Palate question: Beer styles I like or dislike

I don't think I've seen any Left Hand stuff in San Diego, but I'll keep my eyes open.. I have a bottle of BCBS that apparently is going to be my gateway into the stout world..

 

I'm not a Milk Stout fan, but i like things like KBS and BCBS. I like coffee, chocolate and bourbon so there I'm flexible, but i also don't consider them everyday brews, even if i could buy them whenever i wanted to. I treat these like a fine Scotch or Cognac, a once in a while sipper. BCBS is really a terrific gateway beer, but it may leave you spoiled by lesser brews, it is one big brew and the power of 15% is a winner.

 

*Shrugs*

Being a beer lover doesn't mean you have to like every beer style. That would be similar to expecting to like every song that your favorite band records.

 

You just have to try your hardest. Work diligently. Start off drinking just a little bit so that you don't vomit. Next time drink a little more. You might try putting a few teaspoonfulls of sugar or honey in it at first. You HAVE to make yourself drink it or you may never be able to drink a whole one. Using mental imagery is very helpful. After each sip think about something that you really DO like and, repeat to yourself "I like it. I like it". Do this, and then one day, you just might be able to drink a whole bottle and smile. We have all done it. Do think that anyone likes beer without putting fourth serious effort? If it were easy, what would be the point? It would be like only drinking stuff that you actually enjoy.

 

This was me too. Sometimes you have to put the work in if you want to expand your palate. It took me almost a year to start to enjoy IPAs. I was "that person" who would ask the server for something not hoppy when ordering. Now I love DIPAs. The more exposure my palate had to various hop flavors, the easier it was to find beers with flavor profiles that I enjoy. I've been slowly upping the hop tolerance of my family by bringing hoppier, yet not hop bombs, to get-togethers and it seems to be working on them.

I absolutely love stouts/porters. Heavy, light, bourbon, fruit, spiced. Doesn't matter. But when I was in Tampa this summer, I craved pale ales like you. When it's hot & humid out, something light and crisp is exactly what feels good to drink. My advice is to wait until it turns a bit cooler down there (don't you guys get a few 60 degree days in winter where you have to wear long pants and socks ?) and try a lower ABV stout. This summer I've enjoyed some local breweries here in Chicago producing low ABV stouts (DryHop's were my favorite.) I wouldn't be surprised if CCB or Funky Buddha offers something similar come winter.

 

True, but maybe the pro tip is don't force it and don't stress over it? Keep trying different things, including those you don't like without feeling you have to like something. Then maybe grow into it a little at a time.

 

Ah, that's it. Don't expect a refreshing beverage. Treat them more like a sipping drink, like a scotch.

 

I disagree with the pro tip completely. Environmental factor are particularly important with hoppy beers. And I'm not just talking about age and sunlight. That mouthwash you used this afternoon? It will affect the taste of any beer you try for the next three hours--at least. Had artichoke hears in the salad? The beer won't taste the same. Most factors that affect the taste cannot even be described.

A quick example (not hoppy stuff). I haven't had SA Oktoberfest in a very long time and had a vague recollection that I did not like it. So I bought a 12-pack of cans. I tried it and was not happy. Drank another the next day--same result. Then I started experimenting with glassware and the taste was completely different. I'm not kidding. I got the best taste out of a straight 22-oz ice tea glass, not from a standard pint or a sampling glass. From now on, every Oktoberfest in my house is poured into a tall glass or a giant mug. Had I not done that, I'd be writing the whole style off. And I actually like it--and not because it's grown on me.

 

Saying the same thing beyond the original pro tip, I think. You kept trying the beer, but did you think "oh, man...I gotta like this beer or they will revoke my beer card"? No...you recognized that a lot of things can influence taste and tried the beer under different conditions.

True...nobody is obligated to like anything. True...many things impact the consumption experience, including attitude, past experiences, and preconceptions. So I totally agree with the keep trying approach. I just don't think anybody needs to stress over it. I tried a bunch of IPAs trying to figure out what I was missing. Some I thought were ok, some I thought were terrible. In this case, the extreme of Ruination opened my eyes and I "got it". But I didn't think it odd that I didn't care for the style, just kept experimenting with an open mind. So more or less saying the same thing. Another example is that I don't care for most sushi, but by stubbornly trying different kinds I have found a few types that I enjoy. It hasn't grown on me, I just found some that taste good.

Cheers!

 

Sometimes, I think it just comes down to finding the right thing to pair with it to really appreciate it. Like eating some chocolate with a nice porter or stout is always a treat for me after dinner. Or like having some grilled meat with your porters.

 

Two words: Storm King

 

You didn't like it and then bought a 12 pack. Are you a glutton for punishment?
Why not buy an Ayinger or a single/pint of Goose Island Oktoberfest (let's say)... and explore other takes on the style first? There's far too much enjoyable beer out there for our wallets and bodies to handle as it is without buying 12 packs of stuff we don't think we like.

( I agree with your main point regarding circumstantial factors and beer enjoyment)

 

I used to hate beer of any sort, and now I love beer of all sorts. That should be evident enough.

 

I still, for some reason unbeknownst to me, pass that one up when I see it. I oughta change that.

 

Also try picking out certain flavors that you notice. Search for flavors and characteristics that others speak of in reviews. Read about the particular stout you are drinking and try to understand what the brewer was trying to achieve. All of this will help you "appreciate" different beers and styles. This helped me a lot. Start out with some Southern Tier 2X Stout if you can find it. Once you gain appreciation for milk stouts, move to breakfast stouts. Give it time, maybe it just isn't the right time of the year for you to "enjoy" stouts. Try relaxing on the back porch at night when it is cooler out sipping on a tasty stout. If nothing seems to work don't worry about it, stouts just might not be your style

 

You will not regret it!
I did the same thing with two hearted for a year, man did I feel silly after trying it. So many mediocre IPAs have been consumed in it's stead.

 

You got it. I'm willing to give anything a try. And by "try" I mean taste it more than once, especially if I think I might have missed something the first time.

I saw a strange concoction at an open-air Salvadoran "restaurant" in San Mateo once and thought I had to try it, no matter what it was. It was something black, kind of gelatinous with large white chunks. It seemed to be big with the natives, but not with the "Anglos". It turned out to be a "Black Clam Cocktail". Very weird indeed. The first two bites I almost had to force myself to eat it. Then I got a hang of it, added a few tostadas and it worked perfectly. My friends were eyeing it with great suspicion and refused to even try it. Sushi, I'd go for anything. The first two I did not like were Natto and Uni. But when I tried a fresh-caught Uni (a couple of restaurants in Boston get them from Maine), I changed my mind on that too. Still no Natto or raw quail egg though--you have to grow up with this kind of stuff, just like you do with Marmite, Vegemite, peanut butter, borscht. It looks and tastes like congealed snot. But it's considered a delicacy often handed over to kids as a snack. The only other sushi I draw the line with is live lobster--but that's for entirely different reasons. I can share notes on sushi (or sushi and beer) but not in this forum. Szechuan duck tongues are also a matter for another discussion... And I've grossed out all members of my family on durian at one point or another (no durian beer--please!)

PS: I should also add that I'm a supertaster. Makes things really weird sometimes--it's like someone with perfect pitch listening to a high-school concert.

 

Like I said, it was a vague recollection of not liking it in the past. And I bought the 12-pack to try it out--I did the same thing with Torpedo, Long Trail mixed, Victory mixed, etc. That's how I roll. Turned out to be a good thing because it gave me a chance to experiment. Oh, and also got a 4 of Jack's Abby Oktoberfest (Copper Legend). Of all those, only Long Trail was a strike out--two of the four were repulsive or near-repulsive and IPA and PA were pedestrian, at best. But I found use for all of them except Blackberry Wheat abomination (the overspiced Belgian White steamed a lot of mussels for me). Oh, and another thing--the Sam Adams 12 was only a dollar more than the Jack's Abby 4 and Paulaner or Spaten 6 (and cheaper than Celebrator 4--no other Ayingers in the store, and I already know I like that doppelbock). We don't get GIO AFAIK and no fresh Germans yet--only supposedly mediocre Weihenstefaner and the year-round Paulaner (so not from this year).

 

The only time I would eat a live animal is if I caught it with my own two hands, and was completely ravenously hungry. But I do love sushi, and have just within the last couple months gotten used to raw oysters.

 

I'm curious, are you a Pale Ale and IPA drinker for the most part, or do you indulge in other ale styles and grab the occasional Dubbel or Wee Heavy (for example)?