Increased Drunkeness Means Less Taste?

Does the inverse imply: If I haven't had a drink in 23 days, will my first after the break be elevated due to hyper-sensitive taste buds? Im so excited.

 

I find myself in a similar situation. I have found in the past that the first few beers are actually a bit jarring, which I suspect is what most beer n00bs experience on their first sip. It takes a while for your palate to become accustomed to it. That being said, if you're holding on to something special, I suggest waiting a few days after you break your fast to get into it.

I'll be breaking my fast with a 2-liter boot of Weihenstephaner Hefe over rouladen, spaetzel, and kraut.

 

So which brew was chosen as Championship Beer of Nottinghamshire?

 

http://www.bluemonkeybrewery.com/beers/ape-ale-strong-ale

Not one I tasted at my table as you can see.

 

As an aging, tired person constantly on the lookout for good, lower-abv brews, I'm envious of any beer region where a 5.4% abv beer can be characterized as a strong ale.

 

I think it's more than just palate fatigue. I don't think your mind can pick up on certain flavors and subtleties when you're more inebriated.

 

I've been to beer festivals where there's been lots of small samples, and even if I take it slowly and not get drunk, the beers seem to become less and less interesting to me the more I try. In those situations there's also quite a bit of activity, crowds, music, noise, etc. so it could also be more general sensory overload taking place as well.

 

Well, there's an old Southern word that describes those folks quite well...Themotheruns, not Us!

 

There is a winery called Gustavo that makes a red wine called 3rd bottle. Premise is what you said in your post, palate fatigue, so why drink high end wine when you are 2 bottles down. We use to do this in college. We would get a couple of cases of Bud then a couple of cases of Busch or whatever else we could find that was dirt cheap, thought was why drink the good when you were well on the way. And FYI back in the 70's we thought Bud was good

 

this is why I always keep inexpensive common low abv beers on hand as my designated "I'm already drunk" beers

 

Stop after 3

 

What happens to me isn't necessarily less taste, but slight memory loss as it relates to the nitty gritty details of the beer. I'm guessing that if you're just enjoying a beer with friends and aren't plowed (yet), you really remember the finer points of the beer in detail and savor what you're enjoying. If you're at a big social gathering I think you focus more on the people/interactions than you do the beer, and you remember the interactions more than the beer. A fine example of this was the super bowl. Friends came over and we had ridiculous assortment of great brews. I remember starting with double bastard and Simtra. I remember finishing with Sea Monster. But in the middle we had BCBS, BCBCS, Vanilla Rye, Pliny, and god knows how many others. I remember them all being awesome but I wish I could have remembered the succinct details of each one. Oh well. At least we had fun!

 

yes, yes, this is why I drink a few great beers(of course) and the just go the dram of good whiskey or congac,and finish the night.

 

That's an option.

But sometimes everyone needs to get real fuckin drunk, bud!

 

Shitty beer gives me shitty shits!

 

If I'm going to be imbibing for an all-day event (or all-nighter...or both ) I'll tend to switch up styles periodically, going in a totally different direction. This way, when you get accustomed to hops just move on to malty lagers, and then to a hefeweizen, etc. It keeps the level of enjoyment up there, even if I'm not tasting at the top of my game after a while.

 

That's why I give my drunken idiot friends year old Pabst when they come over. Taste is not a consideration to them.

 

and i am included in that brother, trust me

 

I do exactly the same thing. I can honestly go forever without smoking but as soon as I crack a few brews I can't help it. I could save so much money and more fully enjoy beer if I could just stay away from booze for two weeks and quit smoking.

 

Amen, brother!