Don't put nearly full beers on or near your mousepad. Trust me on this.

Also, Happy Birthday.

If I'm not drinking $.40 swill in a campground parking lot on a budget climbing trip....

Avoid large beer manufacturers. Rice is not an ingredient in quality beer.

Try a bunch of different stuff, and figure out what sorts of beer you like, then explore the options in those varieties. Your tastes will probably evolve over the years, so keep trying new things every so often.

I stick with micro brews for the most part, but do like a few readily available imports in UK bitters, Guinness, Kilkenny, Innis & Gunn, etc. IPAs can be an acquired taste but once you start to like hops, there's no turning back.

Mainly these days I drink IPAs, porters/stouts, and a hefeweizen on a hot summer day is pretty hard to beat. Mix in a few other varieties when a change is needed. The first couple beers I fell in love with were Guinness, and Boddingtons.

Not sure where you're from, but if you happen to live in Cali, take a trip to the bay area during beer week. A lot of happy fun times to be had. I spent 4 hours in line for Pliny the Younger and it was well worth it. Life changing beer.

you know the g9x has positive accel right?

Some of my favourite brewers are DDC, Unibroue, Pike, Anchor, Harviestoun, Delirium, Hitachino, Yukon, Rochefort, and Maredsous.

Also most big-name beer is bland and kind of gross.

is the best beer I've ever had

http://www.belgique.co.uk/images/products/302_1_large.jpg

Mine was a Labatt Blue Light. I was 19 and on a fishing trip in Canada.

I think the first beer I ever had in the States was a Landshark.

Any product brewed by Unibroue is real good.

If you're looking for less common beers, then you have:

Dieu du Ciel
L'Alchimiste
Le Naufrager
3 Mousquetaires
Don de Dieu

I have a summer birthday, so I'm accosted with fruity IPAs and all their ilk.
But, Bell's Oberon.
So good people are actually sick of drinking it after 22.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYm3wq16_QcHsnWD6o7AR6izZP8wDkxdHaPzZPCES0oTtyOz7ffQ

this

Big Rock traditional. or great west original 16.

I suggest you to try those 2 beers:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7988509727_9433ea5c7f_z.jpg

http://www.brasserielefebvre.be/product/resized/3_webblancheensemble.jpg

If you're ever in Montreal, go for the homebrew beer. I have to thank cinq for getting me on to that

Am I lucky if I"ve got Pliny the Elder on tap at a local bar?

first legal beer was a 3 liter boot of this pitch black stout called optimator that was rocking an 11% ABV.

guinness is really good for a dark beer, has the powerful flavor and heavy feel but doesnt overwhelm you. good starting point for getting into heavier stouts and shit imo

yuengling is good in general, and even moreso when/if you're not looking to break the bank on beer like defy_beer_hipster and drop $4.99 per 12 oz bottle

leinenkugel is pretty good, they have a lot of citrus flavored light beers that are fucking amazinggggg on a hot summer day. try the summer shandy.

im a beer n00b as far as craft shit goes, for me the darker the better 8)

Innus & gunn is really good
Also like the Kieths and Richards because you can always get one at the bar
Apricot Ale has to be my favorite

We always drank rum when I was a kid. When I turned 18 I went with my stepdad to the bar and got a kokanee cause he ordered one. Didn't drink beer for almost a year after that piss water

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Elder is great, but it's not uncommon at all, so no :P

Like defy, I am also a beer hipster/snob

Anytime you go to the store, buy a new 6-pack you have not tried before. If your local store has a bunch of shit beer or you run out of options, go to a different location. You are doing two things. You are building a palate for different flavors and styles as well as finding what you do and don't like.

I don't know what they have in North Carolina, but try and find pale ales, ambers and blondes if you are new to microbrews. These have a lower IBU and usually are not as heavy. That is not to say they are not as good as IPAs, heavier stouts, and porters. Some of my favorites are pales and ambers. IPAs come in a large spectrum, but they will usually be more bitter and have more of the hop aroma. Be on the lookout for seasonal brews since they will do more unique things to the beer. Spring and Summer beers are usually lighter ales or wheat varieties (hefeweizen, blondes, etc) where Fall and Winter varieties are usually bolder and heavier in variety (stouts, porters, ales) and ABV (alcohol by volume).

Another tip I have is look for the 22oz bottles. You will be able to find some beers that would not normally come in a 6-pack. Think of 22s as the "forty" for micros.

Oh and visit the NW and the rest of the West coast. Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego all have some larger beer scenes. But never discount the surrounding areas either.

I've got a convenience store within driving distance of me that has an incredible beer selection. Right now I'm just trying to get a base in the different categories, IPAs, stouts, porters, and whatnot. I've really been digging IPAs, though. I had Green Flash's Imperial IPA last night, as well as Foothills' Hoppyum IPA. As for the west coast, I'm hoping to go to University of Washington for grad school, so maybe it's in the cards for me.