The Finest Ale

[Slugjc]

As someone who doesn't like the taste of beer, nor enjoys drinking it, but wants to like beer due to how convenient a drink it is, does anyone here have any recommendations, tips or tricks for getting into it? I've tasted a few but it all seems the same to my under-developed palate.

I used to exclusively drink sweet fruity cider, for my sins, but have more recently got into the less sweet apple/pear and craft cider, white and (even more recently) red wine, gins (*raises a flat palm from chest to chin*), rums, whiskies, all sorts of cocktails and spirits in general. This is of course absolutely no issue when visiting pretty much anywhere in the UK, but have found it to be slightly alienating when visiting foreign countries and beer happens to be the only thing on the drinks menu in bars for instance.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

The belgium beer company do alot of fruity beers. If it wasn't pointed out to you, you wouldn't know it was beer.

 

[pluk]

This was a beaut in the sun a couple of days ago, sour, sweet, funk, crisp dry apple. So refreshing.

 

[petegeorge1]

I've always found Damm Lemon to be nice summer alternative to strong (flavour and %) lagers. It is far from ubiquitous so doesn't really solve the OP's requirement but great to have in the fridge for BBQs etc or evenings when you have work the next day.

Damm Lemon Beer 24x 330ml

Brewed as a shandy, 6 parts beer and 4 parts juice from Mediterranean Primafiori lemons and a dash of Caribbean lime to give a refreshing yet sophisticated flavour. Bring on the sun if you can find some.

www.drinksupermarket.com

As mentioned, no 17 year old starts out enjoying lager and it's bizarre how we forced ourselves through it almost as a rite of passage. The options available nowadays should prevent any generation doing what I did.

I'd suggest looking at the new varieties of Gin's on a summer's day; a decent sized glass, plenty of ice, a double Monkey 47 and tonic is close to perfection.
These new Gin's are everywhere (as are the range of tonics) and could well be the drink you've been searching for.

 

[MattyH]

Currently on Eagle Brewery - Banana Bread Beer. It's refreshing and has a slight Banana taste but it's nothing stupendous.

 

[rob666]

Never supped a nana beer I didn't like.
The chocolate banana vodka blended shake with multi sprinkles was getting close to the line, but there was no actual beer in it, so it doesn't count.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

What I noticed more now is that a lot of bars sell craft beers instead of real ale. Which I’m not a big fan of as they usually light.

 

[Jb85]

What I noticed more now is that a lot of bars sell craft beers instead of real ale. Which I’m not a big fan of as they usually light.

Yes that is becoming a trend. I guess ale is an old man's drink essentially:-(

 

[pluk]

What I noticed more now is that a lot of bars sell craft beers instead of real ale. Which I’m not a big fan of as they usually light.

Hmm. The division between the two is really blurred. Plenty of proper craft breweries do produce cask ale as part of their range which fall into the real ale category. I love me a cask bitter, but a lot of widely available stuff is absolute **** from the likes of Green King. I do usually prefer unfined craft IPA/DIPA/TIPA/NEIPA/sour on keg, especially on a warm summers day.

Big breweries have hijacked the term craft for beer that is anything but though, the term is pretty much meaningless at this point and getting real craft beer in a pub is still hard work a lot of the time. The likes of Beaver Town which are owned by Heineken may be at least pleasant beers to drink but craft they ain't. Even Brewdog is a is of a stretch of the term at the volumes they produce at and the practices they use; they have turned themselves into the multinational corporate brand owner they initially sought to fight against.

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Relaxing in my hotel room with one of these before visiting Walibi Holland tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pluk]

Relaxing in my hotel room with one of these before visiting Walibi Holland tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Love that beer, an absolute classic.

 

[Jb85]

Having a lovely van of Camden Ice Cream Vanilla lager.

Photo is too big file size to load up apparently.

Surprised as I expected it to be real sweet but its not. Has a nice sharpness to it

 

[MattyH]

Tried a bottle of "Ironing Man" that was in a gift set we received. Had to throw it away as it tasted horrendous, resorted to a pint of Ghost Ship.

 

[pluk]

I'm all for weird ****, but this was ******* vile.

 

[Jb85]

That doesn't even look remotely nice

 

[Alsty]

I've never got sour beers. I always feel like I'm drinking battery acid when I try them.

 

[pluk]

Oh, I love me a sour, I like em so sour it feels like my face is going inside out, but this is just wrong. Actually it's not sour enough; more sourness would cut through the sharp vinegar pickle and might balance it out a bit. This might as well have been the leftovers from a jar of Mrs Elswoods in a glass, nobody wants to drink that.

 

[pluk]

A little beer delivery from couple of vmcracking breweries. It's going to be a good couple of weeks!

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Just discovered this absolutely delicious Belgian beer Fourchette, drinking one in Bruges (at a place called The Beerwall) after visiting Plopsa and it’s going down a treat. The selection of Belgian beers here is fantastic.

 

[Jb85]

Looks ace!!!!

 

[Rob]

That looks lovely (the beer and the bar). Not too dissimilar to a couple of Tripick beers I had whilst in Liege earlier this year, quite different to your standard Belgian beers and very tasty;