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rockytop714 · 09-21-2012, 05:14 PM

I've been a craft beer drinker for a while, now, but like most people, I'm sure, when I was new to craft beer, I stuck with more approachable styles; mostly wheat, amber, and the like. Recently, though, I have come to be a fan of bolder flavor profiles, particularly big, hoppy IPAs.

It has gotten to a point that that is all that I want to drink and, when I do drink a beer that is a little more subtle, it's kind of a "m'eh" experience. good but nothing remarkable, even though it's a very good beer and something that I may have really enjoyed a few years ago.

So... I know it's probably a strange question, but has this happened with anyone else? Is there anything I can do to adjust my palate or learn to appreciate something other than a hop bomb?

any suggestions are welcomed.

xjmox14x · 09-21-2012, 05:17 PM

Give the IPA's a break for a while. You'll probably always crave them now, but palates can change fairly often. If you give them a break for a while, you may appreciate different styles more. Happened to me at least.

sweed · 09-21-2012, 05:23 PM

Go drink some nice stouts/ imperial stouts... that'll probably want you crave those all the time! Those and IPA/ IIPA's are my favorite right now, but loves just about anything. There are a few styles that I still need to try like a klosch and a saisson.

**Obliviousbrew** · 09-21-2012, 05:31 PM

I love IPAs and my wife is a total hop head, but I know beers don´t start and finish in a hoppy bomb, try everything that gets near you and brew as many differente styles as you can. I didn´t appriciatte lagers till I brew one. Don´t be afraid of trying something new every time, and when you do try and you don´t like it give it a second and third chance, our palates are used to the things (beer food or whatever) that we usually try, that´s why sometimes some ethnical foods are so hard to aproach, cultural barriers are shown more often than we think in food and beverages. When I don´t enjoy something at the first time I tend to think that´s my "mistake" so I give them a few more shots... This beeing said I have to admit that I don´t enjoy certain styles, lambics for instance, but I did tried a lot of good stuff in my las trip to Brussels I gave them a shot but... the heart wants what the heart wants.

JordanThomas · 09-21-2012, 05:33 PM

Take the reverse route... buy a 6-er or brew a pale ale. The next time, do an ESB. Next, maybe a saison. Gravitate slowly away from the IBU. Might work?

By the end of the year, who knows! Maybe you'll be drinking sours. *GASP!*

Andrewtherooster · 09-21-2012, 05:45 PM

I quit drinking for 40 days this past Spring, and that definitely changed my palate. Why I still like IPAs, I don't enjoy drinking them all the time like I used to.

pigsaarz · 09-21-2012, 05:52 PM

I have found myself being drawn to the S.N Torpedo I do really enjoy them trouble is after a six pack my tongue starts to tingle.

feinbera · 09-21-2012, 06:10 PM

Just roll with it, your palate will continue to evolve on its own. Like you, I couldn't get enough IBU's when I first started really getting into craft beers. But, for lack of a better term, my palate got bored after a couple of years, and I started seeking out beers with different kinds of strong flavors -- rich syrupy barleywines, smoky rauchbiers, sours.

Keep trying new things once in a while, just to keep your mind open, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you enjoy what you're drinking, so, keep enjoying those IPAs for now, and let your tongue tell you when it's time to switch other styles into more regular rotation.

jfr1111 · 09-21-2012, 07:49 PM

I think this is the first thread where everyone spells "palate" correctly. Congrats gang !

As far as not enjoying other styles, it's okay: I'm a big english beer nut and it's almost all I brew and drink. If it bugs you, try brewing another style that is still hoppy, but that is not an IPA. Bitters for example. Some ordinary bitters are massively hoppy and bitter (40 ibus for 1.035), but they are interesting and balanced because of the yeast/malt character which is vastly different from your average west coast IPA.

rockytop714 · 09-23-2012, 12:47 PM

thanks for all of the tips! When I first got into craft beers, a little over 10 years ago, you'd have had to twist my arm to get me to drink an IPA. Wasn't a hop fan, at all. So I avoided them for nearly a decade. For whatever reason, while visting my favorite bottle shop for a mix and match six a year or two ago, I decided to round things out with a DFH 60 min IPA, just to give them another chance. I don't know exactly what changed, but after that I was hooked.

So, essentially, I guess you are absolutely right in that your tastes can change and evolve over time. So I guess we'll just see where it goes, from here. I am constantly trying different things, so it's not an issue of limiting myself, it's just that I seem to gravitate toward "bigger" flavors. I had a Sierra Nevada "Summerfest" a while back and, recently, a Fin Du Monde from Unibroue and, though I thought they were very good, I admittedly found them just a little boring, for lack of a better way of putting it.

So that is really what I am trying to correct, or train myself to do. I would like to be able to appreciate those kind of beers on the same level as an IPA, stout, or a barleywine without having the flavor essentially slap me in the face. I'd like to learn to appreciate the more subtle qualities in a beer, created by the malts and yeast.

So I suppose it's one of those things that becomes aquired, over time, and that I'll just have to keep drinking a lot of different beers to learn that... sounds terrible, huh? ;-)

again, thanks so much for all the input!