Controversial views

[emjay]

So I started on stout - Guinness I think - at Steely's recommendation, but it was trying shandy that ruined it for me... which is probably the opposite way round from how most people get into beer

Guinness has the virtue(?) of having practically no taste whatsoever.  

Shandy can really be quite good, it's kind of like a less-sweet version of whatever juice it's made from, however it's flavor profile is going to clash with many other beers, so trying one immediately after drinking a Guinness without cleansing the palate first may literally leave a bad taste in your mouth.

That's good to know but everyone I spoke to (other than Steely) said Guinness was the worst thing to start on and most of them hated it, but tbh they all taste the same to me... I don't think it would matter too much which one I started on because my palate's not sophisticated enough to tell them apart as anything other than yuck beer

But shandy was sufficiently different to jolt my tastebuds out of their trance I'm not quite sure it was shandy actually... it was definitely shandy in essence... but I think it went under another name. Not sure this is it but what's a lager top? Shandy is just lemonade and beer right? I'm pretty sure it was that but I'm pretty sure it had another name as well.

Anyway I didn't have the ?shandy straight after a normal one... it was just trying something new on a different day but I wasn't used to it at all I wish I hadn't done that cos I could've still been drinking Guinness as we speak if not. I know I still could, but the mood to try has gone.