I don't like belgian beer

[KingBrianI]

Off topic but what is with people calling them "Belgiums"? I've seen a couple threads with it recently though thankfully not this one. Don't these people know Belgium is the country and Belgian is the adjective used to describe items originating in the country? I actually heard a guy keep saying "Belgiums" once and it was driving me crazy.

 

[maskednegator]

Forgive me for interjecting, but Belgian isn't a really a style, more a really big appellation. There are far too many breweries in Belgium doing very different things to limit it to the country. @OP, have you had Saison DuPont or Fantome Saison? How about true lambic (Girardin, Drie Fonteinen)? What about DeKoninck? All are entirely different and can help you determine what you do like. At any rate, it does just sound like the abbey yeast profile is what you can't stomach. c'est la vie.

I came in here to say this. Everyone in this thread would be calling the OP a lunatic if he said he just didn't care for American beer.
I think the OP showed his ignorance when he lumped dozens of dramatically different styles together because of their country of origin.
"Care for a sip of Pliny the Elder?"
"No thanks, I've had Kentucky Breakfast Stout and didn't much care for it."
Replace PTE with Cuvee Renee and KBS with Rochefort, and you see how ludicrous this is.

 

[Clonefarmer]

I came in here to say this. Everyone in this thread would be calling the OP a lunatic if he said he just didn't care for American beer.
I think the OP showed his ignorance when he lumped dozens of dramatically different styles together because of their country of origin.
"Care for a sip of Pliny the Elder?"
"No thanks, I've had Kentucky Breakfast Stout and didn't much care for it."
Replace PTE with Cuvee Renee and KBS with Rochefort, and you see how ludicrous this is.

Belgian beers get lumped together because they are so dramatically different from other countries. Most are on the extreme side of beer taste and are unique. It's that uniqueness that that makes them seem Belgian.

 

[BigEd]

Is something wrong with me? I am really not a connosoir of fine beer unless I'm in love with Belgians?

Absolutely not! Belgian ales can be intriguing, exotic, historic, etc, etc and they are certainly very trendy right now in the US craft beer world but they're not for everybody. I have zero tolerance for the smell and taste of phenols. Since many Belgian yeasts produce phenols making them a signature component of lots of Belgian beers I just can't drink those brews. However, I do like a taste of the occasional Boon Kriek and sour Flanders ale so don't dismiss 100% of the Belgian beers.

 

[arturo7]

Some, like Guldan Draak or Delirium Tremens, I find undrinkable.

Others, like Orval or Rodenbach I could swill all day. Although I doubt I would make it till sundown...

 

[Brewpastor]

Have I mentioned I don't like wheat beer?

 

[McKBrew]

Have I mentioned I don't like wheat beer?

Yes..............

 

[dutch-brew]

Nah, nothing wrong with you.. ebveryones tastes are different. Personally i don't like Pale ale's much.. i just can't stomach the hoppiness.. I prefer the more malty beers, so i like alot of belgians. And pilseners are more my thing.
Just figure out what you like, and enjoy those styles.. And you never know when you grow tired of them, maybe others would have grown on you

Oh, and so that means more belgians for me

 

[IrregularPulse]

I came in here to say this. Everyone in this thread would be calling the OP a lunatic if he said he just didn't care for American beer.
I think the OP showed his ignorance when he lumped dozens of dramatically different styles together because of their country of origin.
"Care for a sip of Pliny the Elder?"
"No thanks, I've had Kentucky Breakfast Stout and didn't much care for it."
Replace PTE with Cuvee Renee and KBS with Rochefort, and you see how ludicrous this is.

This point has already been covered and their is no reason for calling someone ignorant for maybe not knowing as much as you. Everyone starts somewhere and learn from their. So instead of just commenting on his "ignornace", just offer the education.

Some, like Guldan Draak or Delirium Tremens, I find undrinkable.

Others, like Orval or Rodenbach I could swill all day. Although I doubt I would make it till sundown...

Agreed, I'm not a fan of Golden Strongs, and most trippels. I love the darker, maltier dubbels.

 

[kunstler]

I did not mean to offend an Belgian citizens or those who enjoy any beer from Belgium.

"Belgian" though not a STYLE it is a lumping or generalization of similar beers I guess that was "wrong" of me, however we all do it - maybe not with beer but in some aspect of our life. Sorry I used what I consider a term that is used (not just by me but quite a few others in the beer world) to describe beer that tends to have a similar characteristics.

I guess it was wrong, but thats not the point.

So let me say this, I am wrong for not liking beer that utilizes trappist yeast - Every one happy now? Jeezz-

 

[Keith_Mahoney]

+1 to not liking the NBA. A bunch of overpaid yoyos if you ask me. Also, I think there is too much hype surrounding some of these Belgian beers. Especially when you have to pony up 5 or 6 bucks for an 11.2 oz bottle. Kinda gets old after a while IMO.

It's not so expensive when you live here. I've got friends though that still drink Budlight every night and won't touch anything stronger.

I like the local beers so much I've got a case of German beer in the garage I keep trying to get someone to drink for me so I get the empty bottles back. I don't have time for that stuff when there are so many cheap Belgians to enjoy.

 

[Denny]

So, I'm not a belgian fan - I don't mind spices and fruits and other things that can give you a different flavor and I see them as widening the possibilities, but belgian yeast just gives beer a nasty taste in my book.


I have spent time in Antwerpen (antwerp in english) and I still found myself drinking dutch and german beer there - couldn't stomach the oh so specific "belgian" taste that I can never describe.

Is something wrong with me? I am really not a connosoir of fine beer unless I'm in love with Belgians?

No big deal...I don't like British beers or wheat beers. Everyone has their own tastes.

 

[david_42]

Nope, now imagine you are at a beer fest happily stewarding and you get shanghaied into judging a flight of them. Some of the Belgian Blondes are okay, but I don't like the heavies.

 

[homeslice]

What the heck is wrong with ballet? j/k

No seriously what the hell's wrong with ballet?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Belgian "styles" are wonderful. It's 9.67832 volumes of carbonation that I can't stand.

Give me a Belgian ale and I'll let it flatten out for an hour before I'll start in on it. I am just not fond of any style carbonated more than 2.5 to 3.0 volumes.

 

[stageseven]

To each his own I guess, although I would say don't write off the entire country just yet. Find a friend who likes Belgian beers and take a sample of whatever new stuff they've got. At worst you don't like it and only had to stomach a sip, but you may be surprised someday by finding something you love.

On an unrelated note, am I the only one surprised by all the love for Orval? Not that it was bad or anything, but of all the Trappist beers I've had, Orval was the only one I was actually dissapointed by. It just seemed plain in comparison.

 

[r2eng]

I didn't like Belgian styles for the longest time. I couldn't choke down two quaff's, let alone a 750ml bottle of anything.

Then, without warning, my tastebuds changed. I know get cravings for them. I had just turned 43 at the time.

BTW: My Belgian "cherry" was popped with a Rochefort 10. Wow...

 

[bdnoona]

I didn't like Belgian styles for the longest time. I couldn't choke down two quaff's, let alone a 750ml bottle of anything.

Then, without warning, my tastebuds changed. I know get cravings for them. I had just turned 43 at the time.

BTW: My Belgian "cherry" was popped with a Rochefort 10. Wow...

Yes, taste buds change for sure. Same thing happened to me. Rochefort puts out WONDERFUL beers. So does Westvleteren, but those are kind of hard to come by. St.Bernadus is also very nice. I am not crazy about all Belgian beers, but I love Trappist style. Incredibly complex heavy beers that have multiple layers to every sip. And these are definitely sipping beers if you are going to get a lot of enjoyment out of them. They need to warm up for sure too. If you drink a Quad at 38ºF, then you aren't going to taste half of what that beer has to offer. You are supposed to serve these beers at cellar temp for a reason.

 

[IrregularPulse]

On an unrelated note, am I the only one surprised by all the love for Orval? Not that it was bad or anything, but of all the Trappist beers I've had, Orval was the only one I was actually dissapointed by. It just seemed plain in comparison.

Orval was my first Trappist experience. I had sampled a lot of beers that night before we sampled the Orval. I have a memory of it tasting completely different than I've been able to find again. The last bottle I drank had been bottled for 1 year and 1 week from the day I drank it. I didn't pick up any of the sour notes it should have. I think it was just too old. I agree it is my least favorite from all the others I've drank. I think my favorite is Rochefort 8. But I've not had La Trappe or the Achel.

 

[Token]

I don't care for Belgian beer either. So there's nothing wrong with you.

 

[lpdb185]

well, tripels, quads, wits, dubbels, are the reason i got into homebrewing. if anyone can try a westmalle tripel and say they don't like it................. well, there must be some sensory malfunction. on the other hand, i didn't care anything for the tripel karmeliet. the saison dupont was a bit "strange", but it really grew on me after a few sips.

 

[joety]

...have not seen Westvleteren, Achel or Koningshoeven anywhere.

Achel seems fairly easy to find around here at larger liquor stores. Westvleteren is not officially distributed outside the walls of the monastery, however, I understand a number of cafes in Benelux manage to carry it in limited quantities. One of the guys on my team works in our Amsterdam office and he brought me back a bottle of Westvleteren 8 or 10. Whatever it was it was a dubble and wasn't anything special. I'd prefer Rochefort or St. Bernardus for that style. Recently the Director of our Amsterdam office visited and brought me a case of La Trappe Tripel, which I believe is the same thing as Koningshoeven. It's fine but nothing to write home about. La Trappe is the only official Trappist brewery outside of Belgium, unless you count Achel's backyard.

 

[McKBrew]

Even if you don't like it now, go back to it later. You might find your tastes will change, maybe not.

When I first started drinking IPA's, I thought the IPA from Red Hook (Longhammer?) was very hoppy. Then I found out what hops really were.

 

[Keith_Mahoney]

La Trappe is the only official Trappist brewery outside of Belgium, unless you count Achel's backyard.

La Trappe is the name of the beer. The name of the brewery is De Koningshoeven.

 

[dutch-brew]

La Trappe is the name of the beer. The name of the brewery is De Koningshoeven.

Have you had any of the La Trappe by any chance? Or maybe visited De Koningshoeven?? I will be going there by the end of the year, and was wondering what to expect.
Or do you maybe have any breweries in belgium you could recommend? I was thinking about La Chouffe.. Man, i used to love their beer.

 

[foxtrot]

I'm like McKBrew. I couldn't stomach IPAs 15 years ago, now IPA is my favorite. In fact, it's the only beer I order at a brewpub because most beers at brewpubs are not hoppy enough.

Belgians were an acquired taste for me. When I brew them, I keep the ferm. temp in the 60s to mellow out the phenols. I add a lot of hops, too!

 

[NMichael79]

Ok. So I did a web search on this and I have found virtually no reviews or reports on people who despise Belgian yeast beers as much as I do. I think that belgian yeast makes beers taste like the smell of burning styrofoam plastic, if that could somehow translate into a flavor. If you have never lit a styrofoam egg carton or to go container on fire with a lighter, I wouldn't recommend it. But if you do or ever did, you might get an idea of what I'm talking about. Of course actually burning the styrofoam is going to be much worse, but you might get the point. Belgian yeast gives beer a certain flavor like that, in my opinion.

Beers I have had with this flavor; more than I recall - they all use Belgian yeast. Its a very distinctive flavor and I absolutely hate it. Obviously New Belgium brewery is the most obvious culprit. I absolutely despise their Trippel beer. It has the most distinct flavor I am talking about. Right now I am drinking an Independence Brewery Co. (Austin, Texas) Amber and it has the same taste as in New Belgium Trippel. I'm assuming it has Belgian yeast. I had another Texas Beer, Solid Rock Cream Ale that appears to also have some of it. There's other National brands I know I've tasted it in, but I can not name any off the top of my head. Its a nasty flavor that doesn't belong in beer in my opinion. I'm going to start paying attention to the yeast used to brew my beers. I don't want beers with Belgian yeast in them anymore. I think it has a gross taste like burning/melting styrofoam plastic. What a horrible flavor to have to associate with drinking beer.

 

[NMichael79]

I much agree wit you. I guess we are the odd ducks that find Belgian yeast brewed beer unpalatable,

 

[armedcor]

Jesus serious thread reasurection/bias yeast hate.

 

[NewJersey]

Nmichael79, you may want to visit an ear nose and throat specialist. Something is seriously off with you sense of smell.