Do you have to be a hop head to appreciate craft brews?

[seabass07]

Personally I think "hophead" is not entirely accurate to describe someone who prefers bitter beers (strictly an opinion, here). There's such a wide variety of hops that are great for dryhopping or hopbursting that I think an affinity for aroma should be equal to an affinity for bitterness if someone were a true "hophead."

I agree. It doesn't have to be bitter at all. I prefer my IPA's to have very balanced bitterness and be late addition/dryhop bombs. I guess that makes me a hop head, but I also love a good malt forward beer.

 

[CDGoin]

If you are a hophead, you have to go to craft beers.
If you like craft beers, you don't have to like hoppy beer at all.

Think stouts and porters for a couple examples of very common craft beers.

I do love Black Butte!

:yup: I am a rare exception that I can not really stand hoppy beers, and stay away from IPAs as much as possible.. (other some home brewed ones have been good to sample..)

I like smooth and malty beers.. and there are a lot of craft beers like that..

Just don't get anything with the word IPA in it if you don't like hops. Search for the word Ale (but Not PALE), Scottish Ales, Stouts, Porters, etc.. can be some find non-hoppy drinking.

 

[1972Buick455]

I would say you definitely don't have to be a hop head. I enjoy a good balanced beer more than one someone dumped a basket of hops into the pot to prove something. There's a little bit more to it then cramming a bunch of hops in and calling it great because you can literally taste nothing else. I have friends that will drink nothing but super hoppy beer and to me that is missing out on everything else. And that's a shame.