Beers you've had shot down

This belongs in my thread "Holiday Beer Surprises"...http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/holiday-beer-surprises.51346/#post-666052

Just saying.

 

Funny Thanksgiving:

My Mom drinks beer, and she has a discriminating palate when it comes to some things, like wine and cheese, so I was pretty excited for her to try a line-up I had been working on for weeks.

Night 1: the BCBS did not go over well at all (no surprise, it's too intense), the Frangelic Mountain Brown was deemed "too heavy," and the Founders Harvest Ale was waffled for a while before an ultimate thumbs down.

Night 2: we started with Backwoods Bastard, which made her nose and lips go numb, then we moved on to GL Edmund Fitzgerald, which she liked. Then I (boldly) opened my Bolt Cutter. She loved it. Then she had a Breakfast Stout all to herself, like a champion, and liked that too. It was the drunkest I'd ever seen her.

Night 3: I'm pumped from last night. I pull out a DFH IBA, my bottle of 2009 Samael's, and a couple of Celebrations. I arrive at the hotel and she tells me that she might try one, but no more than that because her stomach still hurts. We split the Samael's (go big or go home); she humors me and tells me that she likes it, but I finish it for her. I proceed to drink the remaining three beers myself.

Night 4: she tells me she won't be drinking craft beer for a while.

I know I gave her some monsters, and she shot down most of them, but it was still a lot of fun sharing it with her.

 

Take him another one this season (on the sly) and swap it out for the nicely-aged one. He'll never know

 

Double Crooked Tree, aged, shared w/my best friend. We'd loved this beer on tap years earlier (in 20oz pints, no less, lookout!) but on this occasion I received a polite "It's not too bad". I was definitely bummed.

Opposite: My mom who was, up to that point, a 'jug'-Merlot and Bud Light kinda gal, absolutely RAVED about the Hopslam I had her try (mostly as a joke) and now is open to at least trying most of the beers (big or not) that my pops and I split when the wife and I are visiting.

 

I gotta follow more on what 5thOhio said above. Isn't this all about reasonable expectations of our family's, friends' and colleague's likes and dislikes? Paraphrasing 5thOhio, you'd likely not offer even the most perfect steak to a vegan, any more than you'd offer peanuts to a person who had a peanut allergy.

Just because something is rare or expensive or desireable to you, doesn't mean everyone is going to like it. (I.e., You love Beluga caviar, save up enough money and buy a few ounces for that special party or event. You offer some of the Beluga caviar to one who has not tasted caviar before......"Shit! Dude! This tastes just like raw fish eggs!!; or, you take your best friend out for that special meal and you pride yourself on your gourmet tastes - you order him/her the best pate on the planet at the price of a small car and get...."Shit! Dude! This tastes just like liver!) Ok. You get the picture.

Same thing happens with most "first offers" of gueuze, lambick, berlinerweisse, gose, etc. etc. Hell, it often happens with the world's great IPAs. ("Shit! Dude! This is too bitter to drink!) (Alright, now I'll really stop.....)

You get the idea. Sometimes we think we're really being generous and can't wait to be appreciated and given all kinds of kudos, only to realize that, indeed, not everyone appreciates or even likes what we may appreciate and like.

Final example and it's one of the best stories I've got. Several years ago (pre children) I was finally able to get my first Mercedes Benz. It was two years old but beautiful and I really thought I was "all that." I couldn't wait to show my parents that their son "had an accoutrement of success." Well, I drove up and proudly walked through the door, grabbed my parents and dragged them out to the driveway to show off. My mother looked at the car and smiled at me. "What? You couldn't afford a Cadillac?" TRUE STORY!

Hint: That's why there's more than vanilla, chocolate and stawberry!!

 

I don't know how you managed to interpret my post in this way as I specifically wrote that I was not discouraging the act of sharing and that I share as often as I get a chance. In fact I share beers with friends and family because I too hope that they share in the experience and enjoy it as much as I do, not in hopes of them hating it so I can somehow feel "cooler" or "more refined", as you put it. That's a pretty absurd idea and contradicts most of what I wrote. Also your reviewing example doesn't really have anything to do with this discussion. You're specifically giving a taste to someone who can give a completely unbiased opinion of the flavors they experience and that's not a bad idea.

To be honest I'm surprised you in particular reacted in this manner because in your post you seemed to understand the situation from the other point of view in saying you'd give a similar reaction to wine. Your statement "For me it was a gradual process from drinking King Cobra 40's to craft beer, so i guess i can't expect others to just wake up one day and enjoy craft as much as i do." pretty much sums up the idea that most of the other posts in here seem to be ignoring.

In short, it's the "Are you kidding? Seriously? You dont want some of _______?" attitude to which I take exception, not the act of sharing which I absolutely encourage. I just think that there should be more thought put into what's shared and with whom if you're ultimate goal is to have their faces light up in excitement for tasting something they really enjoy. If your aim is just to share your favorites regardless of what it is that's fine too, but just have some realistic expectations.

 

Being Thanksgiving I felt the festive desire to share a bottle of BCBVS this past Thanksgiving with a few friends who are normally good beer geeks and opened minded to all types of beer. But they didn't care for it??!! Too heavy...too much alcohol...too much vanilla, and other various comments. But no worries, I scooped it all back and had to "endure" most of the bottle myself Happy T-Day to me!

 

Creetoper, I just read your post again and i have to admit, i might have overreacted, just a lil bit. Lol i apologize and actually agree with what you said. I'm not sure if i was drunk or what at the time, but i completely misinterpreted your post.

Again, i'm sry

 

Sounds like you did a great job of introducing her to craft beer. She sounds like a true convert.

 

Do you really think TNP was a good representation of beer? Did you enjoy TNP?

 

*I* liked it. Also those dame friends expressed a specific interest in this beer. I didn't know what to expect at all, it just hurt to see it going down the drain

 

You could have just asked if you could have their share. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if they were just going to poor it out.

 

Does he like OB Ten Fiddy? Some people REALLY don't like stouts/dark beer no matter what. My mother is another such person, She says it's waste motor oil. (She too likes craft IPAs. I dont think she's ever had Bud Light though)

I took a bunch of friends to the Armsby Abbey and 6 of us shared 2 KBS. I got 2 extra shares. it literally repulsed the one of the guys. It's all good....."more for the good kids" I say!

 

My g/f's dad didn't want the Backwoods Bastard I brought down. He likes to drink beers that aren't necessarily mainstream, but I don't think he wanted to venture too far away from yuengling or stella. It's fine, I brought home 2 bottles that I was going to let him drink, so more for me.

 

Having found no enthusiasm for the beers I brought to Thanksgiving last year, this year I brought some Sam Adams Noble Pils, which I consider basic enough to be accessible while also being one of the few Sam brews I really like. But nope, no one liked that either.

That's fine. People like what they like, and I won't begrudge anyone their lack of enthusiasm for bitter brews if they won't make fun of my own lack of enthusiasm for sweet desserts.

 

Thanksgiving; I brought a parabola, bcs, gumball head, backwoods bastard and a madame rose.. Everyone hated them.. I could not believe it..i didn't think that it was possible to go zero for five with that line-up

 

My sweetheart also makes the "just tasted something nasty face" whenever she accepts a sip of a hoppy brew.

For the most part I keep offering her tastes of hoppy brews because it's adorable when she makes that face.

 

My guilty pleasure is fosters fat cans, so when my friend said he wanted to try all the different beers i drink, i thought fosters would be a nice baby step away from budwieser. Nope... his face puckered up and he described it as "cat piss". Lol oh well, i tried...

 

Hadn't really thought about it, but he does seem to gravitate more to hoppy beers. He hasn't had Ten Fiddy, but he really, really liked Old Chub loves Left Hand's Milk Stout. But given the choice, having gone with him to a bar that serves craft brews, his first choice is almost always something more hop loaded.

 

Last night, I tried to offer a Lagunita's Pils to a Pilsner Urquell-drinking friend of mine. He said "Hell, No. Never!"
I asked "Why?" He said to me, "Lagunita's Sucks!"