With the craft beer business continually growing, more and more people are coming around to the higher quality beers the industry offers. Those still looking to hop on board and see what all the fuss is about may be intimidated by the sheer volume of choices at the local liquor store. The question often arises — “Where do I start”?
People have several possible entry paths when starting to drink craft beer; the proper place to begin varies from person to person based on previous experience with other consumables such as coffee, American adjunct lagers (Bud, Miller, Coors, etc.), and liquor. Based on one’s personal preferences in these categories, it becomes much easier to zero in on a possible foot-in-the-door beer.
Most obviously, those who already enjoy drinking beers from the major macrobreweries in the U.S. are well on their way to enjoying craft. The problem is that most of these American adjunct lagers (adjunct refers to the fact that these brewers do not use 100 percent malt, but rather rice or corn) is that they are engineered to have very slight flavors, and those that are used to drinking these more flavorless beers may be put off by the intense flavors in big roasty stouts or bitter IPAs. The best place for a Bud, Miller or Coors drinker to begin is with craft examples nearest the style of the American adjunct lager, such as German pilsners, Czech pilsners, Dortmunder lagers and Vienna lagers.
Pilsners are a subdivision of lager, a term that refers to the lagering method of brewing rather than a specific beer. Pilsners are crisp and highlight light, bready, cracker-like malts and slightly spicy Noble hops. All of these options are generally malt-forward, refreshing and easy-drinking, though they definitely have more flavor than the average American adjunct lager. Some great lagers and pilsners include New Glarus’ own Two Women and Edel-Pils, Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Eliot Ness and Dortmunder Gold, Victory’s Prima Pils, Oskar Blues’ Mama’s Little Yella Pils and Samuel Adam’s flagship Boston Lager. These beers are all readily available at many of the liquor stores around Madison and are as easy on the wallet as they are on the palate. They should not be a far jump for BMC drinkers to enjoy.
Lovers of coffee, dark fruit like figs or raisins and dark chocolate have only one direction to head in when trying to get into craft beer: porters and stouts. Porters and stouts, which have nearly merged into one style in today’s beer landscape, are darker beers that use heavier and darker malt bills than the lagers detailed previously and, as a result, have distinctly different flavors. All porters and stouts are different, of course, but most have tasting notes of dark chocolate, coffee, roastiness and the aforementioned dark fruits, making them perfect for people who already like these things to begin with.
Porters and stouts can get very intense, but there are still easy drinking brews to ease into the style before venturing into the deep end of 10 percent plus ABV beers. Some easy to come by examples of porters and stouts are Sierra Nevada’s Porter and Stout, Ale Asylum’s Contorter Porter, Central Waters’ Mudpuppy Porter, Founders’ Porter and Breakfast Stout, Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout and Taddy Porter. Fans of coffee and chocolate should have no trouble gaining an appreciation for any of these beers, and will surely find a lot to love from their first sip.
Liquor lovers are a unique crowd and have a possible entry point that most other newbies to craft beer should avoid at all costs: big, high-alcohol beers. As craft keeps moving along, brewers are always looking to make a bigger, more intense beer and push the envelope further. Often these brewers will also age their beer in used liquor barrels from rum to brandy to whiskey or bourbon, which is the most common.
The problem is that many of these beers are much harder to come by since they are usually not available year-round or in large batches. Some barrel-aged stouts to keep an eye out for include New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk, Weyerbacher’s Heresy, Central Waters’ Peruvian Morning and Central Waters’ Bourbon Barrel Stout. These are definitely not easy-drinking beers, and, like good liquor, should be sipped to enjoy to their fullest. Like liquor, these beers have fine nuances to mull on, and wine drinkers may even enjoy these beers simply due to the complexity and depth that they can discover.
The key to enjoying craft beer is simply to keep an open mind. The variety of beers out there can be daunting, and it may take time to find a beer that pushes one into the craft beer craze. Once it happens, and it will happen, it will be difficult to go back to the relatively tasteless BMC beers, and this is definitely a good thing.
Just be careful: Craft beer is not a cheap hobby, but it is a delicious one.
