Help me understand what I don't like about Belgians

It's the Belgian yeast. It imparts the fruit and spice flavors you are getting.

 

Yup. Anything with wild or Brett yeast will taste similar, like Farmhouse ales/Saisons.

 

OP, you shut your face about not liking those glorious Belgians!!

Alright, I'm just kidding It probably is most likely the yeast that UCLABrewN84 mentioned. I also know that the candy sugar profile in some Belgians is an element that was odd to me at first, yet that I've grown to love.

Bottom line: Just drink what tastes good, man. You'll eventually find yourself circling back around with new appreciation.

 

• Have you had any of the Allagash brews? Who knows...You might just like this specialty, Belgian-style, craft brewer.

 

Don't know what to tell you about the yeast fruit flavors. For the finish I used to hate the crazy amounts of carbonation, if you have a cellar pour the beer really aggressively in the cellar about 30min-1hr before you plan on drinking it and you'll get less if not uncarbonated Belgian beer. I always drink my Belgians this way. If they still have too much carbonation try pouring from one glass to another after the head dies down. Also try drinking it fresh specially if you lik a sweeter beer, many Belgians are bottle conditioned, so a fresher beer will have less carbonation and more sweetness at least that's been my experience.

 

Theres no rule that says you have to like them you know. Just ignore them and drink IPA's. Nothing wrong with that.

 

Yeast. There are hundreds of different strains both 'wild' such as brettanomyces or 'traditional' brewers yeast (saccharomyces) that all impart a different array of byproducts and flavor compounds as they ferment malt sugars into alcohol. Generally speaking;

American ale strains = clean profile, malt and hops shine
English ale strains = stone fruit, some accentuate malt character
German ale & lager strains = clean, mostly all Germans are lager strains and clean with mineral laden profile
Belgian ale strains = Ester forward with spice and mild fruit, can be mild dark or tropical fruit depending on strain

These are just my experiences in the home and commercial brewing setting and with drinking and researching over the years. Usually beers fall into these four domains + wild & sour beers + other unique styles such as Hefeweizen (which is German ale strain) and more times than not drinkers have one camp they tend to not favor or hold equal to the others. Your sensory make-up is unique, and individualistic. There are foods I am sure you dislike as well, and music, and books, and philosophy. To me, it is quite simple: you like it or you don't, and because others favor something doesn't particularly mean you have to as well. Cheers man.

 

I was like you about 1 year ago. I just couldn't enjoy Belgian beers. However, my taste buds slowly changed. I started enjoying them more and more. Keep trying them every couple of months, your tastes may change too.

Quads were the first Belgians that I started to enjoy. Now I love them.

 

Many of the Belgian strains produce phenolics, which are the spice flavors and others. Some don't like phenolic flavors in beers. Do you not like German wheat beers? Those also have phenolic yeast.

 

Could it be the coriander? A lot of Belgians have that in.

 

Its that Begium yeast funk, that armpit smell.... lol sorry but at least there is more for the rest of us !

 

It's the yeast funk.

 

I think this is great advice. I've found that with time I have grown to like and even love (IPA, I'm calling your name) some styles that didn't appeal to me. In my younger years, now many years ago, I tried SA lager and didn't like it - too bitter I thought. Now, it's one of my favorite lagers. As you get farther into the craft experience you will find your taste preferences changing. I would suggest not trying to force the change but let it happen. When you are at a restaurant or bar that has craft offerings try something you haven't had. You may discover that you now like something that you didn't like before. This happened to me with IPAs. Initially I didn't like "bitter" beer, now I crave it.

Belgians are quite different with that background "earthiness". Saisons/Farmhouse ales are one of my favorites. But I find some that I love and some that do not appeal to me. The ones I like (such as Boulevard's Tank 7) have that earthiness that I crave. But some present, to me, a medicinal taste that I find off-putting. For me, the taste range in Belgians is more dramatic than many other styles.

 

The term "Belgians" covers a large number of styles. There is no rule saying you have to like all of them. If you find that you don't care for "sours" (as I have) don't worry about it and move on.

 

Try any beer style you don't like 17 times. If you still don't like it cross it off the list and continue with the other 102 styles.

 

don't get me started on the Belgians. they can be a little uppity sometimes. they're not French. they're not Dutch. wtf are they anyway?
oh. ok...

the great thing about Belgian beer, for many, is the diversity. there is only a very loose interpretation of what it means to be a "Belgian Beer". Stella Artois is Belgian after all. but so is Orval.

what you should probably do for now, as many others have done prior, is put down the Belgian styles and enjoy what you like. in a little while you will be curious and rediscover a lot of things that have been waiting. or not. either way it's just beer. have fun.
Cheers.

 

My first go at Belgians yielded the same results as yours. I circled around 4 years later and was knocked of my chair by Rochefort 10. Now I can't get enough quads or dubbels, but I'm still not in love with trippels or blonds ales (maybe in another 4 years). My advice: you'll save a lot of money if you move past this style of beer.

 

don't worry op, I don't like them either

 

I love Belgians, but I think I know what you're talking about here. Sometimes when drinking them, I get the sensation of a tightness in my throat that literally makes it hard to swallow. This doesn't happen with ALL Belgians, but it seems to ONLY happen with Belgians, especially saisons, which are typically very yeast-forward. My hunch is that there's something about the yeast that I'm allergic to. Does this sound anything like the experience you're describing?