Love/Hate Relationship Beer Styles

I love pumpkin anything, coffee, ice cream, etc so when I got into craft and saw pumpkin beers, I thought it would be a good thing. After trying dozens, I have tolerated a few, disliked most, and hated the rest. Maybe I'm looking for bottled pumpkin pie, but it's always going to taste more beerlike than pumpkin pielike. Yes, I realize pumpkin beer isn't a style.

 

Common story. You get tired of stuff, especially if you have too much of it. You get burned out on certain styles. I'm burned out on most IPAs now, especially West Coast bitter bombs, and barrel aged stouts. Change it up. I just bought a huge haul of mostly lower gravity lagers and British ales. I'm actually excited for brown ales, porters, pilsners, and saisons now. They're something different and refreshing.
Just switch to something new and maybe revisit Belgian styles again in a few months. Or not. Go with the flow.

 

Believe it or not, I still haven't had Dupont. Because I avoid the style. But, so far, every wit or saison I have ever had has this same sweetness that I just can't quite enjoy.

I will have to seek one out and see if it is the same.

 

Agree with what others have said. Vary styles. If I'm going to drink several throughout the day I try to vary the lineup. Its always interesting to see what different styles bring out in other styles.

 

Why do you think it isn't one?

 

You're right, I checked it off so long ago on my quest to try all 104 that I had forgotten Pumpkin Ale is one...

 

Definitely give it a shot. It's even easier to get a good example since they changed to brown bottles. And, in general, make sure to try the classic examples before writing off a style. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers!

 

True. I usually do, but I developed a deep dislike for the style before really getting into beer, so I missed that step.

 

Steven's Point Whole Hog Pumpkin ale was the closest thing to a supremely-balanced pumpkin-pie-like beer I've ever had. Still had a great amount of dryness (I dunno if you're looking for that).

Saisons have definitely been a very lovely palate refresher. As well as IPLs and standard lagers. Between the Belgian and wild-styled saisons, there's so much to explore! I had an IPL from a local brewery (Brew Kettle) that was hoppy on the nose but crisp and clean in the flavor.

Too much of anything loses its lustful, alluring spell. "A little, often", as many Spaniards say, is the way to go.

 

I am from the "variety is the spice of life" camp. Sometimes I grow weary of a certain flavor aspect (hops, dark fruits, sour) and will temporarily stop drinking that. But I have grown to love all styles and not sure I'd be willing to give one up for any extended period of time.

 

A local grocery store just started carrying Jack's Abby beers, the first store in my area to do so. This is the most exciting beer news for me in a long time.

 

I've almost completely gone off Belgian beer. It's usually too sweet, too sour, too effete, or generally too gaudy for my tastes. The big hitters like St Bernardus 12 / Westy 12, I don't think are all that great. They have a bitter, roasty backbone which I don't like. I'd take a good old impy stout or Weizenbock any day over one of them. Ground coriander in beer as well, yuck!

 

Instead of love/hate I will use
(drank a lot of/don't care for them
much anymore) which are lagers.
As with many of us I drank many
PBRs and such back in the day.
But even now with craft lagers I just
don't enjoy them so much anymore.
Having said this I will still knock down
on occasion a PBR, RR, etc. Taste
wise ok but memory wise priceless!

 

I go through phases, but no relationship with a style has ended permanently (at least so far). I have phases where all I crave is a juicy IPA and then will later look over them. I occasionally crave a hefe or American saison. Then like most I crave stouts when it's cold but don't care for them when it's hot. Lagers of all forms (maybe except something like rauchbier or doppelbock) I can drink year round, but really only crave in a thirst quenching type of way. Then sours are always occasional. They're delicious and welcome when I can afford them. Lastly, Ill drink a belgian strong ale about 1-2 times per year, and I will love my experience, but won't need more for a long time.

 

Hefeweizen for me.

Sometimes they hit the spot and other times I have no desire in drinking one.
I also go in phases where I drink them regularly, then I get tired of them and go months without drinking one.

 

I try to keep an open mind and try everything. But my go to/fall back/in love with styles will always be Belgians, Stouts and Porters. I agree that we go through phases, currently liking Sours and Gose, currently can't stand any thing that has pumpkin or hop bombs. In season, I have a thing for spiced up, high ABV winter beers and there are times in the dog days of summer you can't beat a freezing cold, cheap ass lawnmower pils.

 

My tastes have remained disturbingly consistent over a long period of time. I try to challenge myself regularly but I keep coming back to the same styles that I enjoy and also the ones that I definitely do not enjoy too much.

 

Coffee-this and barrel-aged-that. Sometimes I just want a goddam stout or porter and it makes me crazy when I can't find one.

But, if I'm being honest with myself, 99% of the time I just want a NEDIPA and, living smack-dab in the geographic center of New England, there's no christly reason I can't have one whenever I want other than that I feel some vague, insecure, incipient-neckbearded compulsion to at least try every style. I feel like such a dope when I drop twenty bucks on some limited release ***** I'm probably not going to particularly like when I could've snuggled up on the couch with my one true love. So, I guess my real love-hate relationship is with every style other than NEIPA which, yes, is a style.