This is what I would do, and this is what I've done:
1) Go to a store that specializes in wines and beer. Most cities have them. This isn't likely to be your average liquor store as they won't have much of what you'll need. Stores like Wild Oats and Whole Foods often have a reasonable selection as well.
2) Buy a pint of something for every style you can find. I say buy a pint for a few reasons, but primarily because the better beers tend to come in pints and not regular-sized bottles (and certainly not cans, although some microbrews are indeed shipping in cans these days--they have a method of preventing that metallic taste); well, at least not in a six-pack.
3) Treat the beer like a wine, because a good beer can be as complex as a good wine. Use a proper glass (i.e. not a Dixie cup), serve at proper temperature (depends on the beer, but ice cold isn't always the right temperature; see this for more information), and really pay attention to what you're drinking. Maybe it smells like butterscotch (diacetyl), caramel malts, chocolate, dried fruits, citrusy, or even herbaceous? Take note of these things, as it's this that will ultimately educate your palate.
4) Take notes.
That's it. Doing all of the above repetitively will ultimately lead you to at least one conclusion: You like beer or you don't, but your palate will be more educated either way.
For what it's worth, my favorite beer styles tend to be Belgian, so some of my favorite breweries are: Allagash, Ommegang (love them), Westvleteren, Konigshaven, St Bernardus, Orval, Westmalle (my favorite trappist), Chimay, Scaldis, Delerium Tremens, and probably more that I can't remember.
Enjoy!
1) Go to a store that specializes in wines and beer. Most cities have them. This isn't likely to be your average liquor store as they won't have much of what you'll need. Stores like Wild Oats and Whole Foods often have a reasonable selection as well.
2) Buy a pint of something for every style you can find. I say buy a pint for a few reasons, but primarily because the better beers tend to come in pints and not regular-sized bottles (and certainly not cans, although some microbrews are indeed shipping in cans these days--they have a method of preventing that metallic taste); well, at least not in a six-pack.
3) Treat the beer like a wine, because a good beer can be as complex as a good wine. Use a proper glass (i.e. not a Dixie cup), serve at proper temperature (depends on the beer, but ice cold isn't always the right temperature; see this for more information), and really pay attention to what you're drinking. Maybe it smells like butterscotch (diacetyl), caramel malts, chocolate, dried fruits, citrusy, or even herbaceous? Take note of these things, as it's this that will ultimately educate your palate.
4) Take notes.
That's it. Doing all of the above repetitively will ultimately lead you to at least one conclusion: You like beer or you don't, but your palate will be more educated either way.
For what it's worth, my favorite beer styles tend to be Belgian, so some of my favorite breweries are: Allagash, Ommegang (love them), Westvleteren, Konigshaven, St Bernardus, Orval, Westmalle (my favorite trappist), Chimay, Scaldis, Delerium Tremens, and probably more that I can't remember.
Enjoy!
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