Wine and beer? What's a good starter?

[Zaraxis]

I'm turning 21 in a couple of days, and I was wondering about what my fellow Gaians would have for input. I want to know which types and brands of wine and beer would be good for a previously "unblooded" person to start with? I'm mostly concerned with taste. (I already can knock liquor down like a pro, though. Everclear for life)

[Ratttking]

Some nice wines are Auslese and white muscat. They are both fairly sweet, indeed, they are considered dessert wines.

[Pikkewyn]

For wines, try sweeter, light wines. Most people who start drinking wine prefer white or rose wine in the beginning.

[kitti kat]

moscato is a really sweet white wine, but I think it can taste too much like juice....

[Levis Pennae]

Light beers are a good place to start. You could also try seasoned ales like Sam Adams which tend to not be as bitter as lagers.

[Zaraxis]

Thanks for the input, guys. :]

[Valtiel the Watcher]

I'm assuming that since your favored drink of choice is everclear than even though you've been inebriated before you may not be a big fan of the taste of alcohol. Here are some pointers I would sugguest. With beer..... just go for it I guess. Darker beers tend to have a smoother creamy texture but have a bitter, almost coffee-like flavor. Amber beers tend to have more hops which gives the beer a fresh citrusy flavor. It's really a personal preference.

Edit: as far as wine, I tend to enjoy a good californian wine, usually a pinot noir. For you I'd suggest a white wine because they tend to be sweeter. But please don't drink wine out of a pint glass. use a curved wine glass and sip for god sakes sip. smell that s**t, inhale the vapors. I mean if you're getting 2 buck chuck then don't bother with the posturing but if the wine is at all respectable, meaning not out o a 2 gallon jug or a box, then enjoy it. you spent the money on it experience it. Also white wine should always be chilled but red wine should be served room temperature.

[Zaraxis]

Valtiel the Watcher

I'm assuming that since your favored drink of choice is everclear than even though you've been inebriated before you may not be a big fan of the taste of alcohol. Here are some pointers I would sugguest. With beer..... just go for it I guess. Darker beers tend to have a smoother creamy texture but have a bitter, almost coffee-like flavor. Amber beers tend to have more hops which gives the beer a fresh citrusy flavor. It's really a personal preference.

It isn't the alcohol that kills me, it's the other bitter flavors. Beer tastes like s**t to me, as a general rule. I could down anything if it just tasted like alcohol. Wine is too much of the alcoholic flavor to simply knock down, so that's my problem there. I was looking for the least bitter beer and wine to start with to develop my taste.

[Valtiel the Watcher]

Zaraxis

Valtiel the Watcher

I'm assuming that since your favored drink of choice is everclear than even though you've been inebriated before you may not be a big fan of the taste of alcohol. Here are some pointers I would sugguest. With beer..... just go for it I guess. Darker beers tend to have a smoother creamy texture but have a bitter, almost coffee-like flavor. Amber beers tend to have more hops which gives the beer a fresh citrusy flavor. It's really a personal preference.

It isn't the alcohol that kills me, it's the other bitter flavors. Beer tastes like s**t to me, as a general rule. I could down anything if it just tasted like alcohol. Wine is too much of the alcoholic flavor to simply knock down, so that's my problem there. I was looking for the least bitter beer and wine to start with to develop my taste.

Hmmm beer is going to be a problem but in both cases you shouldn't just knock it down. wine you have to sip and either way if you're going to spend that amount of money on alcohol you might as well enjoy it. also edited my post to include wines.

[Valtiel the Watcher]

as someone said you can always get desert wines like ice wine or port. they can be pricy though.

[Adain-chan]

Tawny port is delicious and I would recommend it.

[logan the god of candy]

don't drink beer. just don't. i mean, you could be a vag' and just drink like some low cal cervesa s**t. mgd 64. ya know, piss water. or you could investigate types of beer. there are a whole ******** load of types of beer. but probably don't drink it.

[chinchinchiller]

Zaraxis

Valtiel the Watcher

I'm assuming that since your favored drink of choice is everclear than even though you've been inebriated before you may not be a big fan of the taste of alcohol. Here are some pointers I would sugguest. With beer..... just go for it I guess. Darker beers tend to have a smoother creamy texture but have a bitter, almost coffee-like flavor. Amber beers tend to have more hops which gives the beer a fresh citrusy flavor. It's really a personal preference.

It isn't the alcohol that kills me, it's the other bitter flavors. Beer tastes like s**t to me, as a general rule. I could down anything if it just tasted like alcohol. Wine is too much of the alcoholic flavor to simply knock down, so that's my problem there. I was looking for the least bitter beer and wine to start with to develop my taste.

If you get a decent quality red or white wine (not counting dessert wines), you should taste the wine and the grapes, not the alcohol. The cheaper the wine, the more you're going to taste the alcohol.

As far as beer goes, go to a restaurant that serves flights of beer. A flight is usually four four ounce sample sizes of beer. It can help introduce you to variety of decent beers for a lower price and in much smaller volumes so it can be less intimidating. If you have an Old Chicago nearby, they have several different flights available.

Both beer and wine will take getting used to. It is unlikely you will love them both right off the bat.

[Albino Sea Monkey]

I don't like many wines or beers, but....

For beer, I love love love love "lambic". It's a fruity type of belgian beer. You will usually find it in 750ml wine-like bottles. The come in flavors like cherry, raspberry, peach, apple, etc. They are a little hoppy, but definitely palatable. A good thing to start with IMO, but kind of hard to find and a little expensive (the cheapest bottle I ever found was $9). I also enjoy Guinness.

As for wine, I enjoy Columbia Valley Riesling. I like most rieslings because they're light, a little sweet, and a little fruity. Columbia Valley is usually on the cheap side (well, it was when I lived in Seattle, I don't know about further away. I just moved and haven't been able to get to a liquor store yet!).

[X sansmerci]

If you dislike bitterness, ask your bartender what's on tap that's not too hoppy. Darker beers generally tend to be sweeter with a smooth mouthfeel, where lighter ones are a bit zingier but less heavy. Think about the difference between uncut pomegranate juice and cranberry juice.

Wine is similar in that reds tend to be a bit more assertive while whites overall are lighter, but there is a full range of flavor in white wines from the very dry to so fruity that it makes children's carbonated grape juice seem classy. Riesling is more on the dessert wine side of things, though it well may not be on the wine list at your average mid-level chain dining establishment. Pinot Grigio is a good start if you're just ordering a glass with supper.

But, really, I'd go to your local wine shop and have someone who works there talk you through buying a bottle to try on your own time with friends at home. If you live in a city, they may have weekly wine tastings of whatever is on special, but even just talking is a good idea; there are a lot of wine blends on the market, but if you don't know what wines you like, what's in the blend will mean nothing to you.

Mostly, don't drink beer or wine like whatever you did when underaged and just guzzling to get drunk. They're sipping beverages, and, frankly, will taste worse if you chug. If you can't deal with the flavor of alcohol, stick to having a shot and then sipping on a tall glass of juice/soda. (As opposed to mixed drinks, which don't always have exactly one shot, so it's much harder to keep track and not over-imbibe, something you're already at risk for when you're disguising the flavor of alcohol. A screwdriver with the proportions reversed tastes much the same, right up until it's coming back up.)