So I started to explore alcohol a little bit. I had my first drink a year or two ago. I don't often get the opportunity to drink though so my exploration has been slow. Tonight I am planning on imbibing a little and I have a question. Am I better off having more low alcohol content beers or less high content beers?

I'm pushing on the edges to understand my limits and understand alcohol. I've had a hangover once and I didn't like it, so i'll not be pushing far enough for that. I'm not sure if i've found the sweeet mellow spot or not. I've thrown up from high alcohol content (but then didn't suffer a hangover) and I didn't like that either. So what's the best way ejoy the effects?

Follow your buds----your taste buds.

Drink what tastes good to you. Don't drink fast. Take your time. Savor what the skilled brewmasters created for you.

Stay hydrated - drink water before and between beers. And eat something. Don't drink on an empty stomach.

Pear hard cider (the good ones) are super delicious.
Have you tried hard apple cider?
Some pumpkin ciders taste just like pumpkin pie.

Get a ride home. =)

a couple of weeks ago, a friend gave me a beer at a BBQ. She knows I dont drink but she had specially brought in a few of these 'beers' She assured me "You'll like this, it has no alcohol"

I tried it... I even finished it... but, to me, it tasted like any 'real' beer....beer generally tastes like pond water filtered through a cowpat.

so, to answer your question..... if you're after an effect, throw out the beer and grab a joint



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2015 10:12AM by EssexExMo.

LOL Forming an opinion on drinking by way of an O'Douls is like deciding sex isn't that great after an awkward session of Levi loving.

I take it that O'douls is a brand of non-alcoholic berr.... it wasnt that one.
I come from a non mormon background and have had my fair share of peer beers (only imbibed because my peers expected it of me). I've never liked the stuff and - like this comic
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/beer.png
I pretty much wonder if everyone is just pretending

I wonder if you've only ever been fed shitty, cheap American lagers.

No one's put a gun to your head. Ain't no big thing to not like it. But plenty do.

Try a Belgian White, like Blue Moon....

RB

I thought Blue Moon is brewed in the US and they got blasted for implying that it is an imported beer.

Depending on where you live try some of the local craft beers. I liked the higher alcohol content beers myself when I used to drink.

Blue Moon is brewed by Miller/Coors and is not imported, nor is it a 'craft' beer (under 6MM gal. Per year).

They are being sued for representing the brand as a craft beer and pricing it as a craft beer (read: more expensive)

It is a beer that is a 'Belgian Wheat Ale'. That refers to the style of beer, not it's birthplace and that is not in dispute.

At a lot of golf courses I've been to, Blue Moon (brewed in Denver, CO) is classified as imported but Shock Top isn't. Here's a blurb from a story about their status as 'craft(y)' beers:

Blue Moon and Shock Top are the two highest-profile examples of brews that are not made by independent companies; their parent companies are MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev, respectively, yet they both market themselves as craft beers. The Brewers Association and others have come to categorize such brews as “crafty” beers because manufacturers and marketers seem to deliberately conceal their true corporate heritage.

Most beer taste like horse piss

but horse piss is harder to get..

ih8beer

O rly?

And how much horse piss have you drunk? Hmm?

:: raises one eyebrow ::

Cheap beer sucks. "Most beer" however, is not sucky cheap beer. Not all beers are the same thing. Is there much difference between a Bud Light and a Natty Light? Or a PBR? Not that I can tell. Except the PBRs taste like some drunken frat boy already ashed his cigarette in it before you've even cracked it open.

Good beer -- beer you pay more than a dollar for -- is all over the map. There's lousy beers and there's great beers. And there's no accounting for taste. I used to despise dark beers, like porters and stouts. Now, those are the only beers I drink. Tastes change. Everyone is different.

But some of these comments just have me shaking my head. I don't get it. People are forming opinions and generalizing about thousands of different beers out there as if every single one of them tastes exactly alike. It's kind of like saying all soda sucks because you had one sip of one Dr. Pepper 30 years ago, so they all must taste like ass. Guess what? Sprite tastes nothing like Dr. Pepper. Guinness tastes nothing like Bud Light.

As for the OP, I'm just going to suggest that you do your own experimentation. You are asking how to best enjoy the buzz, am I correct? That is something only you can answer through trial and error. It depends on your goal. What do you want to get out of drinking beer? Do you want to get blind drunk? Do you want to just feel a slight buzz but not be all the way drunk? Are you just trying to avoid a hangover?

All I can tell you is to enjoy things in moderation, especially when you are first exploring. One bit of advice I give to teenagers and young adults is: If you insist on trying a drug or booze, then the first time, only try half of what you are offered. Just take a little bit. Wait a half hour to see how it affects you. If you like that feeling, have a little more.

Drink one beer. WAIT. See how you feel. Then have another. Or not.

I will tell you this: hangovers are caused by dehydration. Make sure you are hydrated throughout the day before you even start drinking. Nothing like making yourself dehydrated on top of already being dehydrated. When you do start drinking, switch out a glass of water in between alcoholic drinks. When you stop drinking, have a huge glass of water before you go to bed. You will get up to pee a lot. That's a good sign.

Last night we went to one of our favorite pubs (Original Joe's) for supper and I enjoyed a pint of Guinness followed by a pint of Joe's Red Ale. Great grog and a good meal.

Alcohol = taste.

I prefer my beer 8% and up.

Drink to the old days : Polygamy Porter

Maybe a Holy Grail Ale ooh ooh or even a Dark Lord.


I have 4 or 5 different beers in my fridge but I can always rely on my old standby: Shiner Bock. Everything's finer with a Shiner!

Canadian beer, yummm

I can't drink sugary pop, like ever. Beer is what men with testosterone flowing through their veins, and facial hair, drink.

if you're not sure what styles of beer you like, I would order a beer flight if one's available. There are usually five or six sample sized glasses of the brewery's offerings. I like the dark beers- porter and stout- the best. My husband likes lighter, hoppier styles.

You could go to a brew pub and ask for some small tasters. Or, ask the servers about their personal favorites. Don't be embarrassed, most pub servers like talking about their beers. I do not like the taste of alcohol and generally go for light wheat beers with a slice of lemon. Crisp and refreshing!

The main thing is it's fun to discover what you like. I don't like IPAs with lots of hops--bitter taste--but some love them. Why quibble, there's beer a plenty and such a short time to try them all! The Boner.

I'm not a fan of IPA's either, Boner, but I'm gaining an appreciation for them. We have new brewery opening here in a couple months, our first craft brewery and plan on becoming an expert on their brews.

Ron Burr

Growing up, people would drink dozens of beers sometimes (low alcohol content) - lots of calories; lots of liquids.

Drink and eight, nine, ten percent alcohol beer and you only have to few, can you feel it coming on, and it's oh so enjoyable.

Do what tastes best and feels best!!

Beer is the best. Drink thee liberally thereof.

I brew my own beer, many different styles. If you don't like beer, you've had the wrong one. Like some of the other posters have said, there are alot of different styles and your taste is really what matters. As suggested try some samplers at a micro-brew. You may be surprised at what you like. My first beer wasn't that pleasant, a cheap rice infested pilsner like bud light. But I found that a nut brown ale or something that was a little maltier, tasted really good. Experiment and enjoy the ride. Life's too short to waste it on cheap beer.

I'm a beer junkie (in a good way). I love Sierra Nevada's, Deschutes, Flying Dog, Squatters, and Big Sky's lineups. Something for every occasion. But the big kahuna in my book is Rogue. You can find anything from them. From a simple Irish red (slightly sweet and caramel like) to out of this world (siracha). They got it covred. Beware of Arrogant Bastard. Taste great but will send ya home like a seasoned hobo.

Macros I like PBR. Yeah, ya heard me.
As far as ciders go, I'm a Woodchuck man myself. I throw fruit wheat beers in this category as well. Huckleberry by North Wester is excellent as well as the Prickly Pear by Shiner.

I like Prairie Artisan Ales... and Deschutes.

If you are in Utah, you have no choice but watered down gaggy beer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2015 02:13AM by verilyverily.

Big fan of Hoegaarden, Weinstephaner, and Erdinger to name a few.

Try a delirium tremens. Drink it slowly, and thank me later.

Hey tahoegirl. Just letting you know I post as Tahoe Girl. Been posting here for 9 years so some people might get us mixed up, thinking we're each other.

Do you live in Tahoe? I grew up there (left in the late 70s). North shore.

TG

Like dogzilla says, experiment! There are so many different types of beer, and what works one person often won't work for the next.

I have a sweet tooth, so for me, the fruity beers are great. Right now in my fridge I have several bottles of Leinenkugel's Shandy, which are lemon flavored and very refreshing. I also like pumpkin flavored beer and Traveler makes a good one.

Some people like the "hoppy" beers, some like IPAs, others like lagers. The only way to find out is to taste and pick your favorite.

I agree with the previous suggestions to visit a pub or brewery and taste a flight of various styles.

I enjoy beer very much and like a a variety of styles. They can taste wildly different, though most are made with the same 4 basic ingredients (water, malt, hops, yeast). Brewing techniques, differences in malt/grains, the type of yeast used, the variety and amount of hops used (and when and how long they are added to the brew), mineral content in the water, temperature and length of fermentation, style of carbonation, and extra additions to the wort make each brew unique.

(I homebrew, but still a beginner at it. Super fun hobby, btw!!)


Anyway, remember, if you get a flight of tasters, you don't have to drink them ALL. Pick the ones you like most, and find out what style they are. Then later on, try more of those styles, maybe from a different brewery, to compare.

Most flights will come with a little info chart or placemat that includes name & style of beer, IBU (bitterness), ABV (alcohol by volume), etc.

Geez- all that to say, I guess, pick a beer that tastes good to you first, and then pay attention to your limit with that beer if you want to avoid overindulging and a hangover. If you drink on a full stomach and stay hydrated with water, that will help. There is some trial and error to be prepared for here. Plan to have someone else (sober) drive when you're out drinking.

I had the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest and the the new belgium Rampart IPA over the weekend. I enjoy the flavor a lot, but I haven't found the sweet spot of consumption. I don't notice an effect and then i'm sick. I liked the Oktoberfest a lot, the Rampart I dunno. I do like the Fat Tire from them though, and I think that's around the alcohol content that i'm happiests (6% ish?).