5 Best Beers For Beginners

Date November 18, 2009

What are the 5 best beers for  beginners?  Who knows! We all have our hows and why’s, but I thought it would be cool to throw out my list of beers I recommend to people newer to beer than I am, and why.  Do you have a list?

Best Beer for BeginnersOne thing I’ve learned about beer since starting The Brew Club is that everyone has different tastes when it comes to beer.  When it comes to beer, one might say that “taste is on the tongue of the taster” as much as “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

That being the case, what is the best beer for a beginner?  I don’t mean the person who has never tried a beer before in their lifetime, but rather the person who has had the common beers like Bud, Coors, Corona or the like and is looking to venture out.

They are looking to you to steer them right.  One wrong suggestion and its back to the macros!  That’s a lot of pressure!  Its a lot of pressure because (and I’m sure you’ve all seen this) lets say you’re in your favorite beer store (we call them liquor stores in Jersey) and you see someone looking for beer.

Seemingly stuck in an orbit around around the giant stacks of Landshark Lager or Bud Light Lime, you can tell that they aren’t a beer person.  The familiar has them trapped in something like a tractor beam.  Reaching out for help, they ask the stock guy about buying a different beer.  Something new to try or to bring as a gift to a friend or something.  “I’ve heard about these craft beers” you might overhear the person say.

Most of the time when I see this happen, the stock guy recommends a beer like ‘Imperial Bitchslap’, ‘10,000 Minute IPA’, or ‘Hoppedoutofyourfuckinmind Ale’.  (I made that one up.)  Chances are, this person, through no fault of their own, is going to take one sip of this extreme beer recommended by the beer expert and dump it down the sink.  Never again!  I’ll stick to what I know thank you.

The point is, just because your palate has adjusted to extremely hopped beers, or Imperial Ales, doesn’t mean a noob will appreciate it in the least.  (Hell, I haven’t even embraced those beer styles yet!)  Can advanced beerness hurt more than it helps?

So, what things do you consider when giving advice to someone like this?  Do you have any safe-bet beers that you suggest regardless of the person, or do you probe into their likes and dislikes about what they’ve had in the past?  I’m curious to how you approach this and what beers you’ve suggested.

For me, I’ll ask if they’ve ever had anything other than Bud or Coors.  Ever have a Guinness?  What did you think?  Ever try Bass?  How was that?  Schaffer?  Hmmmm. This could be tough.

Here’s my list of safe-bet beers that I think are decent choices for beers for beginners.  Feel free to poke holes or add to the list!

  • Gunniess from the tap or the can with that widget thing.  Its a good beer, not extreme in any way, and it can be found everywhere.  Its a good intro to those mysterious dark beers.
  • For something that is perhaps less scary looking, I think Bass Ale is a good choice as well.  It too can be had from one of those funny widget cans, can be found anywhere, and makes a good intro into the world of imported exotic British Ales.
  • People with death grips on American Macro beers might be persuaded to try a nice Pilsner.  It looks similar, so perhaps this is the easiest leap to make, and  there’s lots of good examples both foreign and domestic.  Pilsner Urquell might be a good choice or perhaps something like Prima Pils from Victory.
  • Another safe bet is the Belgian style ales from Blue Moon.  Say what you will abut it being made by Coors, but its a good gateway beer.  Blue Moon also can be found anywhere, and it gives people a chance to try something new, a little spicy and ‘oooh, its unfiltered’ without being blitzed with extreme flavors and high ABVs.
  • The Guinness pick from above got me thinking of another great choice.  A nice Chocolate Stout!  Who doesn’t like a chocolate stout?  Smooth, dark – and chocolaty!  First one that pops in my head is Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.  Readily available and very tasty.

So there you go.  That’s generally my list of best beers for beginners.  I know, I know, only one craft beer in the mix.  Part of my thinking is accessibility.  Craft beers can tend to be very regional and hard to get sometimes.  These beers (save the Victory mention) can be found in most places, BUT substitutions can surely be made.  That’s just me.

What’s your process of recommending beer, and what beers to you suggest?

67 Responses to “5 Best Beers For Beginners”

  1. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    Hey Ben. The IPA and APA were the last ones that I got a hang of too. I found them too ‘hoppy’ and bitter when I was just beginning. A good alternative is Sam Smith’s India Ale which is an example of the traditional English-style IPA. Smoother and just ‘less’ than the American versions. Plenty of good stouts though to make up the difference! Keep us posted!

  2. Jane said:

    this blog is so helpful! i tried Full Sail Wassail–tasty enough but not special. Fransiskaner (sp?) was boring to me. then i got waylayed with martinis the last couple of weeks during the holiday and have a bunch of beers on hand to try including sam smith’s winter welcome, KBC winter, KBC porter, Black Toad dark ale, pilsner urquell and bass. it’s pretty what trader joe’s had available! i’ll keep you posted and in the meantime, when do i drink from the bottle vs a goblet (my trappist quad was served that way) or a glass (pilsner?)

  3. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Jane – glad to be of service! Please keep us posted as you go on your beer journey! Personally, I never drink from a bottle, no matter what the beer is. You lose so much in the overall experience when its locked-up like that! In a glass, you get more of the aroma, which of course, enhances all the nuanced flavors of the beer!

    BTW, a goblet is great for beer tasting.

  4. Steve said:

    @Jane

    I agree with Scott on the glass -vs- bottle. From the bottle you miss most of the aroma. It just doesn’t make it out of the bottle. From a glass it’s well, right under your nose! Also you can SEE the beer, the color and clarity are different for each style and the head differs too.

  5. Jane said:

    Hi all, I wanted to write back and first say thanks for all the helpful replies to my first post! Next, I have been trying a few bottled beers to see what I like/dont like. If you pros out there are able to enlighten me perhaps on some of the “technical taste” qualities in the beers below (ex, hoppy, or top brewed (i doubt any of mine were), bitter, or malty, etc) it might help me guide myself to the next phase in my journey. Or maybe you see some sort of pattern. I bought mundane stuff from trader joe’s but, I figured it would be a start. None of them really made me feel nirvana (like my on tap La Trappe quad did). In order of preference:

    * Sam Smith’s Winter Welcome: What a lovely drink! Drank it room temp (I didnt like it cold) which seemed to make it taste “correct” somehow. Accompaniment with homemade sharp mac chee (English style with bite of dijon and worchestshire sauce) enhanced the food. Starts off quite sweet and the concluding lightly bitter taste stays with you but not in a bad way. Beautiful amber color. Sweet aroma. Gentle frothiness that made me smile.
    * Black Toad dark ale: pleasing rich color, heady frothiness, easy to drink and great with potato chips!
    * (3rd place but probably not comparable to these others bcs it was on tap: Sam Adams Boston Lager. I liked it much better than Bass due to the tartness you finish with.
    * Bass: Enjoyable, light, tasty on its own (ie, doesnt seem to enhance food). Probably a good beer to fall back on when in doubt.
    * Full Sail Wassail: tasty enough but not special
    * Fat Tire Amber Ale: i dont even remember what it tasted ,but i recall that it was not objectionable.
    * Fransiskaner: boring but had a ‘clean’ sort of taste
    * KBC porter: decent but unmemorable.
    * Pilsner Urquell: Surprisingly I disliked this. I thought it would be innocuous and easily likeable, but I found it slightly bitter and very, very boring.
    * KBC winter: wow, i HATED this. i found it very bitter. i drank it room temp as well as chilled and disliked both versions. Ended up pouring it out.

    Well that is where I am at for now. Any new directions to recommend? I live away from civilization in the mountains, but, I do occasionally have access to BevMo and Trader Joes for example in northern LA county. If anyone has recommendations of where to buy, I’d be curious.

  6. Jane said:

    ps, have not yet been able to purchase leffe brune or korsendonk. but i havent forgotten those suggestions!

  7. Bob the Brit said:

    Sorry to hear that Franziskaner and Pilsner Urquell didn’t to it for you, your palate clearly leads towards Ales.

    A rule of thumb is that beers tend to taste better at the temperature they were brewed at – check my post : https://thebrewclub.com/2008/09/11/warm-beer-in-the-soft-summer-rain/

    I would recommend any other Sam Smiths ales, or looking out for Porters (particularly Fullers London Porter, or any French Bieres de Garde.

  8. Ben said:

    Hello everyone. I have tried Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and Woodchuck Granny Smith Apple Cider now. I didnt really care for the stout even though I could taste a hint of chocolate while drinking it. (It comes in a can. Not sure if that makes much of a difference.) The cider was wonderful. Crisp, clean, and refreshing with a significant, but nowhere near overpowering tartness of granny smith apples. Woodchuck is definitely a brand I’ll be buying from now on.

    I still have a couple of cans left of the stout and was wondering if anyone knew what kinds of foods go well with chocolate stouts. I have heard that not-too-sweet desserts are a good choice. How about other foods? Thanks everyone.

  9. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Jane – Awesome! Sounds like you’re well on your way! Bob’s post is very interesting, and the temperature concept was new to me until then too. It makes a difference! As Bob suggested, it seems you prefer Ales to Pilsner-style lagers, but don’t let that stop you from trying other lager styles like Bocks.

    @Ben – Interesting. I haven’t embraced ciders as an alternative to beer. I don’t hate them, but at the same time they just haven’t grown on me. Maybe you’re something of the opposite of Jane. Maybe you should check out some lighter beers like Belgian Wit, Hefeweizen, or something like the Sam Adams Boston Lager?

    I prefer Chocolate stouts AS dessert!

  10. Ben said:

    Lol Scott. I’m sipping on a chocolate stout as I type, but it is still a bit strong for me. I have had Sam Adams Boston Lager before. It wasnt bad. Stronger than i was used to at the time, but enjoyable.

    I’m still tasting different kinds of beer and filing them down in my mental list of likes and dislikes. Hopefully, my palette will develop over time so I can enjoy the stronger beers out there.

  11. Steve said:

    @Jane

    Looks like you’re building quite a list of beers! I’ve yet to find any Sam Smith’s in my area. Have you tried Smithwick’s Irish Ale? I thought it was pretty good.

  12. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Steve – I agree! Jane is really going for it!

  13. Jane said:

    hi everyone! i have a bottle of young’s double chocolate stout in my possession to drink tomorrow…i am so curious how i react to it! will be sure to share!

  14. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Jane – I remember liking that one, and I even tried it mixed with Cherry Lambic which wasn’t bad either, but not something I’d do normally. Chocolate stouts are favorites of mine!

  15. Ben said:

    It has been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve tried two new (for me) beers since then. The first is Magic Hat #9 in a bottle. I like it much better than the Moerlein OTR Ale that I mentioned in earlier posts. The #9 still has some bitterness to it, but I’m either getting used to it or the bitterness isnt as strong, because it was a lot more tolerable to me.

    The second beer I had recently is Blue Moon. I ordered a glass on tap from a local restaurant. It came with a wedge of orange which was interesting, but I’m not sure if the fruit significantly changed the taste. The Blue Moon tasted quite good with hardly any bitterness at all.

    I do have a question though. Is Blue Moon one of the “good” beers, or is it more in line with the common beers like Budweiser and Miller?

  16. Scott-TheBrewClub said:

    @Ben – I had the #9 and I couldn’t make up my mind about it. OK, but I haven’t had it since so….

    Blue Moon is made by the same people who bring you Coors. Lots of craft beer nerds will frown upon you if you like it, but don’t worry about that. Drink what you like. That said, there are certainly better Belgian Whites to try, and I suggest you do so! One of my favorite summer beer styles! Here’s a bunch to read about…

    https://thebrewclub.com/tag/belgian-white/

  17. Ben said:

    Thanks Scott for the link. If I can find the St. Bernardus, i’ll give it a try.

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