Secret confession of a home brewer

[Ksosh]

I don't like curry, horehound candy, tofu, black beans, humus, chick peas and doggie do. Don't ever intend to develop a taste for them.

What's funny is that I used to be able to eat humus, and actually liked it, but one day I had too much of it and got sick, and now I can't even think about it otherwise I want to throw up. Even typing this made me a little nauseous.

 

[Picobrew]

One thing I really don't get. Why would anyone try to develop a taste for something they don't like.

Because there is beauty in everything. Some things take patience and discipline to appreciate... it is like music or art. If you have presupposed notions about what you will never like, you will never be able to fully experience your senses and the splendors of the world. Being surprised and evolving your tastes is quite joyful.

 

[KopyKat]

If you have presupposed notions about what you will never like, you will never be able to fully experience your senses and the splendors of the world.

I must confess. Although I have tried all but one of the things I listed as don't likes and they would not classify as "predisposed notions", doggie do is not one of them. You are absolutely correct on that one. Sadly, I will never be able to fully experience with my senses the splendors of doggie do.

Prior to reading this thread I considered myself a person willing to experience anything and not a critic of those that didn't. Now the flaw in my character has been exposed and I fear I must spend some time in quiet contemplation for a period of re-assessment.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Most new brewers, or people new to craft beer don't like hoppy beer, but for whatever reason, after some time sampling new styles and developing a palate for the different flavors in beer, MANY people begin to enjoy hoppy or even very hoppy brews. Count me in that group.

I think it's even more common for brewers because we develop an appreciation for the particular flavors and characteristics of different yeast/grain/hops. Most people don't see/smell/taste fresh hops, or as they're in the boil, or fresh wort samples. To them, hops => bitter beer face. To many of us, hops give a wonderful aroma and flavor, and even when they add a lot of bitterness, we can still enjoy the complex flavors they impart to the beer as a whole.

 

[beerkrump]

2¢ My name is krump and I'm a hop head.

I love hoppy IPA's. Ruination, Pliny, Torpedo, all good things. I have always envisioned IPA's and hops to be akin to salsa and chiles. Some people can handle the heat and the love it, some prefer a mild and some react to the slightest warmth. It would be nice if more breweries would label the IBU's or BU:GU on their IPA's. I've had some IPA's that I found less hoppy than many APA's I've had and I would not have bought the beer if I ahd known the IBU's were so low.

Also, I don't get the blurred line many microbreweries have in defining the difference between an IPA and an APA. I have had IPA's that I would have sworn had less than 40 IBU's. Either that or the brewer over compensated with residual sugars.

IPA's should not be the platform for a brewer to display their ability to balance the intricacies of the thousands of flavors in beer. This is a beer that should be extreme in flavor. It should present the drinker with a clear understanding of what hops can do to your tongue.

 

[BioBeing]

So I have a confession that I need to get off my chest. Hopefully I won't be judged too harshly for this:
... (pause for dramatic effect)

...I hate india pale ales. They are bitter and horrible and nasty and, while I can drink them if I have to, they are probably in my 'bottom 3', right above rolling rock. I understand their usefulness in history (have to get beer to the British troops oppressing the Indian population), but now that we have things like refridgerated beverage trucks, I wouldn't shed a tear if this type of beer disappeared tomorrow. If I ever feel the need to an india pale ale, I'll just chew on some hop pellets and punch myself in the gut.

Am I the only one?

I'm just wondering... when you say you don't like IPAs, are you referring to the English IPA as you allude to here, or to their American cousins? They really are two very different drinks. Semantics do matter!

 

[Ksosh]

I'm just wondering... when you say you don't like IPAs, are you referring to the English IPA as you allude to here, or to their American cousins? They really are two very different drinks. Semantics do matter!

English ipas. Apas I can stand much better, but they are still low on my list