Do American's have an imature beer taste palate?

[ryno1ryno]

I am just wondering if, in general, do most Americans have unexperienced beer palates? We are so accustomed to Buds, Coors and Miller Lites that anytime we drink a European beer or IPA with a full body, the initial taste reaction is unexpected.

Does an American need to learn how to drink world wide beers with unique taste profiles?

 

[McGarnigle]

No. American beer is arguably the best in the world, and we certainly make the best IPAs. Europeans drink plenty of mediocre beer as well (Beck's, Stella Artois, etc.).

 

[Ogri]

No. American beer is arguably the best in the world, and we certainly make the best IPAs. Europeans drink plenty of mediocre beer as well (Beck's, Stella Artois, etc.).

Those two examples were originally pretty good examples of pilseners. Wasn't it InBev on your side of the pond that turned them into sh!te?

 

[Ogri]

I am just wondering if, in general, do most Americans have unexperienced beer palates? We are so accustomed to Buds, Coors and Miller Lites that anytime we drink a European beer or IPA with a full body, the initial taste reaction is unexpected.

Does an American need to learn how to drink world wide beers with unique taste profiles?

Not necessarily, but what harm could it do?? The more you expose yourself to, the more possibilities you open up for yourself. The same can pretty much be said for the majority of people in any other country in the world, too.

 

[c_osbourn]

i had to learn this from moving to Europe for 2 years, left the U.S. drinking nothing but coors, came back and never touched a coors. At first the beer in, lets say germany, was quite different then it grew on me. Now thats all i drink and homebrew of course

 

[McGarnigle]

Those two examples were originally pretty good examples of pilseners. Wasn't it InBev on your side of the pond that turned them into sh!te?

Maybe, but InBev was formed by the merger of Belgian and Brazilian companies.

 

[TNGabe]

Maybe, but InBev was formed by the merger of Belgian and Brazilian companies.

It's so hard to be a Nationalist or even an anti-Nationalist in this post-modern world....

 

[whoaru99]

Does an American need to learn how to drink world wide beers with unique taste profiles?

No. Why should anyone do that? If they try something and don't like it why try to "learn" to like it?

I don't like coconut. Why the h*ll would want to learn to like it?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I wouldn't be shocked if people all over the world drink pretty much the same stuff, even if the major brewer is different. I'm pretty sure you'll find anywhere you go it's either AB-Inbev, Molson/MillerCoors/SABMiller/whatever it's called now, Diaego, Carlsberg, and I'm sure there's some conglomerate owning the bigger Asian breweries.

 

[Ogri]

Maybe, but InBev was formed by the merger of Belgian and Brazilian companies.

Sorry, I should have said Anheuser-Busch InBev:fro:. But yes, you are right.

 

[freisste]

No. Why should anyone do that? If they try something and don't like it why try to "learn" to like it?

I don't like coconut. Why the h*ll would want to learn to like it?

Personally, I'm not going to FORCE myself to like anything. (The last time I did that it was beer, just so I could play beer pong in college.)

However, tastes change. I used to hate onions. Now I love them. I didn't eat them until they were better, I just sampled them or didn't refuse to eat them at a restaurant or at a friend's house and eventually I got to like them.

Do you absolutely avoid anything containing any coconut? I used to until I stumbled across the Girl Scout cookies with toasted coconut. Don't come between me and them...

 

[ryno1ryno]

German Beers, Wheat beers, Bitter beers... heck even grapefruit can take some getting used to.

I am just sayin... I do find that a lot of the hoppy beers can be annoying to drink since I am spoiled by the clean light beers. Perhaps this is why a lot of homebrewers attempt the sweet amber ales so often?

 

[Ogri]

German Beers, Wheat beers, Bitter beers... heck even grapefruit can take some getting used to.

I am just sayin... I do find that a lot of the hoppy beers can be annoying to drink since I am spoiled by the clean light beers. Perhaps this is why a lot of homebrewers attempt the sweet amber ales so often?

Am I detecting a little self-justification, here:fro:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/newbies-first-non-mr-beer-brew-briess-final-course-369147/

 

[45_70sharps]

Different tastes are not less mature tastes.
It's sort of an elitist thing to assume that if people don't like what you think they should like, it's because there is something wrong with them.

I don't drink the big selling beers, but that doesn't mean my tastes are more correct.

 

[CatHead]

Different tastes are not less mature tastes.
It's sort of an elitist thing to assume that if people don't like what you think they should like, it's because there is something wrong with them.

I don't drink the big selling beers, but that doesn't mean my tastes are more correct.

This. I don't understand the elitist opinion that only their opinion is correct. You are only a true ________ fan if you like ____________ doesn't make sense. Eat, drink, watch, and play what YOU like. Now I recommend you try other things and I also suggest people try something a couple times before coming to a final conclusion but why do something you don't enjoy.

 

[ryno1ryno]

Am I detecting a little self-justification, here:fro:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/newbies-first-non-mr-beer-brew-briess-final-course-369147/

How did you guess?

 

[Ogri]

How did you guess?

Elementary, my dear Watson:fro:

 

[F250]

German Beers, Wheat beers, Bitter beers... heck even grapefruit can take some getting used to.

I am just sayin... I do find that a lot of the hoppy beers can be annoying to drink since I am spoiled by the clean light beers. Perhaps this is why a lot of homebrewers attempt the sweet amber ales so often?

Dude, how old are you? Just curious.

Rick

 

[Brewcrew02]

Like all above, drink/brew what you like. I'm a hop head. I have a couple of friends who are big time brewer's (one brewing for Boulevard) and on top of being hop heads, they all almost unanimously love Belgians, stouts, and big beers including the latter. I just can't get behind Belgians and I've kind of tried, but I'm not gonna force it. Now I will say I recently had Sputnik (R.I.C.O. stout) from Austin Beerworks. Super tasty, but still not a stout guy.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Maybe you should stroll around town and hand out free homebrew to people. Educate the masses and free their palates from slavery. The responsibility lies with you, Neo, I mean ryno. Now go......the oracle is waiting.

 

[highgravitybacon]

Who gives a **** what people like? If you like it, drink it. If not, don't. Pretty simple.

 

[whoaru99]

Do you absolutely avoid anything containing any coconut? I used to until I stumbled across the Girl Scout cookies with toasted coconut. Don't come between me and them...

Had some coconut shrimp one time by accident. I managed to eat a couple without gagging. I won't intentionally eat it though.

 

[Frige]

I like trying new things and beer is one of them. That being the case I have drank some nasty crap, but since my Dad taught me never throw away food (probably the reason I am fat) I soldier through it. But most people dont want surprises. They want to drink the same ol swill and not have to worry about it. The big brewers brew nasty beer cause its cheap to make and they are a for profit business.

 

[DerStoff]

I find it's more about what you've grown up with. Growing up in America, with my dad having attended college at chico during the 70s, there was only ever SNPA in the fridge, was my first beer, still is a go-to fav of mine, simple perfect, a taste of home. He has a friend named Bill who grew up in the sticks and only ever drinks coors light. I feel bad whenever I come home and see a box of coors next to a 12er of SNPA in the fridge: I know Bill's over and I just end up feeling like he's missing out.

Having lived in Britain now for years, I've had the opportunity to broaden my tastes with real cask ale (still think there's a market for this in US, IPA market is quite saturated inmo). While I would posit that proportionally more of the population here appreciates the local quality of and variety of ales/beers on offer, I know plenty of people like Bill: grew up with Tennents and Stella in the fridge, we go to a local Belgian Beer Bar and one of my mates gets Guinness and feels left out while the rest of us compare our Cantillons and Karmeliets and Nognes.

It is judgemental and elitist to say things about other people's tastes, but its not so much cultural, and its not so much good/bad taste, its adventurism and intelligent consumption. Some people like researching products they buy and trying new things, some people don't like to think about what they buy, they just do it out of habit. Not bad people, just not very interesting inmo.

 

[Kujo]

Having lived in Britain now for years, I've had the opportunity to broaden my tastes with real cask ale (still think there's a market for this in US, IPA market is quite saturated inmo). While I would posit that proportionally more of the population here appreciates the local quality of and variety of ales/beers on offer, I know plenty of people like Bill: grew up with Tennents and Stella in the fridge, we go to a local Belgian Beer Bar and one of my mates gets Guinness and feels left out while the rest of us compare our Cantillons and Karmeliets and Nognes.

o.

You have a Belgian beer bar?!? I am jealous we have tons of "Irish pubs" and thankfully one that serves some good variety but that's it.

It took me many years to get brave enough to branch out from the basics but even with that my taste is very specific. I'll try anything once and either I'll get it again or not. I personally can't stand guinness but my friends all love it I've tried it a handful of times and still haven't changed that opinion. Probably never will.

 

[DerStoff]

You have a Belgian beer bar?!? I am jealous we have tons of "Irish pubs" and thankfully one that serves some good variety but that's it.

It took me many years to get brave enough to branch out from the basics but even with that my taste is very specific. I'll try anything once and either I'll get it again or not. I personally can't stand guinness but my friends all love it I've tried it a handful of times and still haven't changed that opinion. Probably never will.

2 points your post brings up. 1) People who don't like guinness write off stout, such a shame because there are some amazing stouts out there that make you realise guinness is to great stouts (seirra nevada does a decent one, Black Isle Oatmeal Stout (scottish), Redchurch Hoxton Stout (English)) as carling is to say Pilsner Urquell or St Mungos (or a good lager or pilsner)

2) Interest creates enjoyment and enjoyment creates interest. I find I can't really enjoy/appreciate anything (film, band, music style, book, BEER) unless I know about it, how its brewed, where it's from, what are the ingredients, what was the brewer trying to achieve, what ought I be tasting, where is it in keeping with a style, deviating from a style.

I find if I am helped to understand these things, I can enjoy anything! It's really important to keep an open mind of course, but I find that the whole 'blind' tasting thing can be a bit overrated. Taste has a significant psychological component so i say embrace that element and psychologically prime yourself as best as is possible, and most of the time, your taste buds will be more open and receptive!

PS yes the belgian beer bar is awesome, never seen one outside Benelux and in Glasgow Scotland of all places?!!

 

[Airborneguy]

PS yes the belgian beer bar is awesome, never seen one outside Benelux and in Glasgow Scotland of all places?!!

Philly and NYC have a ton of Belgian specific beer bars. Upstate NY even has Ommegang, a Belgian-style brewery right down to the architecture.

 

[nbrack]

I must be one of the odd ones because I actually like the taste of the BMC beers. Especially on a hot day on the golf course! (Is cold a flavor? ). But I do tend to prefer beers with more flavor and body- addicted to Left Hand Milk Stout currently. I also choose to, when possible, not support large companies who use their power to create barriers of entry for competition. So I like the beer, dislike some of the business practices, but taste is all subjective so who am I to question what people want?

 

[Airborneguy]

I must be one of the odd ones because I actually like the taste of the BMC beers.

I'm loving Lime-a-Rita right now. It's been a staple in my beer fridge for months!

 

[Old-Ned]

Had some coconut shrimp one time by accident. I managed to eat a couple without gagging. I won't intentionally eat it though.

I love coconut, and I love shrimp. But coconut shrimp makes me gag.