Looking for a Beer Guide - Especially for bitterness

[cheesyking]

I'm assuming he's talking about an "old school" beer engine setup, where the beer is pulled from casks in the cellar (via suction) instead of being pushed by gas pressure. The special nozzle (sparkler) is actually independent of whether the beer is pushed or pulled.

but, but, that's not old school, that's just how it should be

[bdwilcox]

Without being a troll, I think you should at least think about how much of your desire to like beer is about wanting to fit in with your peers. It's very easy to be surrounded by people drinking beer (or beer-related posts in this case) and think to yourself "self, there must just be something about this beer thing that I don't get so I'll keep trying them until I do get it".

Well, considering I hate parties, prefer to be by myself, usually have a drink with a meal when I'm alone, don't like the feeling of being drunk, and don't care what other people think of me, I would have to say peer pressure is the least of it. I think it's more about the desire to understand what so many people have seen in beer throughout the ages. To me it's more or less a historical inquiry considering beer brewing is as old as written history and probably older. If it's been around and loved that long, there must be something to it and I feel like I'm missing something, so I keep searching. There have been times when beer has appealed to me, whether it's on a hot day or with a heavy meal, so it's not like I'm torturing myself in that quest.

As just brew it! said, "I tend to think that most people who say they don't like beer just haven't found a beer they like yet" is my mantra on this one. Prior to this, I couldn't understand what people saw in wine (another historical beverage) until I tried a bunch of wines and finally found one I liked. Incidentally, the wine I like most 'wine snobs people' hate and wrinkle their nose up when I tell them what it is. I actually enjoy watching this reaction, so fitting in with my peers is the least of it.

[bdwilcox]

and the biggest consistently losing beers were any and all wheat beers.

That's interesting because I actually find wheat beers rather palatable. Does your and your friends' taste in beer tend toward the bitter, hoppy end of the spectrum?

[bdwilcox]

Given your sad stories of underage drinking and the never good consequences I'm thinking perhaps you just shouldn't drink at all...if not I won't be surprised when you post another such story but it will begin with 'Last week..'

Considering I come from a family of proud alcoholics, I would say you're probably right. But seriously, I hate the feeling of being drunk and if I drink too much I get terrible abdominal pains, so I don't think I'm in too much danger with a beer or glass of wine. I stopped drinking at 16 and have rarely drunk anything since then. I would have the occasional beer, glass of wine or a scotch/whiskey sour if I was out, but one was enough. Now that I'm getting older, I'm starting to try for a drink a day for health reasons and a bottle of beer or glass of wine does the trick. I just need to find a beer that I can look forward to drinking without dreading the bitterness as I get near the bottom.

[DeadOfKnight]

Try the Sam Adams Imperial Series, I was sworn against beer until I tried these.

[clone]

That's interesting because I actually find wheat beers rather palatable. Does your and your friends' taste in beer tend toward the bitter, hoppy end of the spectrum?

there is a sweetness to wheat beers that I suspect we weren't prepared for, out of our group we had a cppl who were big into European brands that tended to have a more bitter finish to them, one is a big Molson Canadian drinker and favors the barley flavor that goes with it, another was brand neutral and more enjoys the distinguishing characteristics of any particular beer, he could look past the difference and work on accepting whatever flavor it was the company was working on and me personally I'm more of an Alexander keiths, Dos Equis guy, a pair of beers that have the flavor with few surprises both have an inoffensive/consistent finish neither bitter nor bland.

I still go to the trouble of making a black and tan on occasion just to change things up and for the visual aspect of it but I can't do the wheat beers at least so far.

[bitcat70]

I don't think anybody mentioned Paulaner wheat (weis or weizen) beers. I think they are great examples of the style and wheat beers are usually low in bitterness but they can be with yeast (hefe) or without (cristal) and that would give them different flavors. Give it a try if you can find. I also second Session Lager.

[just brew it!]

While we are on the subject of wheat beers, it is also worth mentioning that there are three major types you're likely to encounter, with very different flavor profiles. German-style wheat beers use a special strain of yeast which typically imparts spicy (clove) and/or fruity (banana) flavors. Belgian-style wheat beers (Wit) are normally spiced with coriander and orange peel. American-style wheat beers use a neutral yeast, are usually (but not always) very lightly hopped, and generally unfiltered; so the predominant flavors are typically wheat and yeast. (And just because a wheat beer is made in the US doesn't automatically mean it is American-style; many US micro/craft breweries brew German and/or Belgian-style wheat beers.)

[Pagey]

Let me be clear: bitter beers are spectacular.

[SPOOFE]

I'm not much of a beer guy; I go for Bourbon or Scotch most times, or a really clean vodka (note: Grey Goose is NOT a clean vodka!).

However, I can dig a good brew when the mood strikes me. I have no real preference; sometimes I'm in the mood for something light, sometimes for something a little heavier, or sometimes something a little (or a lot!) hoppy.

Avoid Dogfish Head. Their main line tends to veer into the hoppy/bitter territory, especially their 90/120 minute IPAs.

Boddingtons, however, is excellent: Light and sparkly and really crisp, no real lingering aftertaste, and most importantly, not bitter.

The Unibrue (?) line also offers some excellent choices. La Fin du Monde (The End Of The World!) is a sweeter, citrus-y beer, fairly strong in alcohol content but incredibly tasty. It's the only beer I've sampled to some "non-beer" buddies and they actually enjoyed it.

If you want to try something a little fuller bodied, look for Young's Double Chocolate Stout. It's got just a hint of that chocolate flavor, enough to give it some sweet and thickness, but you also get some solid malt and a bit of mineraliness (helps the flavor taste "brighter", I suppose).

[just brew it!]

The Unibrue (?) line also offers some excellent choices. La Fin du Monde (The End Of The World!) is a sweeter, citrus-y beer, fairly strong in alcohol content but incredibly tasty. It's the only beer I've sampled to some "non-beer" buddies and they actually enjoyed it.

I don't think I've ever had anything of theirs (Unibroue) that I didn't like. Most of their beers tend to be in the "Strong Belgian Style" vein, though they have a few oddball ones which defy categorization as well (their Ephemere is sort of a hybrid of beer and hard cider, for example). None of their beers are what I'd call hoppy or bitter, so perhaps this is a brand the OP ought to check out!

[SPOOFE]

One of my top five favorite beers is their Terrible. It's always a hoot to ask people if they want some Terrible beer.

[clone]

I've had dogfish head beer bought it for the novelty and soon regretted it, just plain foul & disgusting far worse than the wheat beers we sampled.

I've found Grey Goose to be a really smooth Vodka meant for those who don't really like Vodka, Belvedere is another, splitting the difference is Silent Sam which has a really strong finish and on the strong end are Stoly special reserve and Iceberg Vodka.

the wife and I pickled our livers doing Vodka samplings 3 years ago, tried a lot of brands forgot many of them but did get the all round understanding of the various brands and essential differences in Vodka drinkers.

[Crayon Shin Chan]

Drink Jever
I love Franziskaner too.

[Pagey]

Picked up a sixer of Sam Adams Summer Ale today. If we're talking vodka, I enjoy Tito's Handmade.

[SPOOFE]

I've found Grey Goose to be a really smooth Vodka meant for those who don't really like Vodka, Belvedere is another, splitting the difference is Silent Sam which has a really strong finish and on the strong end are Stoly special reserve and Iceberg Vodka.

Iceberg is pretty good. Never heard of Silent Sam. Grey Goose, Belvedere, and Stoli are awful. All you need is Tito's, or, if you have a special occasion, Jean Marc XO.

[just brew it!]

I've had dogfish head beer bought it for the novelty and soon regretted it, just plain foul & disgusting far worse than the wheat beers we sampled.

Blasphemy!

Well, OK... some of their "one off" beers are a little weird. But their 90 Minute IPA is among my favorites.

Picked up a sixer of Sam Adams Summer Ale today.

I'm not a big fan of the Summer Ale. I think they generally do a better job with lagers; their Oktoberfest and Winter Lager are both decent. The Noble Pils isn't bad either.

Edit: Oops, meant to post some comments on a couple of homebrew competitions on the "what are you drinking" thread and posted them here instead. (Just in case you're wondering why I edited them out.)

[clone]

I'm not a big fan of the Summer Ale. I think they generally do a better job with lagers; their Oktoberfest and Winter Lager are both decent. The Noble Pils isn't bad either.

after all of the Beer Fests we had we found that since the rebirth of microbrewery's that there are simply too many beers on the market, they've become regional and while there is variety it all gets covered primarily with local micro brews and the big boys.

we also found that we all preferred what we grew up on, no one out of our group switched away from what they typically consumed for very long with one difference, we all stock 2 or more brands in the fridge for company and a change of pace just to enjoy something different, we gained a new found interest in our beer consumption and going with that I bought my first half case of Molson M beer that they are pimping with microcarbonation, to me at first it tastes borderline flat but once you get used to it a few simple rules apply and after that it becomes really easy to drink, I'm not sure I'd buy much more of it but it's not half bad despite what purests might say.

1: don't poor it into a glass, Molson M is made so that the bubbles are tiny, a little like a champagne, the other comparison wold be headed towards becoming flat, this isn't terrible but it does remove the need to let the beer breathe.

2: it's totally smooth... insanely smooth and easy to drink, the finish is the same as the beginning and the middle, purests call it uninspred, bland or Coors but personally I find it comparable to something simple, you get a beer taste without any of the associated negative that non beer drinkers hate.

3: it's light, it's got almost the same alcohol but without the beer bloat you get when you slam several back, I suspect that ICE cold the beer would be quite refreshing.

I'd give Molson M a 6 out of 10, it's not amazing, it's not meant to be, it's simple and convenient while not mandatory which is what I suspect it's supposed to be.

[just brew it!]

... Molson M beer that they are pimping with microcarbonation, to me at first it tastes borderline flat but once you get used to it a few simple rules apply and after that it becomes really easy to drink, I'm not sure I'd buy much more of it but it's not half bad despite what purests might say.

Sounds like more or less the same idea as the Guinness nitro pour thing -- lower carbonation, smaller bubbles.

it's light, it's got almost the same alcohol but without the beer bloat you get when you slam several back, I suspect that ICE cold the beer would be quite refreshing.

Heh... I don't think I've "slammed several back" since my college days. And just one or two of something with a higher ABV (say a nice Belgian Tripel...) will get you the same buzz (also without the bloat)!

[clone]

Heh... I don't think I've "slammed several back" since my college days. And just one or two of something with a higher ABV (say a nice Belgian Tripel...) will get you the same buzz (also without the bloat)

their is a social aspect to consider and the reality that I enjoy drinking and would prefer to drink 4 - 6 in an evening with friends (about 1 every 45 minutes to an hour) without being careful or concerned about going overboard as opposed to nursing 1 or 2 far past the lukewarm point and then dumping them into the sink.

it's one of the reasons I don't drink wine or any spirits with any regularity..... in particular I dislike everything to do with wine, the ritualistic constrained tasting/consumption right along with the discussion associated with wines about wines and the various aspects of the wine.... any wine in particular.

the nice thing about the Beer is that it's a casual drink it's not supposed to be high maintenance, it's easy enough to find a consistent brand, after the beer fests we walked away with more knowledge and even more tolerance outside of Wheat beers for what they were, with wine I walked away with none of that and spirits require to much active monitoring when being consumed liberally.

[bluepiranha]

I just came off a three-week trip to Europe and I stopped by the Czech Republic, which is where people supposedly drink the most beer per capita in the world. You could call it beer heaven, too. The neighboring countries I visited, Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Poland, aren't exactly slouches when it comes to beer as well. So many different brews, and all so darned cheap! You could buy them off gasoline stations for less than EUR1.00.

Ehem. Anyway...

I've only started as a beer enthusiast myself but I've been lucky enough to sample quite a few brew styles (no 14% abv India Pale Ales yet though). What I've noticed so far is that the style of the beer doesn't really say much about its bitterness per se. For example, I am a huge fan of dark/dunkel lagers and none of the ones I've tried have ever been bitter; if anything they're some of the smoothest tasting beers around. In contrast it's the light-looking pilseners that have tended to be deceptive in their bitterness.

Non-bitter stuff I'd recommend, in no particular order:
1. Hefeweizens: Of these unfiltered special wheat beers, I've tried Gordon Biersch and Hoegaarden. Both are great, but GB's tastes a little heavier on the tongue.
2. Dark or Dunkel lagers: San Miguel Cerveza Negra (aka "San Miguel Dark Lager"), Kozel Dark, Soproni Fekete Demon, Super Bock Stout - all are pretty good.
3. Pilseners: The granddaddy of this style, Pilsner Urquell, is my favorite. Soproni is a close second. Both are smooth and drinkable. Soproni has just a bit more bitterness but definitely not enough to screw with your palate.
4. "Adjunct lagers": Seriously, if you want a non-bitter beer Corona Extra should be on top of the list. Throw in a lemon slice too.

HTH

EDIT:
5. Have you ever tried any "lemon beers"? Those are definitely NOT bitter, although those also taste closer to Mountain Dew than beer. Want examples? I've tried Super Bock Green and Bazant Radler.

[bhtooefr]

Hmm, a thread that's relevant to my interests. I've found that I'm liking wheat beers, though, so maybe I'll just stick with exploring that genre, as I know I like it.

[clone]

5. Have you ever tried any "lemon beers"? Those are definitely NOT bitter, although those also taste closer to Mountain Dew than beer. Want examples? I've tried Super Bock Green and Bazant Radler.

a friend brought over some Sam Adams summer beer that was flavored with lemon, I don't really consider myself a traditionalist but while drinkable I wasn't in love with it.

you are correct though they are not bitter just..... odd.

I remember when a pilsener, a Lager and and Ale would be enough to know which direction the taste was headed but with todays brewmasters they've worked beyond that and each can be as smooth or as strong as any of the others depending on prep.

I find in general the older brands though like Red Cap as an example which has been around since the 1930's taste more full, like drinking a steak whereas the newer brands of beers are more refreshing less heavy feeling.

the only "desert" beer I've liked that was flavored was Fruli a Belgian strawberry beer which was really nice with both bold strawberry and beer in the taste.

[MJZ82]

Here's my summary of what you need to know...

Hops are the primary component of beer that contribute bitterness. So in your case, stay away from anything considered 'hoppy'. That would include Pale Ales from most American brewers, and any IPAs (India Pale Ale). Some Pale Ales from European brewers might be palatable to you.

Other styles you should search for are European varieties called Bitters (yes I know, sounds scary... they aren't bitter at all by American standards) and Milds. These have low bitterness, a very mild traditional 'beer' flavor, and are low in alcohol. However, as someone who has tried and enjoyed hundreds of different beers, these are some of my favorites, although it seems they fell out of favor before I was born.

You can find tons of other info and feedback on beer-specific websites like BeerAdvocate.com. I haven't been involved in that community for several years, but I would imagine they are still a friendly, helpful group that would be happy to assist you in your journey.

[thegleek]

ibu bitterness range: http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/01/24 ... ess-range/

hops reference chart: http://brewsupplies.com/hops_reference_chart.htm

explanation of all hops: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/hops

i'm sure there's 100 other hop-relevant links that exist.

[just brew it!]

ibu bitterness range: http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/01/24 ... ess-range/

That's a very nice summary of the bitterness data from the BJCP style guidelines!

[thegleek]

I've had some crazy hoppy/high-end IBU beer's lately... Oddly enuff, all of them have been from the stellar Mikkeller brewery:

Mikkeller 1000IBU ( http://mikkeller.dk/index.php?id=10&land=1&news_id=72 )

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast ( http://www.mikkeller.dk/index.php?id=10 ... =74&land=1 )

Mikkeller/Three Floyds Boogoop ( http://99bottles.se/2011/09/10/mikkelle ... s-boogoop/ )

[yogibbear]

Try some sort of Trappist/Belgian Ale. There's much less focus on hops in those styles AFAIK, so they're less bitter. If you don't like those, then, well, you don't like beer at all, and are likely mentally unstable. I drink a ton of unibroue stuff, I think it's fantastic, and it's not expensive like the real "abbey ale" from Belgium. In fact, it's cheaper and better than the mass-market import stuff. I think blanche de chambly is a better "witbier" than hoegaarden, and 1/2 the price, at least here (canada). So if you can find something you like, and find a good non-imported (roughly) equivalent, you're set.

Awww... one of my highlights of going to the US of A last year was tasting some Belgium Trappist beer at a pub in Houston that had like 400 beers on their menu. RIDICULOUS. Was worth the 30 hr flight. Plus someone else bought it for me