What beers do you love now that you disliked the first try?

[grrickar]

For me there are two instances. Oddly enough many years ago in the town I worked/lived in there were few bars with decent beers on tap.

A buddy of mine and I went to the local Chili's, where he convinced me to order a Guinness. We both agreed it was pure awful in a glass. Not sure either of us finished it.

I swore it off for years, until one fellow beer lover asked me why. I described the taste, he said that sounded off, so I tried it again. I love the stuff now, although drinking it in Ireland has spoiled me from buying and drinking it here in the US. We were suspecting Chilis was not flushing their beer tap lines, and something got in the mix that essentially spoiled the keg...

My second story was a Pete's Wicked Ale the bartender served me once by mistake. I almost spit it out. WOW, hops overload (at the time). Now I would probably consider that beer tame compared to some I have drank and enjoyed since...

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

IPAs, in general. I liked the tamer American/English pale ales, but I could not stand IPAs. At all, hated IPAs.

Then tried Samuel Smith's India Pale Ale and Dogfish Head 90 minute. I remember specifically where I had them and saying "wow these arent horrible bitter mouth drying palate destroyers". My true love and the beer I take home to mother will always be scotch ales/all belgian styles/dunkelweizens. But now I homebrew the IPAs I feel like drinking and I have a much greater appreciation for hops (a professional chef in a 5 star restaurant would still put a mushroom dish, or an egg dish, on his menu even if he hated mushrooms or eggs), conversely I have a greater appreciation for the other balancing characteristics of beer like the malts/residual sugar/alcohol heat/esters and phenols because of my forays into the more hoppier/bitter styles.

 

[Psylocide]

Yeah... when I first started drinking more "craft" brews, I really disliked IPAs. Then I just drank more and more of them and my palate adjusted and I can't get enough hops/bitterness now.

 

[unionrdr]

I was pretty much the same. Then I decided at that point to come up with a good AE base recipe for PA/APA/IPA's. I then came on here & many folks like nordeastbrewer77 helped me out with the hops & schedule. Now I'm a sort of "balanced" hop head. Even enjoy the occasional tzar bomba hop bomb. Hm...maybe a good name for an IPA, Tzar Bomba IPA? The bomb was some 97 Megatuns, so maybe a 97 IBU IPA?

 

[grrickar]

I was pretty much the same. Then I decided at that point to come up with a good AE base recipe for PA/APA/IPA's. I then came on here & many folks like nordeastbrewer77 helped me out with the hops & schedule. Now I'm a sort of "balanced" hop head. Even enjoy the occasional tzar bomba hop bomb. Hm...maybe a good name for an IPA, Tzar Bomba IPA? The bomb was some 97 Megatuns, so maybe a 97 IBU IPA?

Awesome name for an IPA! When I was a kid growing up in the Cold War days, I was terrified of a first strike by the Soviets. I read every book I could get my hands on about nuclear weapons, and I am still in awe of them today.

I was in Vegas a few weeks ago and went to the Atomic Testing Museum. Neat place.

 

[Hello]

Sours but my first was Tart of Darkness. That was rough. I like more mild sours now. Also, stouts and IPAs. I love both now but had poured a 6 pack of Duck Rabbit milk stout down the drain once. I pretty much only liked ambers.

 

[1977Brewer]

I HATED my first Arrogant Bastard. Now that I can buy bombers at Sam's club for 4 bucks each I can't get enough.

 

[unionrdr]

Same here man. When I had to walk through downtown Elyria going to St Mary's where I met my wife, sometimes the air raid sirens would go off enroute. You were supposed to either "duck & cover" or head for the nearest CD shelter. * back in the day, "CD" meant Civil Defense, not compact disc! So I read books on Einsteinian theory, etc. Then I saw the video on youtube when the tzar bomba was detonated. Back in those days, we were scared that the Russians might bomb us at any moment, especially after JFK found out about Russian military shipments to Cuba. And in '64, the Russians rolled into Bratislava (in Slovakia) where my relatives on mom's side are. Letters cut out, packages damaged, etc. F****ed up stuff. So it might be appropo to brew a Tzar Bomba IPA in light of all that old school stuff?!

 

[grrickar]

Ok, I thought of another. I love most anything Sierra Nevada puts in a bottle, but was not fond of their Bigfoot Barleywine. A HB buddy told me to buy and age it in a dark spot, and that first bottled it can taste 'green'. Maybe I should take his advice and try it - he's the same guy that convinced me to give Guinness a second chance.

 

[Schmoogdaddy]

Hefeweizen. I didn't like the clove. I finally brewed one of my own and am OK with it now.

Same goes for IPA's. At one time I didn't care for bitter beers, but like many, my first brew was an APA. Now it's one of my favorites. I much prefer the American "C" hops over all others, though. In fact, today I'm brewing a DAPA with a boatload of Citra, Amarillo and Cascade.

 

[unionrdr]

It was the history of the different Burton ales that got me started on anything like those barleywines. Gotta brew my updated version for book 2 of homebrewing. I'm starting to like the dark fruit flavor nuances of the beer.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was waaay too bitter for me when I was 18, but I tried to drink it anyway to be cool in front of my friend's dad who gave it to us. Now it goes down like water.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Ok, I thought of another. I love most anything Sierra Nevada puts in a bottle, but was not fond of their Bigfoot Barleywine. A HB buddy told me to buy and age it in a dark spot, and that first bottled it can taste 'green'. Maybe I should take his advice and try it - he's the same guy that convinced me to give Guinness a second chance.

I've found this helps a lot. I've had far too many American BWs that were ULTRA hoppy bitter. I've had many English BWs that were ultra alcohol hot blowing away any fruitiness. I've started to just leave the commercial BWs I buy alone in a room for a couple months. Even two months makes a world of difference from a relatively 'fresh' commercial BW and an 'aged' one. (disclaimer I'm to much of an alcoholic to wait more than 2 months) When I buy a house with SWMBO I'm definitely sectioning off a part of the basement with some shelving units and making that my long term aging room and locking it and giving SWMBO the key.

 

[smokinop]

I was not a big fan of the bitterness of some IPA's, some I liked though. In particular, I bought a sixer of Lagunitas IPA several years ago & just couldn't make myself like it. As the pallet develops & changes, it is one of my favorite beers now along with many other IPA's I probably wouldn't enjoy in the past.

 

[fivepointslow]

Tank 7. First taste was after another beer I was drinking so my taste buds were a little off. It's one of my favorite beers now.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

Before I got into brewing and real beer all I knew was Bud, Millers, and Coors. Needless to say I didn't care much for beer. Deb and I use to drink at an Irish pub in Dallas called George Wesbe's and they had a "Around-the world" deal where you drink one of each beer and cider they had and you got your name on a brass bar and mounted on the wall. We both completed it but the hardest part was when I drink the McEwen's Wee Heavy. I thought I was going to hurl. I asked Jerry the bartender if anyone drink this because they liked it or just to get through the list. Jerry said, no Rich lots of people like it. After getting into brewing and educating my palette I now love Wee Heavy's and especially McEwen's. I don't brew many Scotch Ales but I do try to keep some in the frige. If you don't like something keep trying it now and then, you may come around.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

IPAs are still not my favorite, but i do find a few that i do like. I am not a fan of the hop bombs at all, but those IPAs that have strong enough malt backbone to balance the hops are good in the summer. I still have to force myself to try more of them more often, but is so hard now in the stout season to do that.

 

[Beerbeque]

I remember 20+ years ago not liking SNPA or Anchor steam when they were pretty new on the market. Wow, my tastes in beer sure have changed since then.

 

[ktblunden]

I HATED my first Arrogant Bastard. Now that I can buy bombers at Sam's club for 4 bucks each I can't get enough.

Yep.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was waaay too bitter for me when I was 18, but I tried to drink it anyway to be cool in front of my friend's dad who gave it to us. Now it goes down like water.

Yep again. Love both beers now, though now I find SNPA to be really light on the bitterness.