Booze

Well, there are lots of different kinds of beer, so maybe you just need to sample some. Heineken is pretty mass market. I could tell you my favourite beers, but there's no saying you'll have the same taste. Maybe you will like hoppy beers, or amber, or dark beers like Guinness. Or maybe you just wont like beer.

One thing is for sure though, beer out of a keg tastes quite a lot better than out of a bottle or can.

You might like the wine better. Be sure to let it breathe.

Heineken is notorious for getting a "skunk" taste.

To what Ian said, the only real way you may figure out what you like is with experimenting. Stores like Wegmans or Whole Foods may be able to sell beer in your state, and if so both have the option to "mix and match" a six pack. Choose different beer styles to see what you like, but try to keep them all at under 6% ABV at least at first, do you don't get overwhelmed by the booziness. A pils, a lager, a red ale, a stout, and two others in the craft beer variety is a good jumping off point.

If you're curious as to how craft beers rank relative to others, beeradvocate.com has a pretty solid ranking system.

American lagers or pilsner can be good in certain circumstances, but really don't showcase much flavor being watered down.

And from someone who has had a DUI in the past, keeping it at home can make you over-confident when you do go out. A beer per hour is the general rule of thumb to be under the legal limit but no more than 6.

Some people don't drink. It's perfectly normal and you shouldn't feel like you're abnormal if you choose not to. If you don't like it, or it does nothing for you, then simply don't drink it. Who cares what people think?

That's my ultimate view point, anyway. If you do feel like you have to drink something to fit in better... nah, fuck it. I gagged a little writing that sentence. If someone judges you for choosing to not have an alcoholic beverage, then maybe it's better that you choose someone else to hang out with.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yep, all true and I don't regret my decision to skip all the wild keggers when I was younger.  But I've been rethinking all my reasons for wholesale avoiding alcohol even in reasonable moderation all these years and they've started to seem kind of paranoid in retrospect.  I'm not solely looking into this out of delayed peer pressure, I do sort of just want to know what I've been missing.

There is really nothing wrong with having an amaretto sour. It a nice refreshing sipper. As for beer, I could list a ton to try, but they could all have that nasty taste that makes it off putting for you. What type of red wine did you get? There is a bit of difference between the types of wine. I could even suggest a bottle of Ballatore sparkling wine to try, if anything else you can mix it with orange juice for a mimosa. Keep us posted on your journey.

Well, I had zero clue what to get off the rack so I kind of fell back on my knowledge in a field I'm a bit more knowedgable about...

Hey, it could've been Mad Dog

I'll throw in my two cents.

I drink however I wouldn't consider myself a drinker. I'm more of a social drinker, having beers or cocktails at parties, weddings, when out with friends, etc. I never drink otherwise although I know a lot of people do. I never come home from work and 'unwind' with a beer or have one at dinner (which never made sense to me, it just fills you up). I used to drink and party all the time but I got tired of feeling like shit for 3 days afterwards. My point is, if you don't feel like drinking then you certainly shouldn't. You're right, just about everything is going to taste like piss when you first try it but you'll notice that having a buzz is pretty cool.

You bought yourself a bottle of wine. Cool, that'll get you feeling pretty good. Just remember, PLEASE remember that the alcohol content of wine is higher than that of beer. There was a day in my life when I didn't really think that was the case and I paid a very steep price. If you have a glass of beer you'll feel okay. If you drink the same size glass of wine especially during your first experience with wine, things could go very very south. If you indulge in the wine take it easy, don't go nuts. Same goes for when you try hard alcohol, that'll get a newbie pretty wasted pretty fast.

As for hard booze, I don't know if you're quite there. The next time you're out with people or are in a bar just ask someone for a recommendation. Ask a buddy 'hey what do you think I'd like?' Personally I like whiskey, Canadian whiskey to be more specific because it's a little sweeter than scotch or other whiskeys. I'd recommend a 7 and 7 (Seagram's Seven whiskey and 7-Up) because it's easier to drink without feeling like you're drinking ash.

Also, even though we've never met in person I know you're a very practical person. You also aren't 19 anymore. If you get drunk you're going to feel like you've been hit by a bus which is natural at any point in your life but at our age you might feel like that for a couple days. For me, I just don't look forward to getting hammered on a Saturday just so I can feel thrashed on Sunday AND Monday. Sure there are special occasions but those aren't as frequent as they once were. I doubt you'll want to do the same so try to find your 'limit' as to what you can drink while feeling pretty good while not getting really drunk.

So I guess my point is that if you don't feel like drinking, don't. It's probably for the best in the long run, I have a lot of close family and friends who eff themselves because of it. Not because they're alcoholics but because some have DUIs, they do stupid stuff and hurt themselves, etc. Just stay in control, drink with people you know and trust until you get a handle on your limits and find what you like. Don't feel like you have to like everything. I hate gin. I hate scotch. I don't care for tequila. Find out what your tastes are. Find out how much you can drink. Don't drive if you've had more than 2 even if you think you're good, that's just my personal rule of thumb. Have yourself a glass of wine or two tonight and see how you feel during and after then report back to us.

There's so many different hipster/craft beers that you might want to start with. They have a lot of flavor unlike coors, miller, pbr and other shitty beers. Look for Traveler Grapefruit Shandy. It's really good. Personally I like IPAs that have some sort of fruit flavor to balance the hoppiness. Descheutes Fresh Squeezed IPA is yummy. I second thebtskink s advice and build your own 6 pack at the liquor store.

If you want to try a cocktail that isn't girly and you like ginger go for a Moscow Mule. It's lime, ginger beer, and vodka.

Classic J-Bone. 

He's referring to co-workers. He's a hot shot now. Just blew thousands of dollars on a 4K TV and an Xbox One.

Or Jonah Hill.