I used to be a huge craft beer snob. Kept a tasting journal, chased down "rare" bottles, traded local beers with people on the other side of the country, and all that crazy stuff. I haven't counted in a while, but at one point I had tried well over 1000 different beers. These days I just don't have the time (or spending money
) to worry about all that anymore... so I just ask for recommendations or buy what piques my interest at the liquor store/restaurant.
My introduction to "good" beer came when I hosted some Belgian exchange students one summer in college, one of whom had a father who worked at Chimay. He'd send a case or two over every couple of weeks. I was on a Belgian kick for a good while after that. If you haven't tried any of the "Trappist" beers, those are always a good place to start, not only because of the history behind them but because there's some variety and for the most part they aren't very hoppy at all. From there, I'd maybe try some of the German beers. Weihenstephaner is always a brewery I like recommending. It's generally very easy to find their stuff, they make a few different styles, and they're all crowd pleasers/easy to drink. I know a few people who attribute their "discovery" of good beer to that brand. I really like their "Vitus"... it's one of the few imports I repeat buy these days.
Most of the Belgian and German styles tend to be on the malty/yeasty side rather than the hoppy side... flavors of "dark" fruits (cherries, etc), bananas, sometimes a little bit of spice to it that are usually pretty unique to the yeasts they use. Might be right up your alley if you like lagers/ales and want something different. The European beers are always a good place to start in general because they tend not to add stuff to flavor their beer... Germany even has a law that restricts them to only using water, malt, and hops. If you're tasting bananas, it's the result of fermentation, not because they dumped bananas in there. I think that is just neat and really gives you an idea of the range of flavors capable by using the same ingredients. If you're wanting to "learn," I think it's easier to learn how to pick out flavors and what causes them with European beers... and I think being able to describe beers beyond style is important in being able to ask for/give recommendations.
From there, I'd just start trying whatever you find that sounds interesting. Figure out what you like, explore that style, but don't be afraid to branch out. Personally, I try not to buy beers I've tried already unless I really, really like them. There's just too much other stuff out there waiting to be tried. Some liquor stores do a "pick six" where you can create a six pack of whatever they have. They don't always put the best stuff there, and they can be pricier than just getting regular six packs, but it's a good place to start. Once you start getting into American microbreweries in general though, things just start getting crazy these days. There are just so many of them popping up, and they produce all sorts of crazy stuff. That's why I'd probably avoid them at first and "tour" Europe first if you want to "learn" about beer.
When you start trying more American microbrews, I'd probably try to start local... I don't know what the craft beer scene is like in Arizona, but in Chicago, there are enough different breweries here to keep someone busy for a long, long time. Get a couple of friends together and do a mini tasting. A lot of great beers only come in "bombers" (the tall bottles), so in college, my friends and I would toss in $10-20 each, get a bunch of beers, and play cards or whatever while drinking them. It's a good way to try a lot of different beers... and if you don't like one, you're not dumping a $12 bottle down the drain. We'd usually either pick a style or pick a region... one week we'd do Porters, the next we'd do East or West coast beers, another we'd do German beers, etc. While the American craft breweries make all sorts of different stuff in all sorts of places so it can make things jumbled, you can often figure out where a beer comes from based on taste. I find that really neat.
These days, my "favorite" style seems to change on about every 6-12 months, but I try to be an equal opportunity beer drinker in general and drink a little of everything. Only thing I really avoid are American "Wheat Beers"/wits/etc as I tend to find them a bit sweet. I also try and avoid beers "brewed with (insert flavor)" things, as they tend to be overpowering. Though, I've had some ridiculously interesting flavored beers. Right now I'm in a bit of a Stouts and Porters phase, or Sours if I come across them. I've been limiting my carb intake, so I'm generally only drinking a beer or two a week max... so I like something I can sip on. I am one of those people like likes IPAs quite a bit. IPAs can get crazy... a lot of people (and breweries) think IPAs absolutely must smack you in the face with bitterness. Hoppy doesn't have to mean bitter though... different types hops added at different levels of freshness added at different times give different tastes. Some hops can give a beer more of a floral or even honey taste.
I thought I didn't like IPAs for a long time and avoided them like the plague until I accidentally ordered one and loved it. It might just be an acquired taste thing, but I think it's the variety and complexity that I like about them these days. My point is... don't avoid them completely because you had one or even a few bad experiences with hoppy beers. You might find one (or a dozen) that you love. I still find plenty that I hate. Some of my staying favorite IPAs/beers in general, which tend to be fairly hard to get these days, are Bell's Hop Slam and 3 Floyd's Zombie Dust. I generally stock up on those every year when they're released because I like them and they tend to be good beer trade currency. Both are somewhat local to the Midwest and are hard enough to come by out here, so I'm not sure you'll be able to find them out there... so if you're interested in giving "hoppy" beers another shot, I can send you a few bottles, perhaps with some other local stuff.
Final recommendations, if you see any beer festivals in your area, I'd get a group of friends together and go for sure. I try to go to at least 1-2 every year around here, but there are probably close to a dozen. They're always a good place to try lots of new beers and they tend to be a lot of fun. Also, if you've got a smart phone, check out "Untappd." Kind of like Twitter/Foursquare for beer. I don't like those sites, but I like it. It's a nice place to keep track of/rate beers, but it's also fun to check out what your friends have been drinking. Good place to find recommendations, if you trust your friends' tastes. If you download it, feel free to add me on there under the username "weebus."
Whelp... now I want a beer.
