Beer

I hate you.
 
And its mine :)

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I can't decide whether I'm going to drink it or not, more than likely I will. It'll be perfect on a nice cold night.
 
I need some advice from the local FG beer snobs connoisseurs. :p

I love a good beer, but I also want to broaden my horizon a bit and try some new stuff. The only problem is that I don't know where to start. Every time I've asked a friend for suggestions, I'm unable to find it at the local stores. So this time I looked for a store that specializes in that kind of stuff and found a Total Wine & More nearby that advertises 2,500 different types of beer. I downloaded the PDF for my location and they do have a ton of selection:

http://www.wineaccess.com/file/store/totalwine/beer-totalwine-tempe.pdf

Anyone willing to take a look and make some suggestions? They sell by the bottle, so I can pick up a large variety of different beers to try.

As far as what I like in beer, that's hard to say. The thing that bugs me the most is that all the times I've tried Guinness, I've never enjoyed it. The aftertaste makes me gag. I always hear people talk about loving Guinness, so I keep going back to it, but I still don't like it. Most of the beers I drink are of the pale variety, so maybe it's just the dark beers I don't like? Or are there plenty of darker beers that don't have a rancid aftertaste?

Edit: Speaking of Guinness, I found 4 cans of it stashed way in my pantry. There is no expiration date, but after a painfully long time searching the internets, I found that it was brewed on December 14th 2009. Still good you think? :p
 
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Firstly, throw away the pdf of the selection at the store. I go to Total Wine in New Jersey all the time and what they have listed is never what they keep in stock. Secondly, go to Total Wine immediately, and allow yourself a lot of time to go through all the beer and see what interests you. Buying single bottles is the absolute best way to learn what you like and don't like.

If you are drinking pale beers right now, try going with IPAs, Wits, Pale Ales, Weizens etc.

As far as Guinness goes, I really don't understand one bit how you think it has a rancid aftertaste. Let me ask you this, which Guinness are you drinking? Mostly what you will find is Guinness Draught and Guinness Extra Stout. There is a huge difference between the two. Personally, I don't think the Extra Stout is very good. Guinness Draught, however, is in my opinion the most easy drinking and delicious beers there is.

And again, go to the store and buy single bottles of different stuff. Don't be afraid to try something just because you're not sure what it is, it could be terrible or it could be your new favorite, but at least you will know what you like and what you don't like.
 
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Phila said:
Firstly, throw away the pdf of the selection at the store. I go to Total Wine in New Jersey all the time and what they have listed is never what they keep in stock. Secondly, go to Total Wine immediately, and allow yourself a lot of time to go through all the beer and see what interests you. Buying single bottles is the absolute best way to learn what you like and don't like.

If you are drinking pale beers right now, try going with IPAs, Wits, Pale Ales, Weizens etc.
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And again, go to the store and buy single bottles of different stuff. Don't be afraid to try something just because you're not sure what it is, it could be terrible or it could be your new favorite, but at least you will know what you like and what you don't like.
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For sure, I'll be browsing around and seeing what else they got and picking up stuff that seems interesting. I'm just looking for specific brands that people have tried and really enjoyed.

Phila said:
As far as Guinness goes, I really don't understand one bit how you think it has a rancid aftertaste. Let me ask you this, which Guinness are you drinking? Mostly what you will find is Guinness Draught and Guinness Extra Stout. There is a huge difference between the two. Personally, I don't think the Extra Stout is very good. Guinness Draught, however, is in my opinion the most easy drinking and delicious beers there is.
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:lol: Yep, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I hear that from a lot of people and I always keep an open mind and try Guinness again, but I just don't like it. The taste is good, it's even good going down, but I just can't stand the aftertaste of it. I'm pretty sure I've had both, but I know that I've tried the Draught. I even found some in my pantry from the last time I gave it another chance... 2 years ago apparently. :p
 
Everyone's tastes are different so to each their own. If you really dislike Guinness that much I would say stay away from Stouts and Porters, but then again you may find a stout you really like.

Anderson Valley makes and Oatmeal Stout that is much sweeter than any stout I've had, you may like that.

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You would hate what I am drinking right now. Its called Old Viscosity and has a picture of a guy under an old truck draining the oil into pint glasses. It really is that dark and almost as thick. Its wonderful.

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IMHO the only way to properly enjoy Guinness is fresh from the tap in a bar. Cans, bottles, in spite of all their efforts wioth nitrogen pellets, etc, don't even come close. And indeed, to each their own.

To answer your first question, these are some beers I think everyone should've drank at least once in their life: Duvel, Orval, Chimay Blue, Westmalle Dubbel, Westmalle Tripel, Gulden Draak, Boon Oude Gueuze
 
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I like to age beer if I can. Plus the fact that it is so hard to get.Having said that, I will be drinking it. I might wait until my birthday next month, it'll be a present to myself :lol:
 
beer isn't something that ages very well if you ask me.
it won't go bad, but it will loose life, virility, carbonated gas and taste

beer should be drank ASAP imo
 
Au contraire. I've aged several Duvels in the past, and they do get better during at least 3 years (haven't aged them longer than that yet). Same goes for most trappistes and other proper beers.
 
Adunaphel said:
IMHO the only way to properly enjoy Guinness is fresh from the tap in a bar. Cans, bottles, in spite of all their efforts wioth nitrogen pellets, etc, don't even come close. And indeed, to each their own.

To answer your first question, these are some beers I think everyone should've drank at least once in their life: Duvel, Orval, Chimay Blue, Westmalle Dubbel, Westmalle Tripel, Gulden Draak, Boon Oude Gueuze
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I tried Guinness in a bar as well. An Irish Pub style place, for what little that is worth.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if I can find some of those when I go tomorrow.
 
TomCat, I've been to that Total Wine and if you can't find something there you like I would be horrifically shocked. I could easily bankrupt myself if I lived anywhere near it...
 
Just got back, took Adunaphel's advice, as well as a few fruity things just for kicks. I was in a fruity mood today, I guess.

 
TomCat said:
Just got back, took Adunaphel's advice, as well as a few fruity things just for kicks. I was in a fruity mood today, I guess.
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Cheers, I hope you like them.
 
RaptorJesus said:
Skip the Crispin next time. Try Sam Smiths organic cider, or J.K. Scrumpys.
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Sure thing. Have you tried the Crispin before? Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed at the selection. In the end I was just looking at all the ciders and reading the descriptions and labels for anything that stood out. That's why I wanted to hear people's suggestions of brands so I had somewhere to start.
Adunaphel said:
Cheers, I hope you like them.
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Me too, the ones you suggested were the most expensive. :p
 
TomCat said:
Sure thing. Have you tried the Crispin before? Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed at the selection. In the end I was just looking at all the ciders and reading the descriptions and labels for anything that stood out. That's why I wanted to hear people's suggestions of brands so I had somewhere to start.
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Yeah I'm a big fan of cider, and I think Crispin has a vaguely skunky, mealy taste. Scrumpys and Sam Smiths is much cleaner and bright apple taste without being cloyingly sweet.
 
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