HermeticHealer
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Messages
- 30
- Reaction score
- 3
Hello Forum:
This is an invitation to opposing view points.
First off, let me state that I love hops in moderation. Contrary to popular belief, any criticism towards hops and hop usage does NOT therefore deem the critic as a "hop wimp" or someone who doesn't truly appreciate the flavor of hops. This just simply isn't true.
That being said, has anyone else witnessed the increasing trend in poorly crafted beers that have been disguised with massive amounts of hops? It almost seems like a cop-out. Instead of crafting a well-balanced beer, breweries just pack a brew with tons of hops and expect people to clamor over it. And people do! There is a sense of machismo that seems to exist towards how many IBU a beer-drinker can stomach. As if a large tolerance for hops makes a person a true aficionado.
I was once fortunate enough to experience a craft brew at the Schlafly Brewery in St. Louis. Its IBU was roughly 70. To say the least, it was an extremely hopped brew BUT, it was delicious because it was well-balanced. The hops weren't used to disguise crappy malt, corn sugar additives, or other poor brewing practices.
Does anyone else feel that there are too many self-proclaimed enthusiasts that worship any beer that is packed with hops, regardless of how well the beer actually tastes?
In my opinion, bitter does not necessarily equal better!
This is an invitation to opposing view points.
First off, let me state that I love hops in moderation. Contrary to popular belief, any criticism towards hops and hop usage does NOT therefore deem the critic as a "hop wimp" or someone who doesn't truly appreciate the flavor of hops. This just simply isn't true.
That being said, has anyone else witnessed the increasing trend in poorly crafted beers that have been disguised with massive amounts of hops? It almost seems like a cop-out. Instead of crafting a well-balanced beer, breweries just pack a brew with tons of hops and expect people to clamor over it. And people do! There is a sense of machismo that seems to exist towards how many IBU a beer-drinker can stomach. As if a large tolerance for hops makes a person a true aficionado.
I was once fortunate enough to experience a craft brew at the Schlafly Brewery in St. Louis. Its IBU was roughly 70. To say the least, it was an extremely hopped brew BUT, it was delicious because it was well-balanced. The hops weren't used to disguise crappy malt, corn sugar additives, or other poor brewing practices.
Does anyone else feel that there are too many self-proclaimed enthusiasts that worship any beer that is packed with hops, regardless of how well the beer actually tastes?
In my opinion, bitter does not necessarily equal better!