Does Anyone Else Dislike Hops?

[davesrose]

Somebody was talking about balance being perception... To a certain extent, maybe. But I remember an Ed Wort comment once that Ruination is a fine beer, but you can't taste anything else for hours afterwards. That is NOT balance folks.

Humm...I don't know. I just had a Ruination and an Arogant Bastard tonight. Ruination is the only good beer from Stone IMO. Bastard is pretty pedestrian and way overhyped by Stone themselves. Ruination is good for an IPA, but way too overpriced for what it is. I don't think their beers are very flavorful. I like IPAs and full stouts the most. I can also appreciate nice malty ales, and a few full bodied lagers. I tried a couple of the reserve stouts from Stone, and they were probably the least flavorful imperial ales I've ever had. So my palate sees Ruination as being balanced, because it does have a hop presence, while not having a complex malt backbone. The other Stone beers just seem over the place, and I'd rather spend less for better beers. I've had another IPA and am now finishing off with a glass of my own coffee oatmeal stout: they're still tasting just as I thought/like about them.

 

[ksbrain]

While we're talking about Stone. I LOVE Runiation, but it's so expensive. Though one time I found it out at a local restaurant and it was typical $5 restaurant price. That was a bargain! Considering I could have paid the same for a Sam Adams...

I have only had it once or twice, but I also really like the Stone RIS. Good price and good quality. Though I agree, I don't get the big deal about Arrogant Bastard.

 

[bruin_ale]

While we're talking about Stone. I LOVE Runiation, but it's so expensive. Though one time I found it out at a local restaurant and it was typical $5 restaurant price. That was a bargain! Considering I could have paid the same for a Sam Adams...

I have only had it once or twice, but I also really like the Stone RIS. Good price and good quality. Though I agree, I don't get the big deal about Arrogant Bastard.

The cost of some of these craft brew bombers really shows you the economy of homebrewing. I made a batch of ruination clone a few years ago, it turned out very similar and the total cost wasn't all that much more than any IPA I've made - every pint felt like I was saving $5

 

[UncleChuck]

I used to hate hoppy beers, usually making fun of them in one way or another. Then a friend made me try SNPA (I know it's just an APA) which I really liked, but it took me some time to admit it. Then I started drinking increasingly hoppy beers, to the point where Torpedo seems less hoppy now than SNPA used to seem.

I wouldn't worry what the "cool crowd" is doing, if you don't like hoppy beers more power to you, at least you tried them and know you don't like them. But, from personal experience, I wouldn't make any comments like "I'll never understand why people drink that crap!" as it will come back to bite you in the butt if you ever do start liking them!

On the subject of "balance" it's a concept I don't really think is tangible. Is a Hefe balanced? I don't think I've ever had one where malt or hops was anything more than a faint suggestion.

In addition, as someone else said, everyone's opinion of balanced differs as does their tastes. There was a polish porter I had (can't remember the name) that literally tasted like it had zero hops whatsoever, it was like drinking corn syrup. Not my cup of tea, but there must be someone out there that drinks the stuff if they keep selling it. If every beer was balanced, wouldn't that throw a lot of the beer styles out the window? The way I see it, a lot of beer styles are defined by tipping the balance in one direction or another.

 

[Soulfeather]

hooodafukcares...make/drink what you like. I love hoppy beers, brown beers, red beers and b-loads...nothin like an IPA and a green owl.....hmmmmmm

I just brewed my 3rd beer...1st was a IIPA, second was a Pale ale and 3rd was an IPA. The first one was good, but a hop-bomb. 2nd was AMAZING...great balance and perfect hop utilization. 3rd looks good and smells right so far. All I know is I can't brew fast enough. All my friends and family keep bummin my ******* beers!!! (must be doin sumthin right)

carry on

 

[Golddiggie]

All I know is I can't brew fast enough. All my friends and family keep bummin my ******* beers!!! (must be doin sumthin right)

Either that, or they have really low standards...

Most likely, they've never had really good beer before, so they just can't get enough of it once they've found a source/supplier...

As for not being able to brew fast enough, I'm working on brewing every two weekends. That gives me time to still do other things, but also brew enough (I hope)...

I brewed my 7th batch this past weekend. I did three extract brews, one partial mash (more like all-grain with a little DME added ) and now I've gotten three full all-grain batches under mah belly...

Biggest hurdle, is establishing your pipeline. I'm using the 2-4 week primary fermentation, with no secondary (except when needing to rack off of flavor elements, onto others)... I do have an old ale aging on some oak, which should be for the next few weeks.

The way I see it, if you brew every other weekend, using the 2-4 week in primary model, you'll need a few primary fermenters in order to get into a decent cycle... For example:
Week 0: brew batch 1
Week 2: brew batch 2, check on batch 1
Week 4: brew batch 3, bottle batch 1, check batch 2
Week 6: brew batch 4, bottle batch 2, check batch 3

Once you hit your stride, you should be brewing, and bottling/kegging a batch every two weeks/weekends... Hopefully, you'll be able to keep the friends and family at bay enough so that you can also enjoy some of what you're making... One way to get them to slow down could be to get them to pitch in on ingredients to make replacements for what they drink... Not sure if that would be considered 'bootlegging' or not... Or you could get them to purchase the hardware so you can start making 10 gallon batches, so that they can have some, but so can you...

It's all about balance...

Personally, I'm making stuff more for me... If I have a few friends over, I might offer them some, if I have enough left to share that is. Or have them try it to provide feedback on the brew. Looking forward to seeing how people react to my first BarleyWine on 2/12/11 at a family gathering/party we're having... Sucker is about 10% ABV...

 

[oteixeira]

IPA Haters of the world UNITE! I found my brethren! I don't get IPAs, I am also starting to get frustrated with beers that are not IPAs but are over hopped just because they think that is what we want out in the masses. Uggggg, whatever. Porter, stout, etc, etc, malty happy people over here!

Orlando

 

[aygov]

I'd rather drink Busch Light than Stone Ruination, although that's an extreme example.

BLASPHEMY!


I'm just kidding though. If you're not into hops I would imagine ruination tasting like gasoline flavored sink cleaner so the comparison is understandable. I used be staunchly in the anti-hops camp as well. I hated IPA's and anything remotely hoppy, but then out of the blue I decided to buy a sixer of Modus Hoperandi. Some switch must have flipped in my head because that was the beginning of my love for the hops. What's nice though is I still have my appreciation for the the stouts, brown ales, and porters.

 

[DirtyJersey]

Dumb question, but can hops with a high alpha acid % eat away at the enamel on your teeth? I would imagine some of the strong hopbombs out there would eventually fake a toll on your grill (teeth). Granted, it would probably take several years for any decaying, but I swear I read this somewhere.

 

[emjay]

Dumb question, but can hops with a high alpha acid % eat away at the enamel on your teeth? I would imagine some of the strong hopbombs out there would eventually fake a toll on your grill (teeth). Granted, it would probably take several years for any decaying, but I swear I read this somewhere.

I'd imagine it just depends largely on the resulting pH of the beer. Ill take a reading of my Pliny clone before bottling (although carbonation contributes a bit more acidity on top of that, it's not going to make a substantial difference) and try to see how it measures up to dental information regarding acidity in foods.

If you're that concerned, you can always drink your beer through a straw

 

[cimirie]

I am also starting to get frustrated with beers that are not IPAs but are over hopped just because they think that is what we want out in the masses.

That, I think, is my biggest pet peeve. You nailed it. I like IPAs, but not I'm not huge, over the top IPAs. BUT if I'm sitting down with a Hopslam, shame on me for expecting different than the name implies. I pretty much know what I'm getting into.

If I've got a brown ale in front of me, however, there better be some malt presence and balance, not a mouth full of hops.

 

[patrck17]

I made an IPA when I first started brewing. I didn't have any real idea what an IPA really was. Myself nor any of my friends could figure out what was wrong with the beer. I stayed away from them for a long time and then got turned back onto them by accident. I was at a bar and I asked the bartender for a Sweetwater 420, (extra pale ale). I guess they misunderstood or were out because what I got was sweetwater IPA. All I could talk about was how great the beer was. I went to the store and bought a bunch of 420 but I couldn't figure out why it didn't taste the same, I concluded that it was because it was in a bottle so I would have to get it from the tap to get the great taste. Next time I was at the bar I ordered another 420 and they told me they were out of it but had IPA, so I took that and when I tasted it everything came together. After having tried many different IPA's in the last year or so I would say that sweetwater's IPA isn't too extreme on the scale, but it definately got me back interested in brewing with hops! What sucks is that brewing hoppy beer isn't cheap!

 

[mack25]

I'm a malty beer fan myself (and happy to find I'm not alone). Never cared for the hoppier stuff. One thing I've noticed recently is that most of the liquor stores around me seem to carry *only* hoppy micro beers. I'll find a brand I like but all they'll have is the IPA when the same brewery makes a brown or something.

It's getting more and more difficult to try new malty beers! Makes me wonder if the customer base is tending towards hoppier beers because they like them, or if they're under the impression that good beer has to be hoppy!

 

[BMan1029]

Prior to HB'ing, I hate, hate, hated IPA's. Was a big malty beer guy, still very much am. Since HB'ing, my palate for hops has definitely improved. I have even had a few heavily hopped brews that I found to be refreshing. However, I have yet been able to talk myself into brewing an IPA. So I clearly havent found enough love for them to have 5 gallons on hand. It really is just a matter of prefrence (personal and historical)

 

[RiseAgainstMe]

I used to be ruined on IPA's. My first was Two-Hearted lets say four years ago when I was just 21 and trying to get into craft beer. I couldn't even finish half of a 12oz bottle. So that made me think I hated all IPA's for a few years. Then I started giving them a try once my palate was a little more evolved and now I like most of them, and love Two-Hearted, Hopslam, Hop-Stoopid and such. With that said I still would rather have a stout, porter, brown, or anything with more malt taste.

 

[rycov]

i never got into the ipa craze. i don't like a beer that all i can taste is hops (i know not all of them are like this). its not the bitterness that gets me, its the flavors. and i think its more dislike of specific hops than hops as a whole. hopefully ill pin point the ones i dont like one day and be able to avoid them. the english varieties are usually more my style. bitter enough to balence, but mild on the flavor so i can taste that delicious malt. however recently i drank a noble pils and loved it. i tasted mostly hops, very little malt flavor, but it was actually good. maybe the OP would be able to find a variety or two that they actually like. the negatives for me are the piney, grapefruity, resiny flavors. it seems like im trying to swallow a hot pine cone. but i have found that hops are good for what they do, and desireable in the amounts called for. i'm pretty open minded as far as trying new beers and not saying,"oh im gonna hate this because its an ipa." but i have found that there are not many ipa's that i like.

 

[Ernst-Haeckel]

I have found that many of my friends who love IPA's just don't have a good appreciation for other styles of beer, mostly because all they ever order are IPAs!

And you have to admit, IPAs, while great, are kind of a hipster thing right now, so a lot of young people (i.e. my generation) are just "hopping" on the band wagon!

 

[cimirie]

... a lot of young people (i.e. my generation) are just "hopping" on the band wagon!

I can't believe it took that long in this thread for somebody to go there!!! LOL

 

[HappyDrunk]

Sorry to revive a year old thread, but I thought my taste buds must be retarded before reading this thread. My first few brews I thought, "what did I do wrong"?! Looking back at my brew logs, I basically realized I just don't like hops. LOVE the smell of 'em when I'm brewing, LOVE the smell of them in my beer, but I don't know if I'll ever be putting any in for bittering again. Last beer I brewed I only used .5oz, so maybe that'll be good. I'm sure my palate for them will evolve over time, but I'm just glad to see I'm not alone!

 

[MrAverage]

No you're not alone. It's become quite the fad in homebrewing and craft brewing to see how much hop bitterness can be crammed into a glass of beer, and that's fine, but there certianly seems to be a lot of marketing hype going along with the fad that can lead those of us that aren't fans of this sort of thing to wonder what's wrong with us?

The great thing about beer is that there's a beer for every taste. I believe that there's no such thing as "bad" beer (unless of course it's spoiled or otherwise defective because of processing, packaging, serving or storage problems). A beer is 'good" if it fits one's particular preferences and purposes and those vary from person to person and from moment to moment.

 

[user 98891]

I love very hoppy beer, but it ruins my taste buds. Luckily I also love beer with a good malty flavor or balanced flavor. So I tend to drink that and I save the DIPA's for desert.

 

[Logzor]

Nope, I love the intense hop flavor found in IPA's. Before I even really knew it was fad I knew I really liked this type of beer. I also love salt-n-vinegar chips whereas most people can't stand them. The more intense the better.

 

[HappyDrunk]

I also love salt-n-vinegar chips whereas most people can't stand them. The more intense the better.

Someone else mentioned liking spicy and salty foods as opposed to their woman liking sweet soda and candy and what not. Probably onto something there as far as a correlation between food preference and beer preference. DUH, huh? I'm going to spend some time asking people what kind of food and beer they prefer to see how consistent it is. As far as I can tell ... those more inclined to salty and spicy foods like less IBU's and those more inclined to sweet food like cake and what not seem to like more IBU's. Interesting topic I think, despite how obvious it is that there would be a correlation.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you really dislike any particular style of beer, the odds are you're not trying hard enough. I've disliked every type of beer that wasn't Bud, then anything but Bud and Sam Boston Lager. Then...... you get the idea. Palettes tend to get acclimated to unfamiliar flavors over time. If you told me 8 years ago that one of my favorite beer styles would be Farmhouse and Lambics with a teeth enamel dissolving sourness, I'd call you a liar to your face.

Realistically, that whole thing is tongue in cheek. I realize people have favorites and tend to avoid styles since there's only so much blood to dilute in any one drinking session.

By the way, you like hops just fine. Without them, you'd have Malta Goya with a shot of vodka added.

 

[jhorgan1]

there is never enough hops. Except maybe in Ruination, they might have gotten the balance right there.

 

[TaylorBrewed]

My wife says all beers with hops taste like dirt. I think the more she complains about the "dirt" flavor the better the beer taste. I guess that's why I try to brew for myself. Call me selfish but my supply lasts longer.

 

[Rexorotten]

I'm not a big hops fan. I had a 6 pack of Sam Adams Noble pils, drank two and that's all I could drink because it was just too hoppy. Last week I drank a Mr. beer witty monk, then drank a noble pils, and it tasted pretty good, so I drank another. Then I had a Fat Tire and it tasted really sweet after drinking the noble pils. Hoppy beers might be growing a little on me.

 

[djbradle]

Nothing like the smell of a freshly opened bag of German Hallertau . . . yum! I love earthy, floral, and piney hops most of all especially in belgian ales of all sorts. I strongly dislike stricly bitter hops when they are noticeable. Malt profile is my particular taste preference.

I've heard of the difference between a Rochefort bsda enjoyed fresh in Belgium and that one after it is shipped, stored, passing through various temperature changes, and then dispensed into my glass here in the states and long for a try of the fresh "hoppy" one.

 

[Bamsdealer]

I love hops, spicy food and will lays take a bag of chips over ice cream. Big and bold for this guy.

 

[jonmohno]

I love hoppy beers, i love some malty beers,i think i just like beer altogether. I can learn to like a style by trying a good handfull of the style before deciding i just dont like the style.Ive been pretty impressed with some cheap lagers time to time.
Taste can change time to time,depending what you eat,your ph that day,and who hasnt had a day when any beer has kinda sucked? Ill blame that on your ph that day too.