Cloying

I have had few Oktoberfest beers(probably not as many as you judging by the moniker), and I get pretty much the same flavor profile in all of them. They generally have a pleasant taste, and I actually prefer the ones that keep the same profile throughout. I've noticed that as some of them warm up, they have a bittering aftertaste that I do not enjoy.

Back to the topic at hand though, I haven't had an Oktoberfest beer that I consider even close to "cloying". Probably because of my sweet tooth.

 

I use "cloying" according to the definition you provided. My examples are Evil Twin Even More Jesus and Founders Big Lucious - unfortunately both were sickeningly sweet drain pours.

 

From what I can glean thus far, each individual's desire for or revulsion to sweetness is, indeed, individual. Cloyingly sweet to one person may be delightfully sweet to another. I like dark German chocolate most, then milk chocolate, then bitter dark chocolate, then white chocolate. My palate has settled in on "fairly" sweet dark chocolate. I do like all chocolate, but I can almost pound down good dark German chocolate.
To me sweetness in a beer needs some countervailing component to balance any singular sweetness. A beer showcasing sweetness only can often seem still, like old Coke, or flaccid-like, syrupy, and to many gag-worthy. As mentioned in a previous post sweetness needs a balancing acidity or crispness to avoid being a barley milkshake. Cloying to one palate may be acceptable to another. Sensory perceptions are not set in stone like the definitions of words- and words and their meanings tend to be more malleable through time than we often believe them to be.

 

For me, cloying isn't just about sweetness; there's usually another associated flavor at ramped up, concentrated levels. Like raisins, or fruit concentrate, stuff like that. The kind of flavor that could be fine in a drier environment, but put it together with the sweetness and it results in an annoying unpalatable mess.

 

Winner right here folks. Best. Definition. Ever.

 

Kinda like a stewed compote?

 

Yeah, I suppose.

I'm just trying to get across that simply being 'too sweet' isn't the whole story. In fact, 'too sweet' can be its own thing, more sugary than cloying. If I came across a beer like that I'd probably just comment that it was unbalanced, and needed more acid or bitterness.

But if there's also an obnoxiously condensed flavor component, then it rises to the level of cloying to me.

 

SA Octo, Lagunitas Citrusinensis, NC Brother Thel.. I would describe those as cloying.
As for ST Creme Brule, while even sweeter than those three I don't find it "cloying" since I could drink a bomber of it no problem, couldn't do that with those others for some reason

 

That's clawing, or screaming . ; )

 

Yep agree, thats 10 barrels Swill to a tee

 

Thanks for the heads-up .

 

i could use the word for some Pumpkin beers. some pumpkin beers are just plain foul.

i haven't had an overly sweet Oktoberfest yet. i've had mediocre ones but never because it's too sweet

 

Samuel Adams Octoberfest is cloying to me, which is why I haven't tried any other Octoberfest beers since. I'd be willing to try some other ones, ones with paler malt perhaps, but only if I can find singles, but I'm not willing to commit to a whole six pack.

 

To me it means that my tongue now has an odd feeling to it caused by too much sweetness or sourness that for the unforseen future my taste buds cant function properly and my taste perception is fucked up. Like if you eat too many sour patch kids candy. Itll damage your tongue and you cant properly taste for a while. I also get that same feeling from too much sweetness.

 

Thats why i enjoy weisn Oktoberfest over marzen. The sierra nevada Oktoberfest last year messed up my taste for a few days i thought it was very sweet

 

The etymological history of the word cloying reveals that the roots of the modern meaning did not mean sweet, but "tough as nails'. The word derives from the verb cloy, meaning "to supply or indulge to excess'. Cloying once meant "to clog", and before that, "to prick a horse with a nail in shoeing". From Middle English to Anglo-French -encloer- also meaning "to prick a horse with a nail in shoeing". Originally though, the word arose in Latin as clavus, meaning "nail". Thanks to Merriam Webster. So, words are alive, flexible, and forever changing. Ain't it sweet!

 

Some need to learn the difference between malty, and sweet, there is a difference.

 

I never really knew about good maltiness until drinking completely dry English ales in the early 70s.

 

Funny thing that you mention this as I was thinking the same thing. Lupulin shift is real, and after a season of drinking dry bitter ipas And Pilsners, oktoberfests do seem sweet. After a palate reset things come into line.

 

I have only use cloying to describe beers from one brewery. Avery has consistently made some of the most awful, cloying beers I have ever had the displeasure of tasting. Beers that fall into this category are: Mephistopheles, Maharaja, Samael, The Kaiser, Tweak & The Beast.