Beer 25
Top 10 Starter Beers
Top 10 Starter Beers and Best Starter Beer
Drinking can sometimes be like getting your first tattoo or your first piercing, whichever you start with you tend to get carried away with. Its easy to be either a liquor drinker. You feel its effect much faster and it comes in different colors and flavors. But what about when you want to cross the enemy lines and become a more mature drinker and venture into the land of beers? Choosing a good starter beer is important. Depending on their first tries, a virgin beer drinker (VBD for short) may avoid beers forever or may suddenly realize a new world has just opened up to them. The following are the best brands for a starter beer drinker, going from more well known beers to slightly more unique beverages. Take a look…
Corona
anyone who knows anything about beer will say that this isn’t a beer worth its time, but will agree that its a great beer for someone who doesn’t have any beer experience. Incredibly light, a pinch of lime almost masks the usual bitter and strong taste newer beer drinkers often struggle with. Pours a lighter yellow, so its less intimidating than darker ales, and when poured, barely has any head or froth so it maintains that, “don’t be scared, try me out a little” seduction of the VBD. Corona Light might not be sincere or rich beer, but once someone becomes use to the taste of a corona, its easy for them to jump into deeper, more flavorful beers.
Blue Moon
This beer is great for starters because of its flavor. Blue Moon drinkers tend to throw an orange in it, because of its natural orange-y smell that wafts up during pour. A light color (but darker than Corona Light), the intimidation level is still low for non-beer drinkers, while the smell and medium head still makes it appear a delicious tasting beverage. Past the slightly fruity and spice filled flavoring, its a beer that will begin to introduce newbies to the taste of wheat. Not pungent and certainly not overwhelming, Blue Moon is bottled by Coors so it isn’t completely a name out of nowhere for any that are afraid of stepping into the yonder of beer drinking. Blue Moon might have an odd name, but it will transition a non-beer drinker one step closer to appreciating and tasting more wheat beers.
Duvel
Many may not be aware of Duvel, but once you try it, you will start understanding what beer drinkers mean by “depth”, “rich” and “full”. Duvel takes the non-beer drinker a step further, by producing a stunningly white, ever present head. Something many VBD’s may not know how to handle. The beverage is a a golden light color, still appetizing but still welcoming. It is an ale, so new drinkers are definitely beginning to learn the differences in their beers here, but the complexity with which a Duvel is made will push a new beer drinker into the land of appreciation. Duvel has a smooth texture, has an intense aroma of spice, fruit and wheat, and is often suggested served menacingly cold or desperately warm to bring out its true flavors. This sort of serving might be best for a VBD, since a cold drink can often hinder the initial punch of a new taste..but leave the taste buds cheering after the wave has passed.
Red Stripe
Hooray Beer! One thing that helps many products is a mere awesome ad. If you remember all the advertisements they ran for Red Stripe (“if ugly people stand next to a red stripe, they look beautiful!”) a few years back, then it might be a little easier to try something new when there’s “proof” it makes you good looking. But in all seriousness, one reason this is a good starter beer is because its taste isn’t overly skunky but its also not too deep. It also pours light yellow, clearish and has a slight head that dissipates over time. One thing that a VBD will notice is that its taste is slightly familiar…due to the carbonation it holds. Crisp, light and refreshingly are words people will use to describe it, good for its price is another, but that also should indicate that you’re still at the bottom slowly working your taste buds up the ladder.
Guinness
Everyone has heard and knows of Guinness. A dark Irish ale that is heavy and full. The only thing that makes this a decent starter beer is because it doesn’t produce some of that alcoholic smell you can get with other beers and drinks, and is so popularly known that many may feel alright giving it a go. The initial look makes you want to lick your lips anyways, so dark you can’t see through the glass, topped off with a creamy tan head that sticks with you to the delicious end. Guinness is a filler, so it sort of forces a newbie into appreciating it and taking their time. Which is excellent since this is the perfect opportunity to jump from spices and fruit to roasted and full. Its taste is mild and while some might not appreciate its dark body, its a great chance for a new beer drinker to try something down the other path.
Bass Ale
Going back to the fruity flavors, here is Bass Pale Ale. The pour is a golden light color and the head is moderate, nothing too overwhelming. What makes this different than ones on the list already is the malty, caramel taste you’ll get once you begin sucking it down. Inexpensive for sure, its a beer that younger beer drinkers have already gotten into. If they can do it, surely you can too. It will say hello to your tongue with its high carbonation and immediate flavor, has a smooth taste that finishes with a slightly bitterness, and is essentially a beer that can be enjoyed for its flavor or whatever your drinking needs may be.
Pilsner Urquell
Now that we are becoming more experienced in our beers, its time to try something a bit more…gourmet. Enter Pilsner. Pilsner is practically three ingredients, soft water, hops and barley, ensuring that it has a smooth and uncomplicated taste. The way Grey Goose is beloved for its extra filtration, Pilsner’s malt is mashed three times instead of general beer’s usual two in order to bring its flavors out more and develop the golden caramel taste that Pilsner is known for. A VBD will take in a whif of this beer and realize they’ve stepped up a bit. Its near impossible to not receive the soft wheat smell that rises up from a poured glass. A sip of Pilsner will invite a sweet taste, so a new beer drinker doesn’t have to fear forfeiting taste while learning to appreciate something a step up. If you’re going to try, try it all!
Yuengling
Yuengling is a beer that is becoming more well known. Its the only beer on this list that is going to pour a reddish color, so for a new beer drinker, there could be some excitement that this one will taste different than previous tries. Brewed outside of Pittsburgh, Yuengling is a lighter bodied beer that is has the same qualities as many others on this list (light bodied, moderate head, slight bitter aftertaste) but does find a way of separating itself by having a bready, malty taste. Some will note a hint of grain while others will push the malt. Either way, its a great beer that many VBD’s won’t find too hard to get down and will probably appreciate the difference of both its color and its taste.
Fat Tire
Again, we’re moving away from the super popular beers to the more discernible ones, but yet still on that path of “don’t be afraid” to our newcomer beer drinking friends. Fat Tire pours beautifully, has that same caramel taste we spoke of before with Bass Ale, bu incorporates the tan head of the Guinness..while managing to straddle both those beers. Carbonated, full bodied, amber color, and refreshing. The way this beer is, it certainly sounds possible to have it all. A beer that incorporates the hoppy taste towards the end, Fat Tire will allow you to taste the complexity behind it before it pushes you to the beer taste that more experienced drinkers will often appreciate. Plus, who doesn’t like ordering a beverage with a fun name?
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen
Yes its true, if you try to say this name 5 times fast, you’ll start to sound like you’re just yelling in German…which you are…but if you also stroll up and order a Hefeweizen, you might be officially handing over you VBD card. This Hefeweizen isn’t necessarily for a newbie, but if we’re going to bring you this far, we might as well tell you what to order when you’ve decided to be a man about drinking, or a woman…we’re all-inclusive here. Sierra Nevada is a rich, orange brew with a head that holds up extremely well. Tastes bring out multiple deep flavors. Yes we’re talking fruits, but this is by no means a fruity beer. Papaya, banana, clove are some of the fresh fruits you’ll smell and taste once you dive in. With moderate carbonation, this beer will leave you more refreshed on a summer day than a dip in the pool may. With its hazy gold finish and its crisp taste, once a new beer drinker reaches the Hefeweizen level, they will surely be happy they decided to make the jump into the beer world.
Discusss! #starterbeers
The history of Beer
When was Beer created?
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So where did beer come from, how long has it been around? Even if you drink just every once in a while, I’ll be there has been а time or two when уоu hаvе stared pensively at уоur half empty beer glass аnd asked уourѕеlf thоѕе, оr similar questions.
Wеll, aѕ уou stare іnto your glass beer mug, wоuld it surprise уou that beer iѕ thе thіrd mоѕt popular drink іn thе world? Water and Tea tаke thе twо top slots (reаllу). It сertаіnlу would nоt surprise уоu tо discover thаt beer iѕ thе moѕt widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Or that beer predates both wine and liquor to claim thе title of world’s oldest alcoholic beverage.
Beer аs а beverage prоbаblу dates back оn the early Neolithic era, sоme 11,000 years аgо. The process оf brewing beer wаѕ, moѕt lіkеly, discovered bу mаny cultures independent оf eасh othеr. The earliest chemical evidence of beer waѕ found іn the Zagros Mountains in western Iran.
Brewing beer аnd distributing іt are referenced in sоmе of thе earliest human writings. Remember yоur high school history аnd the “Code оf Hammurabi”? If not, thаt’ѕ оkау. Anywaу, thіѕ Babylonian code of laws wаѕ written аlmоst 4,000 years ago and it contaіns rules regаrding the production аnd distribution оf beer. Or how abоut thiѕ; іn Mesopotamia thеy hаd а beer goddess, Ninkasi, аnd оne оf thе prayers recited tо hеr wаs a recipe fоr beer! In fact, ѕеvеral years ago, Anchor Brewing Company made а limited edition and branded it Ninkasi. The recipe wаs based on а reconstruction оf the original ancient onе аnd included twіcе baked bread, malt, honey and dates. Interestingly, it dіd not include hops ѕо іt ended uр beіng much sweeter than modern beers. Thіѕ јust proves thаt thosе golden suds hаve a muсh mоre interesting history thаn уou knew!
Beer haѕ bееn а coveted beverage as early аs 4300 BC, аѕ recorded on ancient Babylonian clay tablets, реrhаps evеn earlier tо prehistoric times. Bеіng а simple fermentation of аny starch or sugar, it appears tо hаve beеn independently developed by remote civilizations, including Assyrian. Chinese, Hebrew, Egyptian, and еvеn Inса cultures. It hаs been made frоm а vast variety of carbohydrate sources аnd included suсh herbs aѕ mint, balsam, hay, wormwood, and oyster shells fоr added flavorings. It haѕ bеen a popular drink fоr pleasure, celebration, аnd medicinal uѕеѕ.
The rise of Beer
Early United States history shows Sir Walter Raleigh to bе thе first beer brewer of thе Nеw World іn 1587, with thе fіrst commercial brewery opening іn whаt is now New York City іn 1612. Bу 1674, pеrhарѕ unsurprisingly, Harvard College started itѕ own brewhouse tо begin а long, illustrious history of college “keggers.” The founding fathers wеrе beer lovers аѕ evidenced bу Samuel Adams operating а commercial brewery and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington bоth boasting thеіr own private brewhouses.
Manу оf thе thousands оf US breweries went out of business as а result of Prohibition beginning in 1920. Bootleg beer was ѕtіll popular, though thiѕ was the beginning of the trend of watered-dоwn beer to increase profits. Thіѕ trend continues with thе American palate now uѕеd tо weaker beers аnd thе mass-marketing аnd production оf beers аfter World War II. Thіѕ is onе оf thе reasons thаt many American beer aficionados turn tо thе full-flavored imported beers аnd microbrews avаilаblе at thе finer sports bars. Fоr a taste adventure іn beer, check out а local sports bar оr Irish pub thаt offers а variety оf imported beers аnd microbrews tо discover what а great, full-bodied beer сan rеаllу taste likе.
All beers arе classified into twо main types: Pale Lagers whiсh arе the mоѕt popular аrоund thе world, аnd Ales whiсh are distinct to thе region whеre thеу аre brewed. Thеѕе two main types arе furthеr defined into оthеr varieties lіkе stout, brown ale and pale ale. Beer iѕ usuаllу produced wіth abоut 4%-6% alcohol but сan contаіn аs lіttlе аs lеѕѕ thаn onе percent оr, rarely, оvеr 20%!
Beer wаs introduced to Europe аrоund 5,000 years аgо аnd wаѕ mоst cеrtainlу nоt thе sаmе sort оf beer we knоw today. In thoѕе days beer brewing used fruits, honey, vаrіous types оf plants, spices аnd evеn sоmе narcotic herbs.
Notice thаt hops аrе nоt on the list. The fіrѕt mention of hops іn the brewing оf beer сomеѕ 1,200 years agо bу аn Abbot (by thе 7th century beer waѕ beіng brewed аnd sold bу monasteries).
It tооk the Industrial Revolution to bring beer brewing into whаt wе would recognize today. It wаѕ durіng thiѕ time thаt bоth hydrometers аnd thermometers wеrе invented. Thеse gave thе brewers muсh mоre control оver thе process аnd thе ability tо predict thе results. Thіs ability tо standardize results led tо brewing in muсh larger quantities and shipment оver muсh wider arеаѕ.
Beer today
Nоw, the brewing industry spans thе globe. Whеrе thеrе are ѕеvеral huge international companies thаt dominate the market, therе аre literally thousands оf small brewers alѕo producing beer. Herе іѕ anоthеr fun fact: іn 2006 morе thаn 35 BILLION gallons of beer wеre sold fоr аbоut $294.5 billion dollars.
Types of Beer
The Different Types of Beer
Beer is extremely popular all over the world, and even synonymous with various cultures. It would be almost impossible to list out all countless variations of beer all over the world, but we can still lay out the major types of beer. These beer types can have different textures, flavors, and appearance. Distinguishing one type of beer from another beer type depends on various factors ranging from the aroma, the beer color, the amount of bitterness and the amount of sweetness in the beer flavor. The good thing is usually no matter the attributes of the beer it can be categorized broadly into Lager beer and Ale. These two types of beer contain thousands of fvariations among them and even have a few ingredients in common. These ingredients include hops, yeast, water, and malted barley. Beer can also be classified to form sub divisions of beer type, which makes categorization and naming easier as well. Enough blabbing, on to the different beer types!
Ales
A type of top fermenting beer, in the past is was actually not considered to be a part of the beer family. Throught Ale’s history it has been thought of as an English drink and has references in most of British literature. The difference from other types of beer was its base ingredients that form flavor. While ale was made from grains that were malted and have a bitter herbal taste, in past history beer was primarily known as a hops based flavored drink. Ales are fermented with yeasts at the temperatures of 10-20 degrees Celsius. Ales are classified into three major types called stout, porter, and brown ale. Though there are several other kinds as well, these are the main types:
Stout
This is a dark colored beer type, which can be dry, bitter, sweet for the sweet tooth and imperial for the royal court in Russia. Stout actually means strong and true to its name. This beer type has strong flavors of the hops and, malted barley that brewed it.
Brown Ale
A drink low in alcohol and once very popular with the working class. Brown Ale is one of the lightest ales in nature. It is dark in color, but more on the copper reddish side rather than the color brown which defines it. It has a sour to bitter taste which comes because of the use of lactic yeast and the slow process of simmering.
Porter
Porter is less strong than the stout beer type, Porter is also a dark colored beer that tastes strongly of the barley that is used in manufacturing it. It has a chocolate flavor to it which blends well with the mild flavor of the hops.
Lagers
Lager is a type of bottom fermenting beer. Unlike the Ales, which are brewed at warmer temperatures. Lagers are brewed at cold temperatures ranging from 2-10 degrees Celsius. They are slowly simmered and therefore, the name. The most popular types of lagers are the following:
Pale lager
pale lager is available practically anywhere in the world because pale lager is consumed all over the world. It comes in a beautiful color of pale gold, is light and has varying degrees of the bitterness that comes from hops.
Pilsner
Produced in the province of Pizen in Czech Republic, it is also a light colored beer that is, however, more bitter than the pale lager. The hops add a nice flowery aroma to the beer.
Beer Variations
Beer is also known to be produced in different variations ranging from fruit and vegtables. These variations are used in the brewing process all over the world and the majority of cultures are known to have they’re own form of a beer variation. Here are some of the most popular beer variations in the world:
- Apple beer (Hard Cider, apple cider)
- Ginger beer
- Potato beer
- Raisin beer
- Pear cider
- Malt beer (beverage)
- Rye Beer
- Rice Beer
For all the different types of alcohol, check out or types of alcohol article
Discuss! #Beer
How to make beer at home
How to brew beer at home
Ever wanted to be your own beer brewmaster? Well you’re in luck! This article lists out the step by step to brewing your own batch of beer at home. Imagine women will love your batch and men will idolize your awesome boozology.
Equipment needed
You can walk to the nearest store and pick up a beer kit, but these are the basics:
- Large canning pot to boil in
- Beer Bottling equipment (caps and a bottler)
- A bucket with a lid
- An airlock to attach to the your bucket (Available @ Amazon
- Hops
- Malted barley or extract
- Yeast
- Thermometer
- Measuring cup
- 1. Sanitize Everything: You don’t want your beer brew to have any chance of being spoiled or contaminated. Be sure to wash and sanitize everything. To make sure you kill all germs you can always boil everything in addition to boiling.
- 2. Create the Wort: Wort serves as the base of your beer brew and is basically the mixture of barley and hops. This beer base of barley and hops will be fermented later by adding in the yeast. You’ll want to start by boiling a measure amount of water in your large pot. When the water reaches the boiling point, dump it into a large bucket to start the cooling process. Now you will add the Malted Barley and the base hops. Once you have maked sure that everything has been completely mixed throughout you will then continue to boil the beer base for about an hour. You will need to stir frequently, so be sure you keep an eye on the batch throughout the process. Don’t forget to add in finishing hops to the boil. You will also need to begin boiling another pot of water that we will use later!
- 3. Cool down the Wort: You will need to cool down the wort ASAP after it’s done boiling.The best way might be to place your pot into a tub or sink filled with cold water/ice water. The point is to bring down the temperature down as fast a possible to allow the yeast to begin it’s fermentation magic. You will want to shoot for cooling the wort down to the 70 degree range.
- 4. Fermentation: No the time comes for the extra pot we set aside boiling earlier. You will now add the yeast packets to that pot. Take out the beer base wort mixture that has been cooled off and add it to the new water & yeast combo a large bucket. Once everything has been mixed, cover it with an airlock, then place the beer batch in a cool, dark room. Leave the beer batch to ferment for 10-15 days. Remember to never touch the airlock during the process, unless you like crap beer.
- 5. Bottling: Be sure to sanitize all bottles and caps before the beer bottling process. You can boil pretty much all equipment involved to be sure it’s sanitized. Boil a measured amount of raw cane sugar in a measured amount of water and allow it to cool. Once this has cooled, combine the mixture into the beer batch fermentation bucket. Allow the mixture to sit for around 15-25 minutes.This process is actually what gives the beer its carbonation. Once the next mixture has settled, you can begin bottling the batch.You will need to siphon the beer batch into the bottles (Remember to maintain sanitation!). You will cap each bottle as you fill it. You can automate this process by purchasing a capping machine. You will then let the bottled beers to sit at room temperature, in the dark for 7-14 days. This will allow the carbonation to build up in the beer bottles.
- 6. Sit down, Pour beer, Drink, Be Happy, Profit
Beer Brewing at home process Overview
1. Sanitize everything
2. Boil the Barley add add in the hops
3. Cool after mixing and boiling
4. Ferment
5. Bottle the beer
6. Drink your beer
How to make beer step-by-step
Discuss! #beerbrew
Budweiser Chelada cures hangovers
Are you looking for a new way to cure that hangover from last night? We think we found it. The budweiser Chelada works wonders for curing hangovers the day after. The beer/tomato mixture seems to work magic together. Hell, we even like them when we’re not hungover. We think they taste great, we seem to like the bud light better than the budweiser.
These Budweiser chelads seem to be much more convienent than having to make a bloody mary, yet they deliver the same hangover curing effect.
Anheuser busch is offering Budweiser Chelada all over the country in mass distribution. You can find these chelads in pretty much any gas station or local store.
These Cheladas comes in a Bud light version and a Budweiser version. It’s all taste preference on which one tastes best, we’ve heard different opinions on them.
Budweiser also made a Chelada fact sheet:
http://www.anheuser-busch.com/pdf/Chelada_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Discuss! #Chelada