How have your preferences for beers evolved?

Barrel aging isn't my thing it brings out a funk that I just don't enjoy all that much. I don't really want to drink chocolate coffee whiskey, I'm more of a whiskey sour guy myself.

Whiskey and beer aren't a combination I find myself loving all that much.

 

I started enjoying pale ales, quads (probably because of the sweetness) and a few lagers. Over time I have moved up the hops scale towards DIPA and TIPA and gravitated towards barrel aged stouts as my preferred beers. I'm still developing a taste for sours and remain not that fond of triples, pilsners and porters. I suspect some is just genetics of taste, but evolution of taste preferences definitely occurs over time.

As for spirits I think whiskey and cognac / armangac are the most interesting, but I tend to stick to beer.

 

When I got into craft, I only knew I liked "some dark beers". I quickly figured out that I liked imperial stouts, so I tried a BBA imperial stout, cold and from the bottle. I swore them off until I was advised here to drink them warmed in a glass, and now they're my favorite. I prefer Rum, Bourbon, and Utopias BA, but have had scotch, tequila, rye, and wine BA.

A few years ago, I completed my "all styles" quest. After that I decided to keep trying styles I didn't like, trying to find examples I did like. Though I initially despised sours and IPAs, I like them now. Still working on barleywines, have had a couple that were good.

After having a phenomenal Blanton's BBA imperial stout last fall, I got into higher-end bourbon, landing a 12-yr-old Van Winkle and a Blanton's. I've had plenty of bourbon in mixed drinks and in beers - but little experience sipping better bourbons.

 

What about you,

How has your proclivities toward various beers morphed as you've aged?

I transitioned from a Whiskey / Bourbon drinker with beer limited to Irish Bars (Guinness) and picnics/ballgames (Budweiser/Heineken). My first two "craft" beers were 7-10 years ago, comped Sierra Nevada Pale Ales at the Wynn casino, and my brother's shared Goose Island Brand Stout (IIRC Prop 2013). Transitioned from Whiskey / Bourbon to start 2015, and haven't looked back.

And how much of your beer/booze progression do you think is from your palate changing, versus more resources (greater access to more kinds of beers) than in your younger years?

I still enjoy the taste Whiskey / Bourbon, but the heavy ABV doesn't agree with my body, whereas I can handle the beers easier after transitioning to start 2015 (45 years old). Never really thought about variety before craft, stuck primarily with my favorites (Jack Daniels 1990s, Makers Mark 2000s, Woodford Reserve 2010-2015). By the time I got into craft beer, most products / styles and many breweries were already established and available in Chicago.

How much has (change in) your overall consumption played a role in your expanding/narrowing/shifting beverage tastes?

I've cut back a bit on my sessions, at home down to 1 beer per day (most days), and at breweries or bars 2-3 (or about 1 an hour) from 3-5 + in past visits. I appreciate the lower ABV beers, go for quality and flavor (more hops/bitter, less malt type beers). Like getting a taste of the W/B in BA Imperial Stouts. Like going across many styles, and like to drink seasonally (heavier beers in the Winter, lighter beers in the Summer).

 

What @dbrauneis posted above is similar to my 'path'.

In the 80's I mostly drank US brewed AAL beers with Rolling Rock being one of my preferred beers but I would occasionally drink some imports for something 'different'. I still remember that Yuengling Black & Tan became a 'thing' in the Philly area for a couple/few years and I would on occasion drink that beer. There was a bar that had a lot of taps that I would frequent with friends for Happy Hour and they had Tucher Hefeweizen on tap and I would drink that beer out of a tall Hefeweizen glass. In the 80's the term used to describe "craft beer" was called microbrewed beer and in the late 80's I 'discovered' Stoudts Gold Lager (which unbeknownst to me at the time is a Munich Helles Lager). I drank a lot of Stoudts Gold and then over time other microbrewed beers like Brooklyn Lager and then Pales Ales and IPAs. One example of a popular IPA in my area in the 90's was Victory Hop Devil; I drank a lot of that beer.

I was asked to write an article on the topic "What is Craft Beer?" and even though I knew it would be a controversial topic I decided to accept the challenge. For the interested reader:

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/What_Is_Craft_Beer

Cheers!

 

Definitely. When I first discovered craft/better beer, I was constantly on the search for whatever the strongest, most bitter, most outrageous, etc. beers I could find. I think it's because I never like light lagers, but discovered that I did enjoy fuller-flavored stouts and such. Like the brewers at the time, I was rebelling and taking everything to the extreme. A trip to Europe (especially Germany and the UK) changed a lot of that for me. I still liked big stouts and such, but I learned that milder beers had a ton of charm. Plus, you could actually drink several of them without being a wreck or having to sip them slowly. As time passed, I barely drink bigger beers now. I drink the occasional Yeti or split a fancy barrel aged membership beer with my wife here and there, but it's rare. Given a choice, I'd probably choose a middling helles over a great barrel aged stout 90% of the time.

 

I drank AAL in the 70's into the early 80's. Anchor Steam was being sold in NJ in the early 80's but was not always in stock. The 1st craft beer that was ez to get was New Amsterdam Amber Lager. It became my go to beer. Other beers started to show up Pete's Wicked Ale, Catamount ect tried them all and liked them all.

 

My journey is similar to @Domingo . Growing up in Colorado with a drunkard for a step dad there was always "microbrews" around my house. I was always pilfering the strongest beers I could grab, but at the same time I was gravitating away from AAL and the like because the flavors were not palatable. Bock bier was on my radar as was fat tire and sunshine wheat. I stopped drinking for 10 years or so, and came back around d 2011. I started back in with honey brown and milk stouts. Specifically steel toe from Ska Brewing. As brewers were going extreme, I did as well. A remember baby puke Blueberry Petite sour from CS, the WWB series, ibu wars and barrel aged everything. I loved the Malty beers and gravitated towards Belgians and mixed fermentation wild ales. I quickly realized I had an allergy to the mixed culture beers and focused on the stouts. The bigger the better, a personal favorite being espresso oak yeti and OG tweak. They were big, aggressive, and got me trashed. I FINALLY got into ipa when a very generous BA sent me a box with flower power and heady. Heady made me rethink ipa at the time, it was bitter, bit nothing like the palate wrecking ipas that were popular at the time. I still love beers in that vein. I've stepped away from the super big beers these days and am enjoying Belgians as much as ever, but more of the table beer types, and I've found a love for German style beers as well.

 

Started with light lagers. Imports. Then the IPA obsession and following burnout. Ticked everything weird and popular. Wrote about beer professionally for a while but got sick of the ass kissing and just wanted beer to be beer again if that makes sense. I’ve fallen off everything and when I drink it’s Miller lite. Guinness. Random imports. Heineken cans. and occasionally stuff from Yards or NJ brewers depending on style. Usually something dark or just lagers. English styles as well. I’ve come to appreciate the heinekens and the English milds and the lower ABV Stouts for what they are and I have a MUCH better time drinking instead of thinking

my circle as well. My best friends are always down for a beer. One guy does Belgians. The other ipas. Myself and another are cool with PBRs. But speaking from my experience I’ve come to appreciate even the “cheap” beers or “ho hum” beer for what they are. Idc what’s popular. I’ve come full circle. Advanced hipster here lmao. I’ll have a much better time at a bonfire with friends and a guitar with a joint, 40oz of Bud heavy and bottle of Jameson than I would with a 8% coffee stout or hazy ipa. Just the way it is right now for me.

 

Growing up in Oklahoma, mine is a story of isolation based on religious ideology as well as controlled distribution and constrained geographical access. I grew up in a home that did not have beer, wine or other spirits other than a tiny bottle of whiskey my mom kept hidden in the high cabinet to mix with honey and lemon when we had a cough. The easiest thing to do when I reached legal drinking age (which was 18 for beer at that time) was to grab a six pack of the mass distribution 3.2% pilsner/lager options available at the convenience store. My first visit into a package store in the late 90's expanded my options and began to open my eyes. I picked up a six pack of Leffe' Tripel because it looked exotic and had a higher ABV. I think that beer was my gateway where I discovered that not all beer was the same. The first thing that hit me was the burn, which I liked. As I continued to drink I noticed the hints of fruit and spice as well as the much smoother mouthfeel. With my mind blown, I started experimenting with different options. I had grabbed what was then still called Stone Arrogant Bastard (primarily because of the name). I was not ready for the bitterness and had to slowly sip to make it through a single bottle. Ironically, I tend to pick West Coast style IPAs over others now if there is one available. My palate has developed and matured over the years but I noticed that my early appreciation for different styles grew mostly when I was introduced to them by someone who already enjoyed and could articulate their enjoyment of the style. For example, I remember a brewery tour of Sam Adams during a trip to Boston around 2012. They provided participants actual samples of the raw materials to touch, taste, smell as they described how they were used in different recipes of the brewing process for each style of beer they brewed. I purchased a bottle of their barrel aged Thirteenth Hour from the taproom after the tour. They advised me to stash it away in a dark, cool place for at least six months and it would continue to transform and get slightly stronger. When I removed the cage and popped the cork, I had another beer epiphany as I matched up my memories at the brewer with what I was tasting. These are a few of the more memorable experiences that taught me to think about beer styles less like "flavors" and more like a work of art in which each color (ingredient) contributes to the finished product. I now enjoy all styles but don't miss the release dates when my local brewers roll out a barrel aged product.

 

I walked by cases of Lagunitas Waldo on display just last night and didn't even stop to take a look. I find imperial IPAs much too sweet now and would rather enjoy 2 tasty lower ABV brews than a Waldo (for example).

 

Perhaps on a related note I used to be a big fan of Little Sumpin’ Sumpin but over the past few years the six-packs of this beer were just OK (maybe mediocre is a better term). It has been over 1-2 years since my last purchase of Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ and in all likelihood that last purchase will indeed be the last.

Cheers!

 

For me
Colt45/211/OE/Magnum>>>a brief stint with High Life added into the mix>>> Old Rasputin on tap then it was game over.

 

My parents are low volume wine drinkers with my dad very occasionally enjoying a glass of armagnac or cognac. My mom would very rarely get Little Kings for sitting on the porch with the baseball game on but I can count on one hand the number of times I saw her drink beer.

I essentially didn't drink period before my middle years of college(19-20) outside of sipping a Yuengling a couple times. I used to drink a pretty varied list but started mainly with stouts and Belgian ales (Old Rasputin, Narwhal, Chimay Blue, St. Bernardus 12, etc) along with some pretty cheap beers like Newcastle Brown Ale and Heineken. I developed an appreciation for import lagers around 22-23 around the tail end of college. I didn't really start hitting the IPAs, specifically NE IPAS, until just before the pandemic in 2019 (24).

3 years later and I've cut way back on high ABV styles. I still have a heavy beer every now and again but just don't have the inclination for them after I started rapidly gaining weight, partially as a result of drinking those types of beers too often. My palate is pretty wide open but I rarely venture outside German lagers anymore. I can still crush a TIPA or behemoth of an imperial stout without issue but tend to avoid it for my health's sake lest I get pulled in to drinking those styles regularly again.

 

I started drinking early with my dad's Busch, Labatt's or Schlitz.
Then, my step father's Miller High Life bottles. Still love 'em.
Then the microbrewery thing started happening. My college buddy & I would split a different case of beer each weekend. Variety packs were often purchased, when they weren't just different IPA's.
My stepfather then turned an old fridge to a keg fridge.
We grank a LOT of Yuengling Premium, Lager,when if was still good, 2 prong kegs), Stoudt's Gold, Honey Double Mai Bock, Stoudt's Honey Double Bock and the occasional Oddity.
In this time my college buddy & I started Homebrewing. That hobby was a lot more difficult then with much less options available.
We drank endless 16oz returnable cases of Leibotshawner Cream Ale, Yuengling Premium, Reading Lager and a few I don't recall for filling with homebrew. Also, many cases of Stoudt's 750ml's. We lived close to the Turnpike, so the trip to Stoudt's wasn't far.
Nonetheless, we have always been driven to the malt forward, well balanced beers, and Belgians.
And, to this day that is what I prefer.
German, Belgian, English, Scottish, French, Wheats, and normal Micro brews.
I never liked the hop loaded beers during the hop wars.
I enjoyed IPA's in the '90's. Barleywine of the '90's. Rouge's Old Crusty & S.N. Bigfoot, Anchor Old Foghorn we're about as hoppy as it got. S.N. Celebration was a hop bomb back then.
Fruit/vegetable/spice/meat/condiment/lactose/candy beers never impressed me at all. Only exemption, Makeson's XXX Stout. I'd keep a case in the closet and 1 in the fridge for that once in a while craving.
Now, I pretty much just brew what I like instead of trying to find it or wait for it to be a seasonal.
Much cheaper too.
Now, my version of Chimay does not taste exactly like the real deal, but close enough for me.
With all of the clone recipes and kits available online and in books, it's possible to drink close replications of retired and favorite beers that are impossible to find.
Cheers as I drink my Double Mai Bock @ 9.2%.

 

I have always loved beer and keep an open mind. We picked up my grandparents from Birmingham and the train station in about 1957 JB Holt (granddad) said upon arriving at our house (about 1:00 AM), after glancing in the fridge, "Mary Lou, you're long on milk and short on beer". I'll never forget. The next day when he and I were cleaning up around the lot, he brought out a can of Bud, two juice glasses, and we polished off a couple before my Mom came home. He was definitely a pusher, God bless his funny old soul!