A Peculiar Tasting Experience

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Geometryplease, Nov 18, 2012.

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  1. Geometryplease

    Geometryplease Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2012

    I had an interesting tasting experience a few nights ago and wanted to share and see if others have had similar experiences.

    A few weeks ago I was drinking a 22oz Stone Smoked Porter. About halfway through the bottle I decided I'd rather have an IPA, so I switched to a Uintas Hop Notch IPA. That's where things got interesting - I tasted huge, huge tropical fruit flavors. It was about as intense as eating a Starburst candy. I'd been able to taste fruit tones from the Hop Notch before, but never anything remotely as strong.

    I tried it again with the same beers two nights ago and repeated the results, so I don't think it was a one-off event. Out of curiousity, I also tried it with a Ska Brewing Modus Hoperandi, a less fruity IPA. It wasn't as intense as the Hop Notch, but I still tasted way more fruit flavors than I'd ever experienced with that beer before. My guess is that you could probably replicate this experience with any fruity IPA, although I'm not familiar with other beers similar to the Stone Smoked Porter (I'm sure they're out there - I just don't know them).

    I love beer, but I've never really been a part of a beer community - was this a common experience? Are there other beer combinations I can try out to get similar results?
     
    #1 Geometryplease, Nov 18, 2012
  2. pjeagles

    pjeagles Zealot (682) May 29, 2005 New Mexico
    Trader

    Common for me, at least. I consider this method a way to wake up the taste buds before drinking an IPA, and the smoked porter is a good way to go- or any beer not along the lines of an IPA. I definitely appreciate the qualities of an IPA more after starting with a completely different beer.
     
    #2 pjeagles, Nov 18, 2012
  3. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Depending on the flavors it can be pretty common. You've probably had a similar but less intense experrience with other flavors when switching back and forth between food and beer (which is part of the idea between pairing food and beer, getting flavor change ups.) It is also not uniquely a beer experience. Odds are you've probably also had analogous experiences with vision and your other senses. Take vision, for example, look at a small patch of bright red against a white background for about 2 minutes. (Say a 1" red square in the middle of a full size piece of printer paper.) Then look at a plain white surface. You probably will be able to see a faint green patch about the same size and shape as the patch of red. Pretty much similar processes at work.
     
    #3 drtth, Nov 18, 2012
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  4. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

    Drink a BMC followed by a craft beer.
     
    #4 UCLABrewN84, Nov 18, 2012
  5. AleWatcher

    AleWatcher Initiate (0) Jan 25, 2009 Illinois

    I have a feeling it was one of those "brush your teeth then drink OJ" kind of things.
    The opposite flavors of the 2 substances caused the 2nd to taste especially pronounced.

    I'm pretty sure the effect would also work in reverse: drink an IPA THEN the smoked porter and be blown away at how smokey and roasty the porter is.
     
    #5 AleWatcher, Nov 19, 2012
  6. ChiPool

    ChiPool Zealot (518) Nov 6, 2011 Illinois

    FFF Alpha Klaus tonight, followed by a Surly Furious...really accentuated the citrus flavors in the Furious.
    I was glad to experience this, as I was worried about "hop fatigue"!
     
    #6 ChiPool, Nov 21, 2012
  7. cosmicevan

    cosmicevan Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2009 New York
    Trader

    In college, I used to love having a Guinness after brushing my teeth.

    To the op, you should explore food pairings. Sometimes complimentary favors can be even more enjoyable than opposing favors. I really like a great IPA with great Italian food and a great stout with a nice cut of meat. There are many really experienced with this on the site that can probably offer very specific recipes and beers, many good bars and restaurants in my area offer multi course beer dinners, you should try to find one locally.
     
    #7 cosmicevan, Nov 21, 2012
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  8. AleWatcher

    AleWatcher Initiate (0) Jan 25, 2009 Illinois

    Try a dry citrusy ipa with spicy Thai food. Dreadnaught is perfect.
    Lagunitas ipa goes great with chili-- that caramel malt compliments the sweetness in the chili while that grapefruit note cuts through the spiciness.
     
    #8 AleWatcher, Nov 21, 2012
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  9. Geometryplease

    Geometryplease Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2012

    Thanks for all the suggestions, guys - really interesting stuff. I had a few friends try the same beer combination I talked about, and they reported a much less striking experience than I had (although they promised to try one more time). It may be unique to my taste buds, or maybe everyone else is so jaded to it that it's unremarkable to them. :slight_smile:

    Anyway, this was an illuminating tasting experience, and it taught me exactly "where" in the process of swallowing a beer to expect fruit tones. I've found I can spot them in more subtle beers than I could previously. I'll keep trying new combinations and maybe I'll be able to pick up something else that's interesting. :slight_smile:
     
    #9 Geometryplease, Nov 24, 2012
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