Finally got my hands on some decent craft beer.

[SlitheryDee]

I've been bemoaning my area's lack of any of these great beers everyone here seems to drink for months now. Lo and behold a grocery store just across the Mississippi river that I never thought to check has a selection of great names that puts everywhere else around here to shame. They let you create your own six pack as well, so I made two. I got Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Oberon, and Robust Porter. Rogue's Dead Guy Ale. Stone's IPA, and a few other's.

I noticed a couple of things as I drank my way through these over the last two weekends. For one, my tolerance of IPAs and bitter beers in general has changed immensely. Stone's IPA clocks in at over 70 IBUs and I had zero problems with that. Two hearted is apparently only 55 ibus, but that's still more than I've dared to brew anything so far, and it went down positively smooth. The other thing I learned is that I REALLY like porters. I enjoyed every single beer I drank, but the roasty rich taste of the porter stood out to me.

To get to the point. I think I'm starting to experience the "drink it till you like it" phenomenon with regard to IPAs. Drinking a lot of my own beer, which is necessarily a bit more rich and flavorful than the light lager swill I used to drink, has sort of "primed" me for getting more enjoyment out of the kind of beers that I used to shy away from for fear that they might be too bitter or hoppy tasting. I asked some people in another thread whether hoppy beers were an acquired taste or love at first sip and never really got a satisfactory answer. I guess I've found my answer after all though. I think this is a really interesting development that has implications outside of just taste in beers. How many more things am I missing out on in life simply because I haven't exposed myself to them enough to get through the adjustment phase?

 

[kh54s10]

I drank the light American lagers for decades. Partially for price, partially because that was what was available back when, and partially because that was all I knew. Once I started drinking other styles, I was hooked. I like almost everything.

I get mostly East Coast Brewery craft brews since I live here.. When I finally got the ones from the Midwest that everyone raves about I was severely disappointed. They were good but I was hyped up for more. In fact some I would rate mediocre at best. But I never buy the ones that cost $10 a bomber.... $9 - $12 a six pack is my usual.

 

[AZBeer]

I get mostly East Coast Brewery craft brews since I live here.. When I finally got the ones from the Midwest that everyone raves about I was severely disappointed. They were good but I was hyped up for more. In fact some I would rate mediocre at best. But I never buy the ones that cost $10 a bomber.... $9 - $12 a six pack is my usual.

That's interesting. I am on the west coast and feel the same about beer from the midwest/ east coast when I get them. Obviously not 100% across the board, but as a general statement that's true. Probably says more about the hype for beers than the beers themselves.