Beer 101, first addition

First things first, thanks to my sole follower and my buddy for the kind words yesterday after checking out the blog. An idea I had for this blog is to have posts that offer up helpful tips so you can further enjoy craft beer for all it has to offer. These are not rules, but rather practices I picked up from other craft beer drinkers, websites such as Beer Advocate and from my own experiences.

1. In order to know what styles of beer you may or may not like you should do a little homework. This isn't the type of homework you are all used to, at least in this case you are "studying" in order to drink better beer! Check out www.beeradvocate.com (the link is on the side of the page) and go to the beer styles section. There is TONS of information about dozens of styles of beer being brewed today.

2. After you read some descriptions of new styles or ones you already know you like, the fun begins, it is time to go get some beer! Pick a local bar or just run over to Cookes or Whole Foods, if you are local to the El Segundo area. If you are confused, don't shy away from asking the store's beer buyers. They are there to help. You can also shoot me a comment or question and I can do my best to offer suggestions for tasty brews.

3. The next tip is sort of a disgruntled rant as well, so bare with me. If you ever find yourself at a bar, at home, at a friends house, etc. and you do not get a glass with your fine brew, stop and ask for one. Always, when possible, drink beer out of a glass. Drinking from a bottle severely limits your ability to enjoy the look and smell of the beer. Also, this glass should never be chilled, I repeat do not numb your taste buds with a 30 degree glass and beer. The reason why all of the macro brewed crap is served so cold is because they don't want you to taste how bad it actually is.

4. Enjoyment of beer should be an experience for all of your senses. Look at the color and head of the beer, smell the aromas of the beer, taste the beer and finally feel the beer in your mouth. To some of you this may seem like overkill right now, but trust me, the more you get into beer the more you will appreciate every aspect of it.

One last thing, obviously taste is subjective. To me a huge hoppy (bitter tasting) beer may be the best thing on Earth. While to you it could be a complete waste of money. All I am trying to say is, take everything you read on here with a grain of salt. If you are willing to risk a little money on a new beer, most of the time you will be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!