Say you want to give a brief beer tutorial to somebody
who is interested in beer but only knows whatever style
is most popular in your country/region (e.g., for the USA,
light lager). Assuming you have access to any beers you
like, and picking a semi-arbitrary number, what five beers
would you use to help demonstrate the range of styles and
flavors beer can have?
I have my own idea, but would be interested in seeing
what others have to say.
--

Joel Plutchak "Beer doesn't stain, if it's a light pilsner."
$LASTNAME at VERYWARMmail.com - Sheldon Miller

Joel wrote:

> Say you want to give a brief beer tutorial to somebody
> who is interested in beer but only knows whatever style
> is most popular in your country/region (e.g., for the USA,
> light lager). Assuming you have access to any beers you
> like, and picking a semi-arbitrary number, what five beers
> would you use to help demonstrate the range of styles and
> flavors beer can have?
> I have my own idea, but would be interested in seeing
> what others have to say.

This almost sounds like naming BJCP commercial examples for given
styles. And there's the rub: there are so dang many styles, I'd
find it hard to do what you propose with just five. You'd do well
with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Guinness Stout, Victory Prima Pils,
Schneider Weisse, and Westmalle Dubbel, but you'd still wind up leaving
out so much. Tough call, hmm? You still have abbey triple, a whole
range of lambic-based beers, one-offs like Orval, German Bock and
Doppelbock, amber lagers, porter, and on and on...
--
dgs

ers (Joel) wrote:
> Say you want to give a brief beer tutorial to somebody
> who is interested in beer but only knows whatever style
> is most popular in your country/region (e.g., for the USA,
> light lager). Assuming you have access to any beers you
> like, and picking a semi-arbitrary number, what five beers
> would you use to help demonstrate the range of styles and
> flavors beer can have?

New Glarus Belgian Red
Shlenkerla Ur-Bock
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
Lindeman's Cuvee Renee Gueze
Jever

Definitely hard to restrict to five, but here we cover:

Tart & fruit
Smoke & "malt"
Hops & high alcohol
Sour
Herbs

I was tempted to put a berliner weiss in for the sour, as
you get wheat character; similar for herbs I was originally
thinking spice -- like a wit or a pumpkin beer or a spiced
winter/Xmas beer... But Jever seemed a more extreme lesson.
Of course, you could go higher alcohol and/or barrel aging
(Goose Island Bourbon County Stout? Utopias?) to replace
the Bigfoot, but then what for hops?

--
//*================================================= ===============++
|| Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 ||
|| 847-952-9729 VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! ||
++================================================ ================*//

Joel wrote:
> Say you want to give a brief beer tutorial to somebody
> who is interested in beer but only knows whatever style
> is most popular in your country/region (e.g., for the USA,
> light lager). Assuming you have access to any beers you
> like, and picking a semi-arbitrary number, what five beers
> would you use to help demonstrate the range of styles and
> flavors beer can have?

Bud
Bud Light
Miller Light
Coors
PBR

There, I think that's all the beers, plus one of those weird ones.

Seriously, it's a tough question to answer. I'd have to know first of
all how adventurous their palate is to begin with, as well as how much
they're inclined to quality or trying things out of the ordinary. If
I've got someone who thinks Olive Garden is excellent and that anything
on offer at Chili's is too spicy, I'm going to be directing them to some
more pedestrian options. If they're someone who likes a variety of
flavors, who's not afraid of trying the unfamiliar and who is
adventurous in their food and drink, I'm choosing an entirely different
set of beers.

I'd have to actually think about what I'd include on each list, but I
know they'd look very different from each other.

-Steve

Russ Perry Jr. wrote:
>
> Jever
> Herbs
>
> for herbs I was originally
> thinking spice -- like a wit or a pumpkin beer or a spiced
> winter/Xmas beer... But Jever seemed a more extreme lesson.

There are no "herbs" in Jever- other than hops, of course. In the
German expression "Friesisch herb" on the label, "herb" translates to
something like "dry-astringent" IIRC.

dgs > wrote:
>Joel wrote:
>> Say you want to give a brief beer tutorial to somebody
>> who is interested in beer but only knows whatever style
>> is most popular in your country/region (e.g., for the USA,
>> light lager). Assuming you have access to any beers you
>> like, and picking a semi-arbitrary number, what five beers
>> would you use to help demonstrate the range of styles and
>> flavors beer can have?
>
>This almost sounds like naming BJCP commercial examples for given
>styles. And there's the rub: there are so dang many styles, I'd
>find it hard to do what you propose with just five. You'd do well
>with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Guinness Stout, Victory Prima Pils,
>Schneider Weisse, and Westmalle Dubbel, but you'd still wind up leaving
>out so much. Tough call, hmm? You still have abbey triple, a whole
>range of lambic-based beers, one-offs like Orval, German Bock and
>Doppelbock, amber lagers, porter, and on and on...

True, but this would just be an introduction. Obviously
five tastes of beer won't run the full gamut, but it's a
start. The kind of thing that sparks my interest in giving
people a gentle push down the road of beer education is
hearing people say things like "I don't like beer; I tried
it once and it was awful."
--

Joel Plutchak "Beer doesn't stain, if it's a light pilsner."
$LASTNAME at VERYWARMmail.com - Sheldon Miller

On Apr 21, 11:47*am, (Joel) wrote:
> * *I have my own idea, but would be interested in seeing
> what others have to say.
> --
>

For a full range of flavors I would present them with Miller Lite
Blond, Wheat and Amber.

wrote:
> Russ Perry Jr. wrote:
> > Jever
> > Herbs
> >
> > for herbs I was originally
> > thinking spice -- like a wit or a pumpkin beer or a spiced
> > winter/Xmas beer... But Jever seemed a more extreme lesson.

> There are no "herbs" in Jever- other than hops, of course. In the
> German expression "Friesisch herb" on the label, "herb" translates to
> something like "dry-astringent" IIRC.

Ah, didn't know that... It certainly tastes different than
other beers I've had. Hmm, not sure if I should keep it on
the list, or replace it with something SURELY spiced/herbed...

--
//*================================================= ===============++
|| Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 ||
|| 847-952-9729 VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! ||
++================================================ ================*//

"Joel" > wrote in message
...
> dgs > wrote:
>>Joel wrote:
> True, but this would just be an introduction. Obviously
> five tastes of beer won't run the full gamut, but it's a
> start. The kind of thing that sparks my interest in giving
> people a gentle push down the road of beer education is
> hearing people say things like "I don't like beer; I tried
> it once and it was awful."
> --
>
I'd certainly start with a fine pilsner and explain to him that this is
where it all started. What he usually drinks, light style lagers I presume,
are a very poor commercial representation of what started out to be very
fine lagers. Pilsner Urquell comes to mind. I can get it quite fresh by the
case load here in Aus, but I hear of so many on this group who can only get
out of date skunked bottles (don't go there!)
Steve W (in Aus)