11 Beers to Drink and Enjoy for the Brewski Newbie

DENVER, CO – MARCH 17: Alex Wambaugh pours a beer at the Crafty Fox on March 17, 2016, in Denver, Colorado. The Crafty Fox, a tap house and pizzeria, opened in February. It offers 60 different taps featuring all craft beer. (Photo by Anya Semenoff/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

So, you think beer is gross? Think again. Follow this guide to different beer styles and you might rethink everything.

Let me begin by admitting that beer is an acquired taste. Like many fine things, it can be initially strange or even unpleasant tasting. Beer-detractors often complain of its bitterness. They may also think only of beer brewed by certain very large, very familiar breweries. And that beer is okay, I guess, but it’s also terribly boring.

Like many fine things, it can be initially strange or even unpleasant. Beer-detractors often complain of its bitterness. They may also think only of beer brewed by certain very large, very familiar breweries. And that beer is okay, I guess, but it’s also terribly boring.

Brewing is an ancient practice. It’s been around for thousands of years, ever since some brave individual decided to drink the weird liquid that came off fermented grain. We salute that intrepid pioneer and hope that they didn’t get too sick right away.

While there can be as many ways of making beer as there are stars in the sky, they all follow a basic outline. A brewer lets some sort of grain (usually barley) ferment. As it breaks down, the grain releases sugars, which feed yeast in the brew. Nowadays, brewers add yeast, though the earliest beers relied on wild yeast to come in and populate their mixture.

Freshly harvested hops are seen during inauguration of Europe’s first ‘Beer Fountain’ in Zalec, on September 6, 2016.

Several hundred beer-lovers and curious spectators gathered in a small town in Slovenia on September 6, 2016 for the inauguration of what is billed as Europe’s first ‘beer fountain’. Zalec’s new attraction, dreamed up by local entrepreneurs a few years ago, will not be gushing out gallons of amber nectar for thirsty visitors to scoop up and guzzle as they please, however.

/ AFP / Jure MAKOVEC (Photo credit should read JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images)

As the yeast eats up the sugars, it produces alcohol. The fermentation process also creates a fair amount of carbon dioxide, giving beer its carbonation. Brewers also add other ingredients for flavor and presentation. Hops are especially popular here, as it gives beer its unique bitterness and unique floral notes.

Now, before we dive in, there are a few terms and phrases you should know ahead of time:

• IBU – International Bitterness Units. Higher IBUs mean that a beer is going to be more bitter than one with a lower IBU number. IBUs measure Isohumulone, an acid found in hops.
• ABV – Alcohol by volume. This is how boozy your beer is. Craft beers usually clock in somewhere around 5-6% ABV, though they can go much, much higher.
• Ales vs lagers – This all depends on the type of yeast used to make the beer, and how it’s fermented. Ale yeast is fermented at higher temperatures (55-70 degrees Fahrenheit) and tends to do its work near the top of a brewing tank. Lagers ferment at cooler levels (38-50 degrees Fahrenheit), take longer to mature and usually hang out near the bottom of a tank.
• Check your labels! A lot of information will be printed right there. Of course, if you’re at a brewery itself, you should see the same info on a sign or beer list. Of course, you can always ask the bartender about the beers at hand.

This isn’t a ranking of beers. No one style is necessarily better than another, and taste may vary from person to person. For example, I love Saisons, but my friends can’t stand them. They say that Saisons taste like a barnyard and musty hay, but I can’t get enough of them. So, don’t let someone else’s reaction to one beer keep you from tasting it.

CA.Beer.1.1203.IK ; Orange, December 03Six beer samplers, Searchlight, left, Weiss Guy Wheat, Big House Red, Birdman Brown, Lights Out Stout and Pelican Pale Ale are on menu at Alcatraz Brewing Co., a new bar and restaurant at the Block at Orange in the city of Orange. (Photo by Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Also, this list doesn’t encompass every single variation of beer that’s out there. There are far more than eleven styles in the world of beer. Even within styles, brewers can go wild with add-ins, cask conditioning, nitrogen taps, and so on. You can have a classic pilsner one evening, and a crazy pants stout the next. I’ve even had a cucumber sour, so nearly anything is possible.

If you really get hooked, check out The Naked Pint, by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune. Of course, you should also get out there and check out some of the local breweries in your town. The craft beer movement is growing quickly, so you’re sure to find some interesting local spots.