I don't like Belgians, Sours, or Hefs. Am I alone?

I am the same exact way! I love IPAs, pale ales, stouts, porters, etc...English and American. But anything fermented with a Belgian yeast leaves a taste in my mouth that tastes like plastic was boiled in a vat of acetone. For some reason, I can't get over it. I've tried plenty of Belgians, and I still can't like them. Same with hefeweizens. Whatever, people are all different. Drink an brew what you want!!

I thought I was alone in this...I do not like anything with strong yeast esters. I have tried a ton, my wife only orders samplers and that's what she drinks, I always try what she orders and I would never order it on my own. Sometimes the smell alone will make me gag (seriously dry heave). I will say I have never tried a sour, I can't get myself to pull the trigger.

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I used to hate sours but I just got back from Sonoma County and gained a new love for them. Went to Russian River, Bear Republic and Firestone Walker. Russian River's Consecration & Beautification are the best I've ever had.

Everyone's palate is different. The only style I don't care for (even well made) is English IPAs. I love English beers and love IPAs, but not together. Your palate can change over time as well, so don't be afraid to try something again in a few months/years.

I remember when I first started drinking craft beer I tried a dfh 120...tasted like hop nectar and I could only drink half the bottle. Now I'm like, "could've done 180 mins..." lol

GuldTuborg said:

Oh, man, you got me there. There sure isn't any variety in those categories. I mean, if you can tell a witbier from a biere de garde, or a flanders brown from a gueuze, you must have a super palate or something. Plus, there sure isn't any variety in 16E.

And never mind that nonexistant American Sour Ale category. Doesn't exist anywhere, there isn't a book on the topic coming out shortly, and even if they did exist, they'd all taste exactly like the ones in Belgium, which also all taste the same.

There aren't any IPAs, light lagers, fruit beers, stouts, barley wines, or anything else made in Belgium, either. No sir. Wouldn't go well with all the bananas they're adding to the wort.

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I'm picking up your sarcasm....

Setesh said:

I'm picking up your sarcasm....

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Oh good. I wasn't sure it would come through, on the forum and all.

I'm being very serious when I say I think there is more variety of beers in the "sour" category than any other, excepting maybe the Belgian/French ale one.

kombat said:

I fancy myself a beer affictionado.

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"I don't like Belgians, Sours, or Hefs. Am I alone?" ....Yeah, pretty much. But bless you anyway, Grasshopper.

Everyone likes what they like. I love yeast-driven (or microbe as the case may be) beers. Love Belgians, love sour beers, love Hefes and Weizen beers in general. Also love English beers.

I can also appreciate German beers for their clean character letting the malt (and sometimes hops) show more prominently.

However, I'm not that crazy about American styles, especially American IPAs. I can enjoy em from time to time, and even brew em occasionally, but the BOOM Citrus or BOOM pine or BOOM otherwise "American" hop character gets really old really quickly to me.

I love Belgians and hefes but sours I'm not sure of. I like Fruity ones like kriek or frambroise but straight Brett beers like Orval have made me gag on occasion.

But Orval isn't sour, not is it a brett-only beer.

elkshadow said:

I love Belgians and hefes but sours I'm not sure of. I like Fruity ones like kriek or frambroise but straight Brett beers like Orval have made me gag on occasion.

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Blasphemy! Seriously though, Orval shouldn't be considered "straight Brett". It doesn't see Brett until secondary fermentation which is why many consider it a good introduction to Brett beers. You get some of the barnyard character without so much sour. I love Orval and I like how the character changes as the beer matures. Everyone's palate is different though.

kombat said:

I fancy myself a beer affictionado. I love trying new beers and having a wide variety on tap. But for the life of me, I just can't develop a taste for Belgians, Sours, or Hefeweizens.

I don't like that banana-like funky yeast flavour character of Belgians. I find it hangs around in my mouth for far too long and just doesn't taste good. It tastes like melted plastic to me.

Sours, honestly I haven't tried any, but just the thought of "sour beer" doesn't exactly have me reaching for my glass or my wallet. I've had infected batches before, and they were not good, so if that's what a sour is, no thanks.

Hefeweizens, I dislike for the same reason as Belgians. It's the yeast character. I can't get over that in-your-face banana, clove character. Now, *American* wheat ales, on the other hand, I love. Give me a nice wheat ale fermented cleanly with a neutral strain like US-05 and I'll guzzle it all afternoon.

Anyone else have similar tastes? Am I allowed to not like such a broad swath of beer styles and still be in the "beer club?"

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I'm w/Y dude, and I can add "adding fruit" to a beer as well. It's the German in me.

Belgians and wheat stuff are generally gross to me. I like to try them because I don't like to knock it until I try it, but still disappointed.

Now in terms of sours.... these have been growing on me. A friend of mine had me trying all kinds of gueze beers. What a great style. I would love to have another consecration after a few years of expanding my palate.

Belgians and wheat are the best beers its odd how people have different (wrong) tastes, beer is so amazing that it caters to even people that dont like the best of things, beer forever

TimmyWit said:

I also don't understand OP saying he doesn't like something that he has never tried

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Geez, you sound like my wife.

Her: "Want one of my raw oysters?"
Me: "Blech, no thanks. That looks disgusting."
Her: "Have you ever tried one?"
Me: "Just enjoy your oysters, Sweetie."

I like wheat ales,like Franziskaner & Paulaner. But belgians,like Chimay blue label make my guts kinda tighten up. I can't drink them too often...guess I got enough funk?!...

GuldTuborg said:

Oh good. I wasn't sure it would come through, on the forum and all.

I'm being very serious when I say I think there is more variety of beers in the "sour" category than any other, excepting maybe the Belgian/French ale one.

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Yeah, and it's a great point. It all comes down to true experience. When I say I don't care for the Belgian beers I am basing this on a grand total of around 20 different beers (most of those Trappist). Is that a good representative sample? I'm sure it's not. But I'm in Oklahoma, and it's damn hard to get a LOT of beers here because our distribution laws don't allow for competition. My hate of Witbiers is based on no more than 10 (and probably less) examples of the style, so the same problem applies there. The problem is further compounded by the fact that these beers make a long trip over the ocean and aren't the same now as when they left.

Can I really be blamed for my outlook though? I am a product of my environment. I have tried all of the examples of the styles that I could find in the store, which just doesn't amount to much. I can't do anything about the narrow sample I am offered, so can I really be blamed for saying I don't like Witbier when I have tried all of the Witbiers I have access to?

It's the same problem when someone in the US says they don't like Chinese food. Chances are they have never actually had Chinese food, so how do they really know if they like it? What they don't like is the Americanized example that they have access to.

kombat said:

Geez, you sound like my wife.

Her: "Want one of my raw oysters?"
Me: "Blech, no thanks. That looks disgusting."
Her: "Have you ever tried one?"
Me: "Just enjoy your oysters, Sweetie."

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I gotta say your wife is correct on this one man! SOOOOOO GOOD!

The only Belgian beer that I like is Troegs Mad Elf. I don't enjoy Belgian yeast at all.

I try to enjoy Sours and every once in a while I find that that I somewhat enjoy, but not enough to hunt them down. When the adjectives, leather,farmhouse,bandaid are used how can it be good?

Not a fan of American Wheat beers, so I never even tried a hefe.

NervousDad said:

The only Belgian beer that I like is Troegs Mad Elf. I don't enjoy Belgian yeast at all.

I try to enjoy Sours and every once in a while I find that that I somewhat enjoy, but not enough to hunt them down. When the adjectives, leather,farmhouse,bandaid are used how can it be good?

Not a fan of American Wheat beers, so I never even tried a hefe.

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American wheat beers and Hefeweizens are completely different beers. Hefes would be more in line with Belgian beers than they would be with American wheats.

I think many home brewers start from a very limited palette and experience.

I always see a lot of posts like "I enjoy aside variety of beers except 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8"

Some things are an acquired taste... Or take getting used to. And I think a good deal of education is needed before you can reasonably start knocking off entire countries like Belgium. Haha.

Well,for me it's the sour funk that does things to my stomach.

Belgians like some say I had to get into but now a good Belgian beer...yes please.

Hefe's are kinda the same way but I just can't quite get over the completely unfiltered part. I'll drink one and might like it but it's 50/50.

Sour's on the other hand. It's more rare if I can take another drink. I can appreciate the work that goes into them and that they're a style. But I just don't like sour food, drink, candy...whatever. With that said I have had a very good sour beer or two.

Some people like blondes and some like brunettes.

IamAPenguin12 said:

I used to hate sours but I just got back from Sonoma County and gained a new love for them. Went to Russian River, Bear Republic and Firestone Walker. Russian River's Consecration & Beautification are the best I've ever had.

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I just got back from RRBC yesterday and picked up a couple bottles of their sours. They are amazing.

And also a growler of Pliny the Elder.

I started home brewing (granted it was less than a year ago) after I started working at a winery, because steps at the winery I found related to brewing. I was enjoy craft beers and microbrews back in high school (over the normal Keystone and Light Lagers that most of the underage dredge enjoyed.

So that's where I try to related everything I make, by something I've tasted. Unfortunately the area I live in (Walla Walla Valley) does not have a single descent selection of beer. We have a decent brew store, a few good ale houses, and breweries that are being built along with our 72 wineries.

But I know that after I started to enjoy IPAs Porters and Stouts I just cannot enjoy many Belgium or Hefe's. Which is mainly what got me started with drinking craft beers, however I do have some exceptions however.