Anybody else not a big fan of highly hopped beers?

Let me clarify...

I like hops. I like to taste hops in beers where it's appropriate, however I'm just not a huge fan of highly hopped beer styles.
I've tried as many of the critically acclaimed highly hopped beers but none of them really did it for me. (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Stone Arrogant Bastard etc.)

I enjoy all kinda of beer though.....stouts, Belgian Abbey beers, Wheat beers, Lagers, English Pale Ales etc.

Anybody else have similar opinion?

agree? disagree?

I've never thought of Sierra Nevada as being highly hopped.

That said, what your tastebuds like are going to vary from everyone else. I'd say stick with what you know you enjoy, and skip the rest. I know I'm not a huge Arrogant Bastard fan, but give me a Pliny, Green Flash West Coast, or a Ballast Point Sculpin any day. I love hops.

well i am not a fan for sure of hops, but what i can tell you is that for me it is an aquired taste. I once bought 2 6'ers of some IPA, well when I was at about beer 5 or 6, over a few days, I was quite enjoying them. So the moral is you'll have to drink about 12 to know for sure. I here the same thing about the apfelwein, which I am just itchin to brew.

Personally I disagree, but I can see why some people don't like hoppy beers. It can also be an acquired taste as well. The first time I had a standard IPA I thought it was hoppy, now I can say that I haven't had a beer that is too hoppy for me.

Not liking a particular beer style is fine, and if you've tried more than one or two hoppy beers and don't like them still, then I would agree that hoppy beers are not your thing.

I personally am not too big on excessively sour beers.

I always drank the more highly hopped beers with the notion that they are an acquired taste. I just never acquired a liking for them. I've had many of those beers too.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Blaspheme, everyone must love hops!!!

I think there are a few brewers around here that don't like hoppy beers though hop heads are more common. I like a wide range of styles from the most highly hopped IIPA to light and malty Milds and Roasty Stouts of all types. However I don't care for the so called Lawn mower beers of blonde ales, pale lagers or wheat beers.

Beer has plenty of variety to satisfy nearly any taste.

Craig

I can definitely see how many of these beers are highly regarded but my taste buds just don't enjoy them as much as they enjoy some other beers I drink.
I actually bought a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale and a 6 of the Celebration to see how I'd like them. And while I've finished both 6 packs, I just never fell in love with either.
Again, not putting down any particular beer, just wondering if other people have similar tastes and just curious about what everyone has to say.

Hoppy beers are like spicy food.

First time may knock you on your @ss.

Next time not so much.

Net thing you know...any bowl of chili without a healthy dose of habanero chilis is lame.

My first six pack of SNPA...had one bottle. The remainder sat there for three days. Had a second bottle. Next day...finished the six pack.

I'm not a big fan of them - a nicy fruity/not too dry, heavily hopped ale is ok on a hot summer day though. I mostly stick to brown ales, porters, stouts and German lagers.

I'm very eclectic in my beer drinking...I even like the sour Gueuze and Lambic beers that many people don't care for. There's just something about highly pronounced hop beers. I almost get a weird headache because of the hops (Stone Arrogant Bastard for example)

BierMuncher said:

Hoppy beers are like spicy food.

First time may knock you on your @ss.

Next time not so much.

Net thing you know...any bowl of chili without a healthy dose of habanero chilis is lame.

My first six pack of SNPA...had one bottle. The remainder sat there for three days. Had a second bottle. Next day...finished the six pack.

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While I agree with you that I'm not knocked out by the hop flavour anymore, I've become somewhat immune to the strength of the hops. I just don't care for beers that are more hop oriented as much as more malty, wheaty, roasted, yeasty even fruity type of beers.

I can't session with a highly-hopped beer. I CAN session with other beers that aren't really stereotypically "sessionable", such as RIS or Trippel, but the highly-hopped beers I just can't deal with more than 1 or 2 in a session.

That being said, I absolutely ADORE highly-hopped beers in moderation. I just need some of that pure pine / citrus smack in the face after the usual stout / English ale / stout combo that I normally session with. I tend to order 1 per night whenever we hit the pubs. Something like a Pliny, or Stone's Ruination, whatever I can get my hands on that is similar (I frequent bars where there's always something D-IPA on tap).

Sierra Nevada isn't really what I would call highly-hopped. Rubicon Brewing here in Sacramento had this beer called Rosebud in the fall that was a beautiful orange color and had a real hop kick.

I too am not a big fan of highly hopped beers. I also prefer the "malty, wheaty, roasted, yeasty" flavours. My favourite beers are dark ales, stouts, and young lambics (that are really sour). And my least favourite are IPAs and Pilsners.

rph33 said:

I can't session with a highly-hopped beer. I CAN session with other beers that aren't really stereotypically "sessionable", such as RIS or Trippel, but the highly-hopped beers I just can't deal with more than 1 or 2 in a session.

That being said, I absolutely ADORE highly-hopped beers in moderation. I just need some of that pure pine / citrus smack in the face after the usual stout / English ale / stout combo that I normally session with. I tend to order 1 per night whenever we hit the pubs. Something like a Pliny, or Stone's Ruination, whatever I can get my hands on that is similar (I frequent bars where there's always something D-IPA on tap).

Sierra Nevada isn't really what I would call highly-hopped. Rubicon Brewing here in Sacramento had this beer called Rosebud in the fall that was a beautiful orange color and had a real hop kick.

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I wouldn't really call the Sierra Nevada Pale or Celebration highly hopped either (especially compared to some of the Stone or even Rogue beers I've had) but they just came to mind since I just finished a 6 pack of each and to me they were fairly hop forward.

SNPA is too hoppy for my tastes. I've never been a hophead, and I seem to becoming ever more malty. It seems odd to me that the merits of various malts are rarely discussed on this forum compared to the way people discuss hops. That's a shame, as I'm keen to learn more about malts.

this reminds me of wasabi. when i first started eating sushi i'd use just a little and wham! it would smack me on the face. next time i needed a little more to get the same effect. and on and on until now my soy sauce is thick and clump with the stuff. mmm wasabi...

BierMuncher said:

Hoppy beers are like spicy food.

First time may knock you on your @ss.

Next time not so much.

Net thing you know...any bowl of chili without a healthy dose of habanero chilis is lame.

My first six pack of SNPA...had one bottle. The remainder sat there for three days. Had a second bottle. Next day...finished the six pack.

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I'm quite sure that could be the case, but so far not for me. I love hot peppers and hot food. I grow at least one extremely hot pepper in the garden each year. But I too seem to be going in the other direction. Sure, I can enjoy maybe one highly hopped beer but for "drinkability" , I prefer a less hoppy beer. I used to look for all those beers with devils on them and stuff but now that I have tried them I usually pass them by.

It's definately an acquired taste. It seems like a lot of brewers develop their desire for hoppy beers over time. I don't know many people who have been brewing and/or drinking good (non-BMC) beer for a long time who don't appreciate them.

The first time I tried an IPA I almost spit it out. Now I really enjoy enjoy them and can taste and appreciate the flavors there.

jgln said:

I used to look for all those beers with devils on them and stuff but now that I have tried them I usually pass them by.

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That's a sneakily made good point. Hops are for the cool kids. The hoppier the beer is, the cooler it becomes to many. That's not to say that people don't genuinely enjoy their hoppy beer, but highly hopped also catches the market for people looking for a stark statement against BMC

Honestly, I used to think I was a hop-head, but it turns out that I'd rather have hop flavor and aroma than bitterness. Lots of late-addition and dry-hops, and just enough actual bitterness in the background to balance the malt. DIPAs always seem like too much of a good thing to me.

I think SNPA and SNCA do this really well. One of my current favorites is Blue Point's Hoptical Illusion, which, while it's reasonably bitter, features such strong citrus flavor and aroma that it's almost like having bitter, malty fruit juice. Can't get enough of the stuff (on tap; the bottles don't wallop you with flavor the same way).

Lil' Sparky said:

It's definately an acquired taste. It seems like a lot of brewers develop their desire for hoppy beers over time. I don't know many people who have been brewing and/or drinking good (non-BMC) beer for a long time who don't appreciate them.

The first time I tried an IPA I almost spit it out. Now I really enjoy enjoy them and can taste and appreciate the flavors there.

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I don't think I'll ever really develop a liking for the highly hopped stuff. I've been drinking craft beer and the like for around 10 years and still don't like that style. There are however styles that grew on me over the years like stouts. (I could barely drink a Guinness 10 years ago for example)
I can handle super spicy/hot foods no problem and I find that the hoppy beers do actually pair well with spicy foods.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

That's a sneakily made good point. Hops are for the cool kids. The hoppier the beer is, the cooler it becomes to many. That's not to say that people don't genuinely enjoy their hoppy beer, but highly hopped also catches the market for people looking for a stark statement against BMC

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I tend to agree in general. I usually go for a nice balance as opposed to a really loaded hop finish that almost stings your tongue.

I actually think the SNPA and SNCA are quite nicely balanced. A better example of balance while still a decent hop kick is Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Nice honey, ginger, malt and hops all rolled into quite a nice winter beer IMO.

shaundesjardins said:

I don't think I'll ever really develop a liking for the highly hopped stuff. I've been drinking craft beer and the like for around 10 years and still don't like that style. There are however styles that grew on me over the years like stouts. (I could barely drink a Guinness 10 years ago for example)
I can handle super spicy/hot foods no problem and I find that the hoppy beers do actually pair well with spicy foods.

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You may be right. I'm sure there's some people who never will. But I bet you're not one of those girly men, so it may just take you a little longer.

Actually, it did take me several years of drinking craft beer and brewing for me to develop that appreciation. I guess after brewing so much and smelling the hops brought about the change. Something about the smell of those hops when you add them to the boil. You can only get that unadulterated hop flavor in a good hoppy IPA, and for some reason I like it now when I didn't (even a little) at first.

I absolutely love hoppy beers, however there is a balance. I've tried some homebrews that seemed like the person didn't consider the neccessity for a higher gravity and mash temp in order to balance out the hop bite they used...

I have not found a beer that was too hoppy for me. I will say, though, that in my beginning years of drinking beer, anything like a SNPA was a little too much for me. My appreciation and tastes have definitely changed over time

Lil' Sparky said:

You may be right. I'm sure there's some people who never will. But I bet you're not one of those girly men, so it may just take you a little longer.

Actually, it did take me several years of drinking craft beer and brewing for me to develop that appreciation. I guess after brewing so much and smelling the hops brought about the change. Something about the smell of those hops when you add them to the boil. You can only get that unadulterated hop flavor in a good hoppy IPA, and for some reason I like it now when I didn't (even a little) at first.

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I definitely enjoy the smell of hops. No question about that.

Well, I love hoppy beers, but I love malty beers more. So most of my brews are balanced to malty. When I want a blast of hops, I go out and buy a good commercial IIPA.

I can see where people are coming from with "in time you'll appreciate the style more" but I've been drinking for quite a while and I've had a whole bunch of them but I just can't get into them.
It's like Sushi. Many people swear by it but I've tried it quite a few times and just can't get into it. I'll eat it but don't love it. Same with the strong hop finish. I'll drink the beer but won't love it.

This thread is fairly interesting. I see over and over again people referring to SNPA as a hoppy beer. I never would have even considered that a hoppy beer? It seems fairly balanced to me. The SNCA is decidedly more hoppy, and quite delicious! In my mind the SNPA should actually have the celebration ale in the bottle, as that to me is a far superior beer then their flagship line. I actually have a SNCA clone in the secondary right now and I just added 3 oz (chinook/cascade/centennial) to it earlier!

Perhaps SNPA is quite hoppy and I just do not taste the same level as other people but I truly would have never considered that a hoppy beer.

I am not a huge fan of even moderatly hopped bear... some wrok others dont... its amtter of taste

Cheers

I'm the opposite of many in this thread. I started off a malt guy. In fact I waited years before I tried my first IPA because I thought that they would be too "bitter". I always associated hoppy with horrible bitterness.

What I've found is that I love Wheats, IPA's, APAs, most browns milds bitters etc. What I have not been able to attain a taste for is roasted malts. I've tried...god knows I've tried, but the porters and stouts just don't go down easy for me. I'm not much of a coffee drinker either and it seems to two go hand in hand for many folks.

Either way I'm happy to be able to brew what I like. Just tonight while cooking up a hefe the smell of the cascade got me salivating for an Ofallon 5 day IPA.

I think that there are two kinds of hops out there. To me SNPA is a bitter hoppy beer (as is Mendocino Brewing Red Tail Ale) whereas the beer that I brew with a lot hops tend to be more aromatic.

I love a malty beer with balanced hops. There are a lot of IPA's out there though that just hop the bejesus out of the beer and people flock to it and buy the nuts off it. Those people must be in cahoots with the White Zinfandel producers that are just making a product to make money.

Hoppy beers seem to be all the rage. I think some people go overboard with it. I have a friend who drinks the hoppiest beers he can find and is quite proud of it. I just have to shake my head. It's almost like buying a hoppier beer is a status symbol. Having a Stone ABA or what ever in your fridge is like the soccer mom carrying the Starbucks cup around. I think a lot of commercial brewers know this too. Most of the hop head beers seem incredibly unbalanced. It's like the more it stings your tongue the more manly you are. I find it kind of silly myself.

That being said, I do like a good, balanced IPA, but in moderation. The problem is, it's tough to find a good balanced IPA. Generally speaking, I prefer malty and sweeter beers, but a good IPA is good to change things up every so often, but then again, so is a Lambic or decent Pils or witbier.

While I can drink, and sometimes enjoy, an IPA, my tastes lean more towards a more balanced beer. I'm not big on hops, but would rather have a beer that's slightly too hoppy than one that was too malty, which is just too sweet for me I think. And, FWIW, there's no plans to even try a sour beer.

I've yet to find a quality craft or homebrewed beer that I can't enjoy. The more hops the better for me, but I sure do love having a quaffable Mild on tap too.

I love hoppy beers. Love, love, love. But since getting into this hobby, I've found myself getting more into the maltier beers.

Still, if you've got a Victory Hop Devil on hand, send it my way.

I love me some hops, but some of my fav beers that I have brewed have been lighter lagers or even some of the fru-fru beer for SWMBO. All that said, I still like my IIIPA with 8 oz of hops in the boil.

shecky said:

...But since getting into this hobby, I've found myself getting more into the maltier beers....

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Awe...you're taste buds are just flowing with the season. When June rolls around you'll set aside that malty brew and slide down the bar to the IPA taps.

BierMuncher said:

Awe...you're taste buds are just flowing with the season. When June rolls around you'll set aside that malty brew and slide down the bar to the IPA taps.

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Probably, though I'm thinkin' maybe February.
I am drinking the end of my Rogue IIPA right now. OK, so January.

MMMM shecky, you had the yellow snow yet? Its different.

I think hop aroma and hop bitterness can live together in harmony if the brew is done to taste. I love the sweeter aroma's and spiciness, but not overly bitter. Balance I think can be achieved depending on what style, personal preference, and (IMHO) temp.