks appeal for me. I don't like wine snobs and don't know enough about wine except to know what I like. And I'm OK with that. I don't get any big charge from the craft beers, and I'm OK with that, too. Different strokes and all that . . .

Amen Mark and Jeffery.
Scott, drink what you like. I also sit with a large question mark on forehead when it comes to beers. I'll try something new every once in a while for curiosity's sake but for the most part if I'm going to drink I prefer the complexity of a good spirit. Not that beers aren't complex in flavor, I'm sure they are, they simply don't light my interest like a good rum or bourbon or gin or an interesting aperitif.

Amen Mark and Jeffery.
Scott, drink what you like. I also sit with a large question mark on forehead when it comes to beers.

Scott,
I've gotten into the "Why bother" camp you're considering.

Scott,
Seems like everybody has been telling you what beers to try, but I like you wonder why bother? Not everybody can like everything so why not stick with what you like.

While all three of you make good points, I think you're all missing one key point here: Scott is trying to learn to appreciate beer.

He's shown interest in learning, and he's even taken it upon himself to go out and try a flight at Brownings. If he wasn't interested, then he wouldn't be trying beers and he wouldn't be on here asking us for our opinions.

We can't always give up on things we don't care for without putting up a fight. If that was the case, children would never eat anything but mac & cheese and bologna. Additionally, I'd be willing to bet that the first time any of you tried a piece of tuna nigiri, you didn't exclaim in glee. I certainly didn't. However, now I'm used to the texture of raw fish (which is fairly foreign to many people in our country) and I actually prefer it over cooked fish. The point is that to capture the wealth of sensory experiences available to us, we have to be willing to branch out and not succeed at first.

You all talk about liking wine and gin and bourbon, but did you love it the first time you tried it? What if someone had thrown a super-extracted, tannic cabernet sauvignon down in front of you for your first wine, and you didn't know what else was out there? What if someone had given you a glass of Booker's for your first taste of spirits ever? Don't get me wrong, that's the best bourbon ever in my opinion, but at 127% it isn't to be taken lightly. And gin? In our sweets-enslaved culture, the piney, spicy goodness of gin is something most people don't like the first time they have it.

I understand that it is only human nature to stick to what you enjoy, but think back to the excitement of the hunt when you first started drinking your beverage of choice. You would walk into a liquor store, and there before you sat a whole world of gins, bourbons, wines, and beers for you to try. Over time, we have learned about the different kinds, classified them, and now there isn't as much excitement to be had anymore. Enjoyment, yes! But not the exhilaration of exploration.

Therefore, before you counsel someone to play it safe, at least give him a chance to discover whether or not he might be made into a beer drinker. We like to push boundaries and broaden horizons for food on this forum, why not beer? That's why those of us who have offered suggestions have done so. Good beer, like wine, can be scary when you first get into it because you have no idea what you like or even what you might like. Guidance helps improve your chances of finding beers you enjoy, and entering into a whole new world of gustatory exploration!

Plus, (and I'm not saying this to throw down a LHB gauntlet or anything) it seems to me that there seems to be something awfully trendy about all these fancy beers and that's another thing that lacks appeal for me.

Disclaimer
I'm going to respond to this as gingerly as possible because I know you really didn't want to get into a big discussion, but I feel like this warrants a rebuttal of some sort. If I do come off as short though, that's just my writing style and I apologize, there really are no hard feelings!

First, to fully understand the state of beer in America today, you have to go back to before prohibition. Back in those days, immigrants to America brought with them not only their own native cuisine and all the traditions that encompass it, but also their own way of brewing beer. Because of that America was a vibrant land full of many different styles of beer. Then prohibition drove all of the brewers out of business (and all of the vineyards in Kentucky for that matter, but there's another story) and beer went through a dry spell. (pun intended) When prohibition ended, Anheuser-Busch had made it through those dark days by selling malt extract and giving directions to people on how to not turn it into beer because of the illegality. Thus they were quickly back on their feet and began to dominate the brewing scene in America. As time went on, the corporate powers that be decided to begin using inferior ingredients to produce an inferior and less flavorful beer because it was cheaper but still alcoholic. The other breweries quickly followed, and any stylistic differences in the beers were obliterated.

Today, we as home brewers and craft beer drinkers are reclaiming our heritage of beer one person at a time. When you get down to the crux of the matter, our product is more flavorful, more diverse, and more community-friendly. Macro brewers in the past have wielded their market share like a cudgel to smash down the craft brewers, and now that that has failed they've begun to use more underhanded tactics like the occasional lawsuit and attempting to masquerade some of their products as craft beer.

As for "fancy" beers being "awfully trendy," I'm going to have to address that statement from several angles.

First of all, craft brewing is more than a trend, its a full-blown revolution. If you have any questions, reference my historical synopsis above.

Second, labeling something as "fancy" because its less common or you don't understand it completely is absurd. This forum is all about education and the dissemination of information. Sometimes Robin or other posters will describe some kind of food or culinary technique that I really had no previous knowledge of. I have two options at that point: either write it off as "fancy" or learn about it. I think my default decision is obvious.

Third, one could also say that dining local, shopping at farmer's markets, recycling, and avoiding the soulless chains as much as possible are all "awfully trendy" right now. Making a value judgement based upon something's popularity is both unfounded and absurd. As Schopenhauer once said, "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

Craft brewing and the consumption of craft beer is, in part, just an extension of our "dine local" philosophy. When you buy local beer, not only do you receive a more flavorful product, but you also help keep the money you spend in the community. Subsequently, many craft breweries and the pubs and liquor stores that sell them attempt to give back to the community. Roger is heavily involved in the revitalization of New Albany from the fugue the emergence of malls left it in. Todd from Keg Liquors hosted a Fest of Ale that contributed all of the profits to charity. Flanagan's frequently has pint nights and special events to support local charities and people in need. In the end, craft brewing is socially conscious. Even purchasing beer from other breweries that aren't local helps keep them afloat so that they can help people in their own communities.

In the end if these things still sound "fancy" and "awfully trendy," if you consider us snobs for being socially conscious and wanting to make our community more vibrant and friendly, and if being an informed consumer "lacks appeal" to you, then I'm at a complete loss. However, I hope that all of my explanations helped to broaden your horizons a bit and that I didn't come off as offensive or belittling. I'm merely passionate about the things I care about. Cheers!