I want to like hops, promise!

OK, I'll bite, for a fellow Washingtonian.

First, don't feel like you "should" like certain beers, styles or flavors. Hops are an acquired taste and some people never come around to liking them. That's OK.

Second, it sounds like maybe it's the bitterness of the hops that's putting you off, but you like other hop characteristics. If that's the case, look for some good dry hopped pale ales and IPAs that have that citrusy, floral quality you enjoy but don't scour your tongue with IBUs. Three Floyds Zombie Dust is an excellent example of this; unfortunately you can't get it locally and trading for it might be tricky. Fremont's Cowiche Canyon is great too in this regard; unfortunately at this point you'll have to wait until next fall to get any.

So in the meantime, try Fremont's Universale Pale and see if that does it for you. It's nice and floral and citrusy, but not too bitter. Another one you might enjoy is Laurelwood's Workhorse IPA. It's very hoppy but has a nice sweetness as a counterbalance. You can get both of these locally; they're cheap and they're good.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of great hoppy/not-too-bitter beers that are readily available. After all, you live in the hops mecca of the world. Just keep trying different ones and you'll figure out what you like and why.

Best of luck exploring the wonderful world of beer! Cheers!

 

Do your best to find some Heady Topper. I wasn't crazy about IPAs and hoppy beers until I had Heady. So much citrus it's insane. Also keep in mind that bitterness can fade as you get used to it. I drink some beers that are relatively hoppy (Tank 7, Prairie Standard, stuff like that), and I get virtually no bitterness at all. My BMC friends are overwhelmed by it because they aren't used to it. Just start drinking the hoppy stuff and if it's too bitter, just sip it slowly instead. DIPAs might be easier for you to deal with than IPAs because of their more prominent malt character, too.

 

Try some beers with non-pine hop profiles. Try a beer that uses only Nelson Sauvin hops for instance.
Also try stuff that is less aggressively hoppy, hop forward APA with exotic fruit tasting hops.
No need to like hop forward beers, it is the craze now but it is just one kind of beers.

 

Anything is an acquired taste...

I echo the suggestion in the first reply to look for Dry-Hopped beers. You will get most of the citrusy/floral notes in the nose (a little in the taste), without that resiny, pine cone taste in the back of your throat.

I will say that I was definitely not a Hops fan when I first got into beer. I was into heavy belgians and porters and such. Over the years, though, as my palette has developed, I have come to love a good hop-bomb.

 

pick up some lagunitas! Hop stupid is insanely well balanced, affordable, and easy to find!

 

I think that the hops will sneak up on you eventually. They are in every beer so if you like beer then you have some kind of taste for them already. The intensity of the bitterness abates as you get used to it and your perception of it changes from something loud and aggressive to something welcome and stimulating. Hops are many things, intoxicating to be sure but don't force yourself to like a style of beer. Just move to the next style and when your palate is ready, if ever, you will move to the next. Try some lagers & belgian styles. Pilsners have a bigger hop character than you might think so if you like those then you like hops.

 

bitterness is an adquired taste. what you seek is a lupulin threshold shift (google it)
you just need to take it easy and go slow with bitters.

 

@Redneckwine You said you wanted something hoppy but with a strong malt backbone to counterbalance it. I would recommend DFH's classic 90 Minute IPA, which is one of the maltier IPAs and it is widely available. I realize you probably want to try a lot of the name dropped beers on here, but I would really suggest keeping it local early on. Get to know the breweries in your state and in looking for IPAs, which are best fresh, that is where you will find them. Also, I realize it is not an IPA, but fresh SN Bigfoot tastes like a malt bomb of an IPA and it is wonderful. It is one of my favorite beers.

 

If you can get Bells Two Hearted in your area, I would recommend it. If was my doorway to craft. PS try to get it fresh.

 

Hey, that's just like this thread:
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/are-ipas-an-acquired-taste.131029/

 

I have no idea how I got acclimated to the bitterness. It just happened slowly over time. You just cant force it.

 

Start with Double IPAs. I couldn't stand IPAs for a long time but now I can't get enough (I always have a log on-draft). DFH 90 is a good place to start.

 

Take your time and once a week try a new beer that you would like to try but whkle sticking with what you know you like in the meantime. As your journey into crafts beer 'gets some legs', so will your palate and suddenly something from 6 months ago that was a bitter resin bomb (by resin I mean that thick feeling on your tounge after a drink of a high ibu, ipa) is liquid gold. Just because ipa's, dipa's are the most popular style does not mean you HAVE to like them. We all have different palates, do not force or make yourself try to like these styles, drink what you like, and every week (or month or whaetever, depending on budget) try a new beer beer. The greatest part of craft beer is there is such a huge diversity of styles and hundreds of examples within each style that you will most definitely be able to find 'your beer', just enjoy the journey.

 

People will tell you all bits of nonsense about how to acclimate, like baby steps and one day you can be like me bs, but the simple truth is that time will heal your ailing mouth..,,or it won't.

Me personally, I've never felt compelled to like something that I don't like. Which is not to say I never came around on something I didn't , but I also never set out to get there as some sort of summit.

 

why force yourself to like a certain style....its just not natural. another perfect example of this is sours...i absolutely love them but i know some people cant stand them. to each his own

 

Don't worry about it. Just drink what you like, occasionally experiment and try the hoppier beers. See if your palate has changed. It does over time, but I don't know that I would force myself to drink stuff I don't enjoy just because lots of other people enjoy those styles.

 

I'm sorta in the same boat as OP; I've been drinking craft beer for the better part of a year, and I don't think my taste for hops has improved much, unless I haven't noticed. I guess, maybe, my feelings for hoppy bitterness have moved from disgust to tolerance. Baby steps. The only very hoppy beer I've actually enjoyed and would seek out again is Stone Enjoy By. For the first time I got all the piney, citrusy, grapefruit-y yumminess without the bitter bite. I'll be sure to pick up some more the next time it's available in NY.

 

Check out Firestone Walker's Double Barrel Ale