Does Anyone Else Dislike Hops?

[GoodRatsBrew]

I'm like a subtle hoppiness in most of my beers, but would definately not call myself a Hophead... That's also what spurred me in the direction of a gruit-type Scottish Lager...

 

[wired247]

First IPA I had I thought I was going to vomit. Didnt try a second.

 

[Chipman]

I'm really not a fan of the citrus/grapefruity beers. Most other hops I love the smell of, especially Saaz. To me they always smell good in the boil though, no matter what they are, and smell great outside the boil.

 

[Ravenshead]

In short, no. I wasn't a huge hophead when I started this hobby a year ago but it didn't take long for that to change. Now, I don't even bat an eye at 100+ IBUs.

That being said, there has to be enough malt to support the hops. Otherwise you get a mediocre beer that I think is what is referred to a "hop bomb".

Thin and bitter=

Malty and bitter=

 

[ksbrain]

Hop Bombs FTW!

 

[rodneypierce]

I cant stand IPA's myself either. I prefer stouts, brown ales, and the like. I would take a good double chocolate stout over an IPA any day of the week. That being said, like others have said, there is hops there, they just dont smash the back of your tongue like a medicine gone wrong. This is what I hate about IPA's. Every one I have tried is just way to darn bitter for me.

 

[turtleboy3737]

IPAs were created out of necessity, not taste.

Give me a nice irish red or scottish ale over that crap any day.

Im not a hop-hater, but I dislike how some people treat beer like a challenge, and think they are awesomest cause they drink/brew the hoppiest beer.

its all about balance.

 

[AnOldUR]

IPAs were created out of necessity, not taste . . . its all about balance.

American IPA was created for taste. The taste of American Hops. Lots of them. Balance is a matter of taste. Your balanced may be someone else’s sickeningly sweet.

 

[dvdanny]

American IPA was created for taste. The taste of American Hops. Lots of them. Balance is a matter of taste. Your balanced may be someone else’s sickeningly sweet.

Totally agreed, I don't think drinking IPA's with 70+ IBU's makes me awesome (there are plenty of other reasons I think I am awesome ).

Sometimes I am craving something really really bitter, and an American IPA satisfies that perfectly. Likewise when I am craving something smoother or more malty, I'll go with an english porter or stout.
That said I find 90min a tad sweet for an American IPA but SN's Torpedo is the perfect balance, to give you some reference, I don't find Sam Adam's Double bock too sweet as it fits within that style (sweeter maybe then most but not for me). And that's a beer that some say taste like drinking unfermented wort.

So although it is about balance, I think of it more of balance within a style, otherwise all beer will be the same hoppiness/maltiness/yeastiness.

 

[jamiitreverb]

On brew day, Ill stick my nose in the bag of hop pellets and inhale a couple times to enjoy all that hoppy goodness... my girlfriend thinks im nuts...

 

[peachwein]

On brew day, Ill stick my nose in the bag of hop pellets and inhale a couple times to enjoy all that hoppy goodness... my girlfriend thinks im nuts...

+1 to that (both the smelling, and the girlfriend that thinks i'm nuts for it)

I really wasnt the biggest hoppy beer fan either at first... I dont know, i guess it just grew on me.

There is just something clean, and refreshing about an IPA that is sooooo nice after a hard days work.

 

[two_hearted]

IPAs were created out of necessity, not taste.

yes, but they are still around because people realized how awesome they are. You could say the same about pickles, bbq, any cured meat anything that's been fermented, cured, preserved or dried.

 

[Golddiggie]

yes, but they are still around because people realized how awesome they are. You could say the same about pickles, bbq, any cured meat anything that's been fermented, cured, preserved or dried.

Same for porters, bitters/pale ales, old ales, and so many more brew styles.

I see hops usage a lot like guns...
Some people hate them, without ever really trying them.
Some people love them in excess.
Some people realize that they are necessary, but best in moderation.

I see hop bombs like car bombs... To be avoided if you don't want to get hurt.

I tried DFH 60 minute IPA last weekend... One taste was all I could manage.

 

[jaycount]

The taste of hops is starting to grow on me. I prefer english-style IPAs to American IPAs and I prefer stouts and other malty beers to a hoppy beer but they ARE growing on me.

I remember my first craft beer was a double ipa and I almost died. I've graduated since then!

 

[gator51]

not a hop head here,But I love trying different beers with different levels of hoppiness although there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH IPA'S,they are my least favorite.

 

[Fat_Bastard]

I don't mind a real hoppy beer but my tastes are on the other end of the spectrum.

 

[McKBrew]

I don't brew anymore, but still drink it.

I go through phases. Kind of like being a pregnant beer drinker. Sometimes I get an IPA kick, and other times I don't drink them for awhile. Right now in the winter, I tend to like more darker ales like porters, stouts, and browns. Right now, I'm not too excited about IPA's but in a few months, will probably be craving them again.

 

[msarro]

I love me a big sweet malty beer. Barley wines, quads, stouts, etc. BUT I do try to drink some kind of pale ale at least once every few weeks just to get my palate more experienced. Remember how when you were a little kid certain foods tasted disgusting, but then when you went back years later and tried them they suddenly tasted good? It's because you can't really categorize the flavor until you've experienced it a ton of times. The more experience you get, often the more you'll start to like it, or at least the more sense you'll be able to make of it.

So if you aren't a fan, at least try a low IBU pale ale every now and then, who knows, maybe one day your tastes will change.

Oh, hops still smell like old gym socks filled with Romano cheese to me. But they make my beers taste yummy so I digress.

 

[bruin_ale]

I hate IPAs and other over hopped beers.

What are these "over hopped beers" you speak of? No such thing.. might as well be talking about the toothfairy and unicorns.

 

[Hermit]

+1 to that (both the smelling, and the girlfriend that thinks i'm nuts for it)

As you age you realize women are probably right 95% of the time. Never admit it though. :rockin:

 

[cimirie]

What are these "over hopped beers" you speak of? No such thing.. might as well be talking about the toothfairy and unicorns.

Ruination, HopSlam, Hop Devil, Pliney... Need I go on? I'm actually a fan of IPAs. I'm not a fan of a beer where any one flavor is pretty much the only one. Good beer is always about balance.

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.

Hops good. Overkill just because, no thanks.

 

[peachwein]

As you age you realize women are probably right 95% of the time. Never admit it though.

Oh boy, something to look forward to. I'm already starting to realize this to some extent...

P.S. I never said i WASN'T nuts.

 

[bruin_ale]

Ruination, HopSlam, Hop Devil, Pliney... Need I go on? I'm actually a fan of IPAs. I'm not a fan of a beer where any one flavor is pretty much the only one. Good beer is always about balance.

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.

Hops good. Overkill just because, no thanks.

That's like... you're opinion man
And actually I find Pliney to be fairly well balanced, especially when compared to Ruination.
Totally disagree on the "Good beer is always about balance". In some cases it is, in some cases it's not. Hop bombs can be good, they aren't about balance. Therefore, good beer is not ALWAYS about balance.

 

[emjay]

As a kid, I absolutely loved unsweetened ruby red grapefruit juice... it was my favorite. Still is, actually . No surprise I loved big hoppy American IPAs from early on. I understand why it's a difficult taste for many people to acquire, but in my experience, most of the best stuff in life is.

But I also love hugely malty Belgians, sours, and beers at all sorts of extremes.

I have a weird issue with roasted malts though. I just can't seem to get into them. Even Irish reds are generally a bit much for me, let alone stouts. What's weird is I love stronger coffees, particularly espresso, and when it comes to chocolate, nothing for me beats 90% cocoa dark chocolate.

But I'm not really satisfied with that. I want to be able to enjoy the best that all styles have to offer. And anybody who is hugely into something like craft beer should know that tastes can be acquired with a bit of effort and that it's usually very rewarding to do so. So rather than just ignore what I don't like right now, I'm going to try and bridge the gap with stuff like a chocolate sweet stout I'll be brewing very soon, using chocolate malt and special hull-less roasted malts to push myself that much closer to being able to enjoy something like a dry or oatmeal stout.

 

[PanzerBanana]

My gal digs IPA's but isn't so big on APA's or other beers where the character and essence of fresh hops comes through.

I'm the opposite, I like bold distinct flavors. I just tried Hopslam and it's amazing. But it's not a beer I would even regularly drink during the season. You need to enjoy beer like that in moderation so you'll always appreciate what it is. lol

 

[gratus fermentatio]

For many years now, it seems the "cool crowd" has leaned towards IPA's, double IPA's, and other highly hopped beers. I've tried everything under the sun, and I just don't like hoppy beer. In fact, when brewing at home, I don't necessarily care for the smell of fresh hops. (I don't dislike the smell, but it's not overly-appealing to me)

I guess I'm in the minority, but I just don't like hops. Give me a big malty beer with low level hops, and I'm good.

Anyone with me?

I don't like any of the citrus flavoured hops, IMHO they're just nasty. More of them for those who like them I guess; I just don't like grapefruit flavoured beer, but I do like grapefruit, go figure. I do like hops like Perle & Goldings, I use some whole hops & on brew day will often chew on Goldings like gum, until they become too bitter & I have to spit 'em out. I love the fresh hop aroma too. I love the malty brews like stouts, scotch ales & doppelbocks, but IPA's, ESB's & anything with those citrus hops have no place in my fridge. For me it's all about balance, though I think malt should be forward for a great brew. That's my 2 cents worth. Regards, GF.

 

[NorthRiverS]

The beer that I brew and enjoy the most are low hop beers. I love the smell of dried hops, but I don't love the bitterness in my beer. A little is okay, but not a ton.

NRS

 

[DirtyJersey]

Seems to be about a 50/50 crowd. Interesting.

 

[kmk1012]

I love me some hops! Not in excessive excess though, balance is the key I try to obtain in my beers.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I like my beers malty to balanced. On occasion I get in the mood for an English pale ale or something else with a noticeable but mild hop flavor.