Looking for recommendations

[AZBronco]

Despite being 50, I recently started drinking beer. I always viewed it as a cheap way to get drunk and didn’t see the appeal (the odor of spilled Bud Light and nachos at sporting events is not something I enjoy), but after trying some beers I’ve fallen in love with the complexity of flavors. Here’s what I’ve had so far:

• Blue Moon - this was my first beer. I enjoyed it enough to want more, but will have to try it again now that I’ve had a few.
• Anchor Steam amber ale - I really liked this beer. I felt the malt was the star, with a bitterness that seemed pretty mild.
• Michelob Ultra - I’d compare this to a beer flavored White Claw. There wasn’t any mouthfeel; it was pretty watery. The flavor was just ok with almost no hoppy bitterness. I understand why people drink light beers, but if they’re all like this I’d rather have one good beer over 2 light beers.
• Samuel Adams - I have a mixed pack in the fridge but started with the original Boston Lager. I liked the amber color and the flavor was pleasant. It was a little more hops forward than I expected, but not in a bad way. Overall, I found it enjoyable and a beer that is likely acceptable to most palates. Probably not a favorite, but a safe choice.
• Guinness- I was nervous about this one because I was afraid of what flavors the color was holding. I really liked the creaminess and I enjoyed sipping it. The mouth feel of Guinness is awesome. The notes of coffee and chocolate were amazing and the bitter/sweet works extremely well.

That’s all I’ve tried so far! I love trying to deconstruct the flavors, and I feel like I prefer the more malt-froward beers. So I’d love recommendations for what I should try in different categories. Porter, Pilsner, oatmeal stout, Belgium Cream Ale, and anything similar to Anchor Steam Amber Ale or Guinness I should consider. I haven’t even thought about an IPA at this point—I'm not sure I’d enjoy anything super bitter. Once my Samuel Adams 12 pack is done, I plan to go to my local liquor store where they sell singles of everything and get a good mix. Thanks!

 

[JCarr]

You may want to venture into the world of IPA's. There are some very tasty IPA offerings. I'm not a big fan of beer myself...but really enjoy a good IPA with a meal.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I stopped drinking beer, but I really liked quality beer. I am in my 50s and getting drunk is not the goal, but quality is. A good IPA, Irish red, or stout is hard to beat. For a good tasting but low alcohol beer, all day IPA is hard to beat. A beverage store will usually have a better assortment of good ales, at least they do in NY.

 

[Tirvine]

I stopped drinking beer, but I really liked quality beer. I am in my 50s and getting drunk is not the goal, but quality is. A good IPA, Irish red, or stout is hard to beat. For a good tasting but low alcohol beer, all day IPA is hard to beat. A beverage store will usually have a better assortment of good ales, at least they do in NY.

+1 on Irish red. Although it is a big brewery and their red ale is easy to fine, I like Smithwick's (pronounced Smitticks).

 

[Tomo]

I’m of no use to you on this one. I quit dinking shortly after turning 40. I haven’t had a drink since October 2021. In the old days I was quite partial to a Pale Ale.

 

[bobmsp]

Since you liked the Blue Moon, I'd suggest checking out some Belgian beers. There's a great variety, but I'd suggest starting off with a Trappist beer such as Chimay or Westmalle. Or perhaps a Duval (which is not made by monks).

I also love farmhouse/saison styled beer (which can be French as well as Belgian). And if you want to get a little funkier in your experimentation, you could check out lambic beers, which are wild fermented and often made with fruit. They're some of my favorite beers, but it can be hit or miss with some people.

 

[luvmysuper]

Try a Bavarian Wiessbier.
Weihenstephaner is the oldest brewery in the world, and the yeasty deliciousness will have you coming back for more!

 

[Black Adder]

Right off the cuff, I'd recommend Founder's Porter.

Also:
Anything by Samuel Smith. Their Organic Chocolate Stout is incredible, and they have an oatmeal stout and a porter, too.
Kona Brewing. A lot of light, but pleasant and delicious ales and lagers.
Imports are nice, as Phil has stated, but it doesn't mean they're all great; I'm specifically referring to Heineken .

We're off to a bit of a slow start, but hang out at the Beer of the Day thread to see some other styles people are trying. NEVER rule out any local offerings. Do a search in your area for craft taprooms and you should come up with plenty to keep you busy for a while.

Like you, I'm always looking for malt forward brews. While a lot of what I post in the BOTD threads may be very local and unavailable to you, it can give you an idea of the styles you should be looking at on the shelves.

 

[luvmysuper]

Right off the cuff, I'd recommend Founder's Porter.

Also:
Anything by Samuel Smith. Their Organic Chocolate Stout is incredible, and they have an oatmeal stout and a porter, too.
Kona Brewing. A lot of light, but pleasant and delicious ales and lagers.
Imports are nice, as Phil has stated, but it doesn't mean they're all great; I'm specifically referring to Heineken .

We're off to a bit of a slow start, but hang out at the Beer of the Day thread to see some other styles people are trying. NEVER rule out any local offerings. Do a search in your area for craft taprooms and you should come up with plenty to keep you busy for a while.

Hate Hiney-kin.

 

[Shaveprentice]

A beer I really enjoy is Fat Tire Amber Ale. It sounds like you might enjoy it too based on your post.

 

[Black Adder]

^^^

Skunk seltzer direct from Holland!

 

[Sambalam]

My first "favorite" beer was Anchor Steam; worth a try since you like the amber. I still enjoy it when I can find it...

I like Guinness but the first stout I enjoyed (in college at an Irish bar in the Bronx) was Murphy's stout. I find it creamier and smoother than Guinness. Both are available in cans that have an excellent system for bringing the on-tap experience to your home. I also like these beers for their relatively low alcohol content. I can have one or two on my lunch break and not feel buzzed when I return to work; though YMMV of course...

I really enjoy German lagers and pilsners; Kostritzer being my current favorite. It is a Schwarzbier (black beer). I'm paraphrasing an online review that calls it "very flavorful but also light." It's a very refreshing beer and not heavy at all.

Regarding Heineken, I don't like the version we get here in the states but what I've had from the tap in Amsterdam is wonderful. It's so fresh and tasty and many bars serve it in smallish pilsner glasses that I really enjoy. Unless it's a stout, I prefer having (2) 8oz beers rather than a pint.

 

[Yuritau]

If you like Guinness, I'd say go find anything with stout or porter on the label and give it a try. You might find some that don't agree with you (the heavy chocolate and double chocolate variants are just too strong of a flavor for me), but there's lots to love!

 

[Gabby Hayes]

As a malt forward and a little hop overtone fan here's a list of styles that will fall in line for you. Almost anything labeled Octoberfest, German Marzens or Vienna Style (little more biscuit flavor in Vienna, malt is sweet vs biscuit is dry baked flavor), if you don't mind a higher alcohol Scotch Ales hit the malt, sweet, rich flavor too. A lot of Fall specialty beers have that profile. Some of my favs, Harpoon Fall Flannel, Sam Adams Octoberfest, Sierra Nevada Celebration (it's hoppy and malty), Devils Backbone Vienna Lager, Smutty Nose Old Brown Dog, Great Lakes Brewing Eliot Ness Amber. I actually prefer the American Octoberfest, Marzens and Vienna beers to the German. Some of the German ones are good but I find the style much lighter bodied. Someone earlier mentioned some European beers. Seems my current experience, they all smell and taste skunky and musty! Enjoy your new found love!

 

[AZBronco]

Thanks for the ideas. Looks like a good selection so far of things to add to my shopping list. Today I had a Samuel Adams Cold Snap. It was similar to the Blue Moon—wheat beer with some orange and spices. Smooth, easy to drink, but flavors were a little light.

I only have 1 beer 3 or 4 days a week, so it may take me a while to work through the recommendations. In the meantime, I’ll look for the BOTD thread.

 

[Yuritau]

If you like Guinness, I'd say go find anything with stout or porter on the label and give it a try. You might find some that don't agree with you (the heavy chocolate and double chocolate variants are just too strong of a flavor for me), but there's lots to love!

For context, my general rule (there are exceptions of course) is that if I can see light through a pint of it, it's too light, hehe.

 

[StlEd]

I'm more for malt than hops. When I saw your comments on Blue Moon and Guinness, my mind immediately went to Unibroue Trois Pistoles. It's a Strong Belgian Dark Ale style (9% abv), with an interesting flavor profile including fruit and spices. Not an everyday beer for me, but enjoyable.

 

[Whisky]

Right off the cuff, I'd recommend Founder's Porter.

Also:
Anything by Samuel Smith. Their Organic Chocolate Stout is incredible, and they have an oatmeal stout and a porter, too.
Kona Brewing. A lot of light, but pleasant and delicious ales and lagers.
Imports are nice, as Phil has stated, but it doesn't mean they're all great; I'm specifically referring to Heineken .

We're off to a bit of a slow start, but hang out at the Beer of the Day thread to see some other styles people are trying. NEVER rule out any local offerings. Do a search in your area for craft taprooms and you should come up with plenty to keep you busy for a while.

Like you, I'm always looking for malt forward brews. While a lot of what I post in the BOTD threads may be very local and unavailable to you, it can give you an idea of the styles you should be looking at on the shelves.

I’ll +1 everything here.

I’ll add that the creaminess and mouthfeel of the Guinness is due to it being carbonated with Nitrogen instead of CO2. There are quite a few Nitro beers out there to try. I like Guinness, it was the first beer I tried that didn’t have the word Light it in it, and it’s become the Nitro that I judge all others against.

 

[The Knize]

Try a Bavarian Wiessbier.
Weihenstephaner is the oldest brewery in the world, and the yeasty deliciousness will have you coming back for more!

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Good one, but that hefeweizen style might not be to everyone's taste. As others have indicated there is a whole world of German beers to try. Almost anything from Germany is good, although individuals may not like the particular styles. Belgians, too, although I do not much like those styles, which are varied. Many who know beers better than I do are big fans though. It seems to me that lagers and pilsners are good entry points, so Bavarian Helles and Czech pilsners, like Pilsner Urquell.

 

[sknz]

You would probably enjoy any of several Helles style lagers and Weihenstephaner Original Helles is one of the best. Marzen or Oktoberfest styles are also malty with less emphasis on the hops. North Coast Scrimshaw is another you would enjoy. When we used to brew beer the Helles style was more difficult to make as it requires delicate balance malt to hops and a clean crisp profile with good attenuation. When you eventually move to top fermented ales and want a go to (providing you are out West and can find it), I highly recommend picking up some Pliney the Elder.
Take care,
Scott