Attempting to jumpstart my IPA palate

That's a good point, I still haven't got round to liking Rauchbiers, like Schlenkerla even though I enjoy a heavily peated whisky.

 

Lots of us hated IPAs when we first started. Why not just spike beer with some kind of industrial chemical. That's what it tasted like to me. I could barely drink a pale ale much less an IPA. They were right on the edge. But I kept trying stuff here and there just because I was baffled about why people liked them and wanted to understand. Then one day I had a craving for hops and went out and got an IPA and here we are. Some people come around and some never do and either is fine. I find that lots of people who don't like IPAs still like Two Hearted. Same with my in my IPA hating days. Try that one.

 

Wait, so heavily peated whisky tastes like pulled pork?

 

Well no but in the whisky there is smoked malt like in a rauchbier so it shares a similarity.

 

Great points and I agree 100%. With so many styles and variations of beer available, I say who cares if one style does not appeal to myself or someone else. I can't imagine forcing myself to drink a certain style of beer over and over, trying to convince myself that someday I will like it. I can appreciate all styles of beer, but that doesn't mean I enjoy drinking them all. I will most certainly try anything at least once or twice, and after that if I am not into the style then I move on and stick with styles I enjoy. I for one feel that I/we all have enough going on in our lives (school, work, kids, etc.) that when I sit down to enjoy a beer, the last thing I want to do is force myself into drinking something I am pretty sure i am not going to like to begin with. To each his own, and don't listen to those who say you will eventually come around to liking IPAs. And besides, leaves more IPAs for me! haha

 

Well to your point, peat smoke and the various wood-smoked malts can impart very different flavors.

 

that's true

 

I'm also trying to get into the hoppier beers, but im not really diving in head first. I've started with pale ales....Dales, Mirror Pond. Then I started to try black ales, Hop in The Dark being my favorite. Now I'm onto some of the more balanced stuff.....90 Min, Blind Pig. I got crazy last night and bought some Hoptimum (I know it's not the freshest) and had a try.

I'm still not loving the mega-hoppy stuff, but this seems to be slowly working for me. So if going big doesn't work for you perhaps this might help

 

While I tend to agree with your point, you also have to realize that the aggressive hop taste is not something people are accustomed to, so it will absolutely take some time to develope a taste for it. It would be a shame to give up on something just because you didn't like it the first time you had it. I hated hoppy beers, couldn't even stand most pale ales, and now I crave hops. Not saying people have to be into hops, but I think they should at least give it a few tries.

 

I'd start off slow and build up. As mentioned....Founders Centennial is a great beer. There is a nice balance between the malt bill and the hops. Goose Island IPA or Great Lakes Commodore Perry would be nice steps up from there. Then jump into a Bells Two Hearted or Lagunitas IPA. Then a Founders Harvest (OMG.....rare and delicious) or Lagunitas Maximus (amazing and easy to obtain....a fixture in my fridge). From there.....the sky is the limit for your palate. DIPA's and so forth are waiting to be explored. When starting off....I'd stay away from Stone IPA or Smutty Finest.....very dry and bitter. These are more of an acquired taste than the fruitier IPA's.

Cheers!

 

Drink beer styles because you like them not because you think you should like them IPA'S may not be for you

 

Re-visit in 3 years time.
Since I began reviewing beers - Maine beer lunch was the best single IPA I've tasted !

 

No offense, but as a IPA lover I'm pissed you can have the luxury of having heady topper. . On topic, West coast styles tend to have less "piny" with the exception of Sierra

 

Just start with balanced Pales, and move slowly into mild IPAs.

 

As always. Dropping knowledge.

Cheers!

 

OK, if you honestly want to TRY to develop an appreciation for IPAs (IMHO, the only style that matters), do this:
Pick up a Stone Ruination (or Racer 5), and a Dogfish Head 90 Minute (or Sneaky Pete). These 4 beers are all readily available. If you find that you kinda like Ruination or Racer 5, seek out Pliny the Elder. If you find that you prefer DFH90 or Sneaky Pete, seek out Alpine Exponential Hoppiness or Bootlegger's Knuckle Sandwich. If you STILL don't care for these beers very much, you're just not an IPA guy.
I absolutely LIVE for the hop fix I can only get from IPAs. But I have 3 Irish brothers (2 of whom homebrew) who ALL detest IPAs. So it truly is a very individual experience. But I don't think there's such a thing as "liking IPAs." If you actually "like" them, you can't imagine Life without them.

 

It took some time for me to acquire a taste for IPAs. Even today I'm pretty selective and don't care for many and my palate has to be just right on any given day. They dont always work for me.

 

Truthfully, it's ok if you never really like IPA's.. it certainly isn't my favorite style.. I've only found one IPA I really liked and that was Hop Manna from Schmaltz... there are more double IPA's I like... Saint Arnolds Endeavour and Bell's Hopslam... I'm sure I'll find more.

 

The thing about IPA's (and I guess all beer) is that you dont really evolve into the entire style, you just like a certain beer and that gives you the confidence to try more. If you dont find one you like, you continue not liking the style. I got turned off of IPA's for a while because I didnt really like Bells Two Hearted the first time I tried it despite everyone claiming how amazing it was. A year or so (and dozens of IPAs) later, I realized Two Hearted was indeed amazing. I guess my point is dont force it, just drink casually and choose what you want to choose, and go from there.