How do I acquire a taste for beer?

MrYlad

When I started drinking I used to always have vodka and mixer (sometimes straight) because I didn't like anything else. I basically drank it because the mixer (usually lime) covered up the alcohol enough to tolerate.
I got sick of vodka and have since moved on to other spirits; mainly whiskeys, rums and liqueurs. And I actually like the taste of these drinks and really enjoy consuming them (though still with mixers, I'm not one for overly harsh tastes).
Anyway, the problem I always had with vodka was that it was never suited to a casual few drinks with the lads when they all had their beers. And that's still a problem given that I only drink spirits. I feel like there's so many occasions where I'd love to have a drink but a beer is most appropriate. So I'd like to acquire a taste for beer.
Starting with a light beer such a Corona with some lime has been recommended to me. What are your thoughts? Any tips?

JaMarcusHustle

Get married and have children.

Speedwell

MrYlad, I am just like you. When we were dating, my husband used to joke that I pretended not to like beer so he would have to buy me the more expensive single malt I liked (and how unladylike, gasp) From time to time he hands me his glass with a "here, try this and tell me what you think". I almost always do because, hey, who knows. Nope. No likey. Life is too short to force yourself, in middle age, to eat and drink things that taste to you like something's wrong with them.

shocksy

You may never acquire a taste for beer, I know plenty who don't drink beer, myself included. I could never drink it, it's such an awful taste that I could never get used too.

Perhaps Cider?

Speedwell

Cider's good. I like cider. I can't have it that much because I don't tolerate the sugar content well, but if you can, cider's good.

Tigerbaby

go to Yorkshire and embark on an "ale trail". Honey from Heaven.

Cannot touch the P*ss in Ireland anymore after being there.

macnug

What in the taste don't you like exactly? Is it the hops, malt or just general mouth feel? I know people who don't like the taste of beer in general but like a lite larger and a slice of lime. You could also try Shandy's as a way of getting into beer.

Zaph

Tigerbaby wrote: »

go to Yorkshire and embark on an "ale trail". Honey from Heaven.

Cannot touch the P*ss in Ireland anymore after being there.

So despite all the amazing beers of many different styles currently being brewed in Ireland you can simply dismiss them all as p*ss? You know sometimes it's better to say nothing and let people think you're intelligent.

BBDBB

Add lemonade to make a shandy
Try some of the continental fruit beers by Lindemans
Ciders & Perrys

There's lots of choice to experiment with

Tigerbaby

a bit harsh Zaph with the sarcasm. But a good point all the same.

I gave up drinking beer in this Country about 25 years ago. All there was available was the usual mass market fare. Gassy, chemical puke.

I discovered the joy of hand pulled ales visiting Family in Yorkshire over the last couple of years. To enjoy a few pints of this stuff is a real pleasure. Many small breweries putting out World award-winning ales.

So my task for you is to educate me ( should you choose). Where can I get good clean hand-pulled ale in Dublin? Without being surrounded by a gang of hipsters. I'm on the far side of 55, and just want a decent quiet pint.

thank you

rubadub

Tigerbaby wrote: »

a bit harsh Zaph with the sarcasm.

I didn't see any sarcasm in his post. I wondered why he just mentioned beers being brewed in Ireland when you appeared to be branding all beer available here as piss.

Porterhouse has over 150 types of beer, from all around the world, if you dismiss them all as piss maybe you are just incredibly choosy. Not sure if they have the ales you are after, they have been discussed in other threads.

I would think the OP would be better starting on what most in this forum regard as flavourless piss, like bud or heineken, I know a guy who was amazed that I actually like the taste of beer, he drank bud as it was so devoid of taste. But I would also recommend cider as others did.

Tigerbaby

rub

"You know sometimes it's better to say nothing and let people think you're intelligent" - sounds sarcastic to me.

I was expressing my opinion and I get an ad hominem in return.

In my second post I asked to be educated and admitted that my beer-drinking experience in Ireland was based on very old data.

Sheesh, this sensitivity to an honest opinion must a be a hipster thing. Real people drink Real Ale in Yorkshire. That'll do me.

cheerio now.

Toddle pip.

BeerNut

Tigerbaby wrote: »

Where can I get good clean hand-pulled ale in Dublin? Without being surrounded by a gang of hipsters. I'm on the far side of 55, and just want a decent quiet pint.

Pretty much guaranteed in any of the JD Wetherspoons and you've a fairly good chance in JW Sweetman, The Palace or the Porterhouses in Temple Bar and Nassau Street. If you want quiet, don't go in the evening.

Zaph

Maybe I was a little over-sarcastic, so I apologise for that. But nowhere did you mention that your experience of beer in Ireland was 25+ years old, you simply dismissed it all in one sweeping statement. I certainly wouldn't be comparing what I drink now to the beer that was available when I started drinking in the mid-80s. Cask ale is more freely available now than it was ever was in this country and BeerNut has made some good suggestions, so maybe you'll be able to find the elusive pint you're after.

Skatedude

dry cider ftw, stay away from that bulmers sickly sweet rubbish, try stonehouse, most centra and decent off licences have it.

mind you , spent a few months in germany drinking proper beer, just cant beat it here. could drink all night and no hangover due to lack of chemical rubbish we get here.

testaccount123

Skatedude wrote: »

could drink all night and no hangover due to lack of chemical rubbish we get here.

lol

L1011

Tigerbaby wrote: »

In my second post I asked to be educated and admitted that my beer-drinking experience in Ireland was based on very old data.

Its not sensitivity - its realising that you were making a statement that was so obviously nonsense that it needed to be countered. That you've admitted its based on experiences from a quarter of a century ago has just proven that Zaph was right.

Go try some modern Irish beers and come back to us. In the interim, please stop spouting nonsense.

BeerNut

L1011 wrote: »

Go try some modern Irish beers and come back to us.

Ah, but no beer can ever taste as sweet as blowing the hipsters' tiny minds with your radical opinions. What know the fools of B/W/S of a well-turned pint of Landlord? Pah!

a_non_a_mouse

Tigerbaby wrote: »

Where can I get good clean hand-pulled ale in Dublin? Without being surrounded by a gang of hipsters. I'm on the far side of 55, and just want a decent quiet pint.

thank you

you're only about 6 years older than me, so I can relate to the quiet pint bit.
Not from Dublin but happened to be in Dublin for a brief visit over the weekend and it was my first trip since I got a taste for craft/decent beer a couple of years ago.
On Sat afternoon, had me a pint of cask in JW Sweetnams-BarrelHeads Pale Ale - and was able to grab a seat and have a read of the free paper while I was drinking it. A totally enjoyable experience.
Then wandered into Porterhouse Central, not sure what they had on cask but I got me a pint of their Dublin Pale Ale which was better than any of the mainstream lagers in non craft pubs. Place was busy (6.30 on sat) but still managed to get a seat and table. I would have stayed all night but the OH wanted to cut and run after one. :-(

oblivious

Tigerbaby wrote: »

So my task for you is to educate me ( should you choose). Where can I get good clean hand-pulled ale in Dublin? Without being surrounded by a gang of hipsters. I'm on the far side of 55, and just want a decent quiet pint.

Sweetmans on a Friday, Porterhouse temple bar, Palace bar temple bar

Special Circumstances

Skatedude wrote: »

dry cider ftw, stay away from that bulmers sickly sweet rubbish, try stonehouse, most centra and decent off licences have it.

mind you , spent a few months in germany drinking proper beer, just cant beat it here. could drink all night and no hangover due to lack of chemical rubbish we get here.

Do you mean stonewell from Cork, rather than Stonehouse? Both of stonewells ciders are nice, the dry is a nice change to most others available.