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On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy
Not all beers taste the same. Since you like sugary drinks -- I absolutely loathe sodas of any kind, I really don't understand how people can pour a glass of carbonated water with 20 spoons of sugar down their throats.. really disgusting -- it's probably safe to say you won't find normal laggers to fit your taste.. though you might want to try a smooth orangy heffe, like a weihenstephaner and see if you like it.
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Might I request that people don't just use this thread to post giant pictures of beers they like? We already have a thread for that and its a pretty bad one. It would be great to have a thread to actually talk intelligently about beer.
Anyway I hoped to give a few words to the non-beer drinkers here.
First off the big brews that are advertising on TV (aside from Sam Adams) are barely worthy of the name beer. Bud, Miller, Coors (BMC), Corona, Dos Equis, Becks and so on are all brewed with a bunch of corn, rice and other adjuncts. Whichever is cheapest no doubt. Beer is traditionally brewed with barley and wheat though there are all sorts of other malts out there from crystal, to caramel, or coffee and chocolate. These are the real beers. Don't let the crappy beers be the basis of your opinion on beer. That is like judging the Zelda series based on the CDI games.
Anyway, I always say that the best way to get into beer is to get a friend and simply dive right in. When I say that I mean go grab a buddy, go to your local beer store and start buying beers you haven't heard of. If you can get build your own 6-packs then you're in awesome shape.
Once you have a bunch of random beers you and your friend should crack open 2 of the same beers and pour them into some pint glasses. Be sure to form a decent head (foam) on your beer, as this will release more of its aroma. Smell and taste are linked, so if your beer has a strong aroma it will actually taste better! By the way, yes, head is a good thing! As long as it doesn't make up the majority of your glass of beer.
Now be sure to take in the aroma and then after getting a good sense of it take your first sip. Try to pick out any distinct tastes and see if you can both identify them. Malt is generally the underlying sweetness, and hops provide an often citrusy bitter bite. These are the two primary flavors, though a beer can have any variety of other additives such as fruit.
Its a great idea to make an account on http://beeradvocate.com and see what others say about the beer (don't let their tastes determine your opinions though! It's okay to disagree). Read the reviews and their descriptions of the flavors. See if you can pick out everything they mention (If you're reading a review by the bros though, chances are you won't be able to. Their beer knowledge is insane).
Make sure to look up the beers STYLE. A beer style is a sort of flavor profile. Different style beers can be incredibly different, strong dark stouts and porters, bitter hoppy IPAs, tart fruity almost non-beer lambics, sweet citrusy and light witbiers, strong and complex dubbels and tripels are just a very small slice of the various beer styles. When someone mentions a new beer you haven't heard of the first thing you'll want to find out is its style as it gives a great wealth of information about the beer. Learning styles is the best thing you can do as a new beer drinker.
Just try not to be intimidated by beer. There are a ton of people with a depth of knowledge that may come off as snobby, but thats because they are so tired of people drinking the crappy macro brews. My fellow beer advocates welcome beer newbies with open arms. If you have a beer snob friend let him know you're interested in craft beer and I'm sure he will be excited to show you some great beers.
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On April 26 2011 06:31 braammbolius wrote:![[image loading]](http://cdn.cafesalden.nl/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/duvel1.jpg) Best ever, this is the kind of beer that will get you DRUNK without getting wasted, if that makes any sense.When properly chilled it's really quite fresh at "first contact" ,lol, and the actual taste of it blends over this very nicely after swallowing,lol. And if your really feeling like a man, also pour the sediment. Not for the lighthearted though  . ![[image loading]](http://www.blik-op-blik.nl/2010_nieuwe_blikken/2010-NL-Euroshopper_Beer_%5B500ml%5D.jpg) If you're not drinking the above mentioned, this is your next best bet. Pretentious is not in it's vocabulary, it's cheap as fuck, doesn't contain any shit and will get u drunk  .
I agree with the Duvel. Its a great bear with loads of flavour. I am sick of all the water beers, so I really appreciate it. Other ones from Belgium that are great are Chimay and Leffe, especially the Leffe Blonde. Give it a try if you havent had it before. However I rarely have these as I'm a poor student so cheap watered down beer for me...
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On April 26 2011 03:38 emperorchampion wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy As a good rule of thumb, stay away from beer brewed in Quebec or in the US. Alexander Keith's is a great, fairly inexpensive beer, it's probably my favourite at the moment. If you really want to love beer, work outside all day in the sun, then open a cold beer- best thing ever.
What the... I found some of the best microbreweries in the US -- michigan, san diego and boston come to mind -- and I have travelled quite a bit around Europe and Asia.
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Beer is kind of like chocolate or pizza for me. Even the worst of it is still pretty darn good most of the time.
Yeah, there a few "yuck" beers out there, but they're usually in a 40oz and residing in the get you drunk for as cheap as possible section of your local minimart and not so hard to pick out without ever tasting them.
Good or bad just comes down to personal preference. I don't find that just because a beer is cheaply made or mass produced means it's going to be bad. It will probably have a fairly generic, familiar taste, but that in and of it self doesn't make it bad. I get a kick out of beer snobs who'll turn their nose up at anything macro brewed.
I would love sake and whiskey appreciation threads to go along with this one though. I can't stay monogamous to just one drink.
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Marshall Islands3404 Posts
On April 26 2011 06:54 s4life wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy Not all beers taste the same. Since you like sugary drinks -- I absolutely loathe sodas of any kind, I really don't understand how people can pour a glass of carbonated water with 20 spoons of sugar down their throats.. really disgusting -- it's probably safe to say you won't find normal laggers to fit your taste.. though you might want to try a smooth orangy heffe, like a weihenstephaner and see if you like it.
some one should probably tell you that your pouring molding bacteria down your throat when you drink beer then
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On April 26 2011 07:09 Brees wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 06:54 s4life wrote:On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy Not all beers taste the same. Since you like sugary drinks -- I absolutely loathe sodas of any kind, I really don't understand how people can pour a glass of carbonated water with 20 spoons of sugar down their throats.. really disgusting -- it's probably safe to say you won't find normal laggers to fit your taste.. though you might want to try a smooth orangy heffe, like a weihenstephaner and see if you like it. some one should probably tell you that your pouring molding bacteria down your throat when you drink beer then
Oh I knew that... anything you eat or drink -- except perhaps for canned food -- has all sorts of bacteria, insect eggs and tiny maggots... that's why we have an inmune system for.
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On April 26 2011 07:09 Brees wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 06:54 s4life wrote:On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy Not all beers taste the same. Since you like sugary drinks -- I absolutely loathe sodas of any kind, I really don't understand how people can pour a glass of carbonated water with 20 spoons of sugar down their throats.. really disgusting -- it's probably safe to say you won't find normal laggers to fit your taste.. though you might want to try a smooth orangy heffe, like a weihenstephaner and see if you like it. some one should probably tell you that your pouring molding bacteria down your throat when you drink beer then
Do you happen to eat cheese or yogurt?
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On April 26 2011 06:19 BloodNinja wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 06:09 Fharoc wrote:For some reason whenever Beer threads appear I find only 50% actually have legitimate beer(s). How come so many people who don't drink beer or are too young post? I'm happy to hear some people enjoy microbrews or beers like Duvel, but Bud Lime? I would be embarrassed  Yay Sing Ha! Delicious beer, I tend to enjoy Asian beers as they're lighter than my standard Canadian brew but heavier than the water that USA and Mexico makes. My personal fav? TIGER beer from Singapore. Most of it is the age range of TL users, a vast majority of TL users according to the census (http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=214457) are right around 21 years old. When I was 21 and in college I drank Bud Light because it was the nicest beer I could afford on a weekly basis and its certainly better than Natty Light, Beast Light, or PBR. Speaking of common beers that I enjoy. I always love picking up the Sam Adams variety packs that come out in the winter. So many tasty beers.
You also might not be taking into account that in countries that are not the United States we have much more reasonable drinking ages...
In Canada, depending on the province the drinking age is either 18 or 19 (or 14 in Quebec jkjk) and in parts of europe it's even lower so... ya.
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Can anybody school me on some good, relatively cheap, beer that I have missed trying? Cheap meaning roughly $7 for a 6pack. I grew up in a family that never drank so I have little to no experience. I have found that I tend to like to alternate light beer like rolling rock and labatt with something darker like Sam Adams in the winter and something citrus"y" like Blue Moon. Any suggestions? Also, I live in Ohio and have heard good things about Great Lakes "Blackout Stout". Haven't tried it yet though.
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Marshall Islands3404 Posts
On April 26 2011 07:31 Greggle wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 07:09 Brees wrote:On April 26 2011 06:54 s4life wrote:On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy Not all beers taste the same. Since you like sugary drinks -- I absolutely loathe sodas of any kind, I really don't understand how people can pour a glass of carbonated water with 20 spoons of sugar down their throats.. really disgusting -- it's probably safe to say you won't find normal laggers to fit your taste.. though you might want to try a smooth orangy heffe, like a weihenstephaner and see if you like it. some one should probably tell you that your pouring molding bacteria down your throat when you drink beer then Do you happen to eat cheese or yogurt?
yes i have no problem with it myself, I was just demonstrating that a lot of foods (even beer as demonstrated) is just as disgusting if you think about it as soda is. My point was less that beer is disgusting and shouldn't be consumed but more to show the pointlessness of pointing out such things.
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Great thread. I must say, to those that do not understand what there is to appreciate about beer, you just haven't found something you like yet. There's so much more out there than your big American macro-brews such as Bud and the like. I HATED beer for the longest time until I had a Guinness. That changed my perspective on beer and showed me just how much flavor and variety there was. It just takes one quality beer to show you what there is to offer (and eventually you'll find that that's just the tip of the iceberg). The craft beer scene is huge these days with all sorts of brews and varieties that have extravagant flavors.
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On April 26 2011 03:41 solidONE wrote:
i turn 21 tomorrow so i'm going to appreciate beer more than anyone here!
Nah. You won't even remember enough to appreciate it.
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On April 26 2011 08:33 OmegaX wrote:
Great thread. I must say, to those that do not understand what there is to appreciate about beer, you just haven't found something you like yet. There's so much more out there than your big American macro-brews such as Bud and the like. I HATED beer for the longest time until I had a Guinness. That changed my perspective on beer and showed me just how much flavor and variety there was. It just takes one quality beer to show you what there is to offer (and eventually you'll find that that's just the tip of the iceberg). The craft beer scene is huge these days with all sorts of brews and varieties that have extravagant flavors.
This man speaks the truth, I was exactly the same until I found some english beer called Fiddlers Elbow, and I've being hooked on beer ever since.
Best aussie beer EVER.
![[image loading]](http://www.shortysliquor.com.au/online-shop/catalog/images/carlton_cold_image.gif)
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I'm not an avid drinker but when I do drink it's usually Corona or Heineken cuz being underaged sucks :/. I've also wanted to try Samue Adams but never got the chance
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On April 26 2011 08:21 Brees wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2011 07:31 Greggle wrote:On April 26 2011 07:09 Brees wrote:On April 26 2011 06:54 s4life wrote:On April 26 2011 03:19 Torte de Lini wrote:
Can someone explain to me what there is to appreciate when drinking beer? I don't drink beer at all, whenever I do, it tastes terrible, like really bad cough syrup.
I'm not asking with the intent of putting down beer (If I did, I'd be severely outnumbered), what I mean to ask is when I drink beer or try it, what kind of taste am I to expect? I don't like drinking to get drunk, I like drinking for the taste and potential feeling. However, I can only have maybe a glass before my mouth feels bland and maybe I'm just expecting beer the wrong way.
I drink a lot of soda and I love the strong taste and sugary feeling, will I just not like beer or should I just keep drinking until I eventually get comfortable with it. There are so many beers, so I don't even know which one to settle with (I don't even know that much about beers). Someone told me it's an acquired taste, so maybe that's it. I'm not a white wine guy nor heavy alcohol, I like red deep wine with a strong taste.
Thanks!
P.S: If it's any help, I'm in Canada, so suggest beers in Quebec/Canada.
Edit: If my post comes off condescending or poorly worded, please let me know and I'll fix it. I was trying to give an accurate portrayal of what I don't like and how it makes me feel to maybe give you guys a clue to tell me if this normal at the beginning or something that just outright tells me I'm not a beer guy Not all beers taste the same. Since you like sugary drinks -- I absolutely loathe sodas of any kind, I really don't understand how people can pour a glass of carbonated water with 20 spoons of sugar down their throats.. really disgusting -- it's probably safe to say you won't find normal laggers to fit your taste.. though you might want to try a smooth orangy heffe, like a weihenstephaner and see if you like it. some one should probably tell you that your pouring molding bacteria down your throat when you drink beer then Do you happen to eat cheese or yogurt? yes i have no problem with it myself, I was just demonstrating that a lot of foods (even beer as demonstrated) is just as disgusting if you think about it as soda is. My point was less that beer is disgusting and shouldn't be consumed but more to show the pointlessness of pointing out such things.
As this is a beer appreciation thread, I would like to request that you leave your antics and rantings outside of it. I do not enjoy the trolling nor retorts you are encouraging.
This thread is intended to support intellectual discussion about beer's fine qualities and answer questions. If you wish to discuss how "disgusting" or pointless it is to compare soda to it, please make your own thread.
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On April 26 2011 09:12 frontline wrote:
I'm not an avid drinker but when I do drink it's usually Corona or Heineken cuz being underaged sucks :/. I've also wanted to try Samue Adams but never got the chance
Ah.. I envy you a little.. the first time I tried a WeihenStephaner on draft on a warm summer afternoon somewhere around stephansplatz is still lingering somewhere in my mind... almost everyone starts with Corona and Heineken, just make sure you keep an open mind
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On April 26 2011 06:59 Sokalo wrote:Beer is kind of like chocolate or pizza for me. Even the worst of it is still pretty darn good most of the time. Yeah, there a few "yuck" beers out there, but they're usually in a 40oz and residing in the get you drunk for as cheap as possible section of your local minimart and not so hard to pick out without ever tasting them. Good or bad just comes down to personal preference. I don't find that just because a beer is cheaply made or mass produced means it's going to be bad. It will probably have a fairly generic, familiar taste, but that in and of it self doesn't make it bad. I get a kick out of beer snobs who'll turn their nose up at anything macro brewed. I would love sake and whiskey appreciation threads to go along with this one though. I can't stay monogamous to just one drink.
Absolutely agree with this.
That being said when at home I would say 80% of the beers I are the generic bud light, coors light. Not because they are the best but because they appeal to the largest group, great for having people over for the fights or a BBQ, Though when im buying for myself I like in many types of beer including but not limited too!
Mississippi Mud
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/638/1741
Honest to goodness my favorite beer in all the land. It is a bottled version of a black and tan. Traditional black in tans are when you layer of a IPA and a stout on top of each other in a glass. It will layer on top of each and mix as you drink. This version is a blend that's intent is to mimic that of a black in tan. What it makes is smooth caramel love in your mouth. Its also one of the gorgeous beers to pour into a glass. My only knocks on this beer is head retention is low and thing and it has become increasingly hard for me to find. last I herd they had a bottling issue last summer have found it a few times since. Speaking of the bottle it comes in a 32oz jug that make you feel like it should contain moonshine. I highly suggest it to anyone as I think it can be a great beer to expand on from your bud light coors light but can also give enjoyment to those with a more refined palate.
Irish death
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11212/38703
Not all that much for the faint of heart but is very good. Good thick stout or ASA. I wouldnt have even tried it had it not been for local pubs all jumping on its bandwagon around saint patricks day.
I feel very lucky to live where I live there are so many great micro breweries around the Seattle Portland area. many of whom only sell out of there brewery an now where else. American brewing is stronger then its ever been so don't ever let people tell you to not waste your time on American beer.
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So if we don't want the bitter stuff, we should go with white ale? The only beer I've tried that I liked so far is Smirnoff Ice, which is a malt beer I think. The problem is that it didn't really have much taste to it.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/XPl0F.jpg)
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