Beer question, please..

[santahog]

I want a beer that doesn't taste like soda water, (American beer) and doesn't taste like all hops, or "Hoppes", (aka Reichelbrau)..
I'm looking for something with a hint of lemon, a little thicker than the tap water of the first example but not like Guinness or that business. I love a dark beer but the vast majority are just too bitter for my taste..
I'm looking for suggestions.. (No Shipyard, please..)
(I balked at beer when Bud cost $3.50 a Six Pack. Now it cost twice that much.. I don't mind, if it's worth drinking.. Thoughts?)
Here's a little music to help the process along..

[Timothy]

Beer!  Such a delicate question...

Lemony?  Not my style but, there are several that come to mind that are not stouts that have a pleasant taste that's not IPA hoppy.

You're in the south so some may not be available but several Sam Adams seasonal are available now.  I like Winter Lager but it's not fruity!  I love the Oktoberfest from several brewers.

If you're not a stout kind of beer guy, try a porter!  They're malty, have a lot of balance of the heavier stouts without the heavy, thick mouth feel and no where near the bitterness.  Available nationally are Siera Nevada Porter, Anchor Steam Porter, a few Sam Adams and countless other lesser known brewers! 

Keep in mind that small batch beer is much like wine!  It needs to be kept cool and horizontal!

I've grown to really enjoy nearly everything available from Dog Fish Head Beer Co. out of Delaware.  Really good stuff IMO!

[Solus]

Have you tried Newcastle?  Don't think it is lemony, but it's somewhere between what we call beer here and Guinness.  Brewed in England someplace.

[tombogan03884]

FQ will have an answer for you.
He's a beer snob.

Have you tried Newcastle?  Don't think it is lemony, but it's somewhere between what we call beer here and Guinness. Brewed in England someplace.

Anywhere near Newcastle ?     

[Timothy]

Newcastle is a passable brown ale but there are countless better beers available domestically that outshine Newcastle!  Just takes a bit of experimentation and thankfully, several package stores here where I live will let you chose 6 different beers in a single sixer that give you some choices in your search.

[Sponsor]

[MikeBjerum]

Go to the local bar.  Ask them for one from the tap.  Keep trying until you find what you like or run out.  When you run out, go to a bar with more tap choices.

It's Beer!!!  Cold!  Cold beer and some salty snacks!

I work with a beer snob.  It has been almost six months, and we have been to three conventions together.  I am so sick and tired of analyzing beer.  If you like one, buy it and drink it.  Quit interrupting rants on BHO, or other important conversations with "oooooo, this is hoppy."

Best alternative to cold in a can or bottle is warm with cold hot dogs surrounded by the smell of burning rubber ...... Ahhhhhh the old bracket racing days 

[Timothy]

General rule of thumb with beer from an admitted snob of the hops!   If it has a twisty cap, pour it into the toilet!  It's not worth drinking!

Draft beer from a system that hasn't been cleaned recently is disgusting!  Avoid it...  having worked in a bar for near a decade, the beer lines never get sanitized on a regular basis!  YUK!

[santahog]

Best alternative to cold in a can or bottle is warm with cold hot dogs surrounded by the smell of burning rubber ...... Ahhhhhh the old bracket racing days 

Okay, now that's a different animal.. I don't even drink beer at the races because it's too damn hot. It's just good for a headache and  time out while the BAL gets back into driving range..

Going to a bar works if you live in a college town.. I'm in Alabama.. One of those "Things you'll never hear a redneck say.. "On second thought, make it a Zima" places, here..
As for Porter.. I was that word for the first time yesterday.. I went to WalMart to get some beer, got four kinds, (+ a case of carbonated water/Bud Light). Didn't know what it was so I passed.. Got a couple of new Mic variants that they weren't making the last time I looked at beer. The first one is "Lager" I'm about three swigs into it and I'm not impressed.. 5 more beers that I'm not impressed with.. The wife won't even wash her hair in the stuff because she never heard of it and she will just barely eat something that I've cooked if she knows it has wine in it.. I don't have enough hair to warrant that kind of treatment anymore, myself..
I remembered that I like Rolling Rock, sp I picked up a six of that.. I don't remember what else I got in there.. I'm sure it will all be a let down.. 
I'm drinking it to "assist" the stuff I'm taking for my back.. It may as well be worth drinking though!!!
I'll try the Porter stuff the next time I pass by it..
I've actually seen beer that suggest a "lemony" taste. I used to deal with alot of science in food. That's where the idea came from, waaaay back then. I'm glad someone else got the idea. I had some home-brew one time that was EXACTLY what I had in mind.. I tried to get him to tell me, (best friend, of course..) He wouldn't do it.. That sucker... It turns out he makes it from a kit and he doesn't know anything more than that.. I'm not sure home brew is even acceptable here. The warmer climates seem more concerned with things like that than the colder ones, for some reason.. I've never looked seriously at the prospects of it. Perhaps I should, huh..
Keep em comin', boys!! 

[Ulmus]

Try Shock Top or Blue Moon.  Both are citrusy and fuller than the average beer.

[MikeBjerum]

By the way,  if someone talks you into Blue Moon make sure nobody puts an orange in it!