Controversial Beer Opinions (Round Two)

The trials and travails of a nail biter...

 

Your nails or hers?

Cheers!

 

Yes.

 

Maybe next time you go to the beach you could bring some snacks instead?

Maybe some poutine.

Cheers!

 

sabro was going to be my pick too - synthetic coconut in a beer - no thanks

 

I’m glad someone agrees. Every time I express my distaste for Sabro someone asks me if I like coconut. I like coconut fine. But, Sabro is to coconut as Tootsie Rolls are to chocolate.

And don’t get me started on Huell Melon! Combine the two in an IPA and I’m converting to hard seltzer!

 

Any other hops that you loathe?

Cheers!

 

I was right with you until this blasphemy. I don't even like melon very much but something about those flavors in a beer really works for me

 

No. Really just Sabro. I’m exaggerating slightly. I had a Mosaic, Citra, Sabro IPA recently that was actually pretty good. First time I’ve enjoyed a beer with Sabro. Huell Melon is ok. I don’t think it tastes like melon at all though.

I’m exaggerating. It isn’t terrible. The two together though? I’d wager it wouldn’t be my favourite. As I mentioned above. I’d don’t get melon from it.

I think my taste buds are pretty idiosyncratic though. I get loads of mint from Moteuka. I love that. Everyone thinks I’m crazy when I tell them that.

 

For my palate I am hit & miss as regards Huell Melon hops. I have on occasion picked up some honeydew melon from beers that feature this hop while on other occasions it has tasted more like a 'general' fruity flavor. On all occasions the aroma/flavor profile was on the subtle side. I have tasted a Pilsner where Huell Melon was used for aroma (end of boil I presume) and I enjoyed drinking that beer. Overall I have not been impressed enough to choose to brew with Huell Melon in my homebrewed beers.

Now, let me tell you a Sabro story. A couple of months ago I decided to homebrew an IPA that was solely hopped using Sabro hops for flavor, aroma (end of boil - hopstand) and dry hopping; my first time brewing with this 'new' hop variety. While this beer was bottle conditioning I was discussing this batch of beer with a commercial brewer. He stated he was not a fan of Sabro hops since the beer's taste like Pina Colada to him. I hate that he 'implanted' this thought into my head. As I took my first bottle out for a 'test run' all that I could think of while drinking this beer was Pina Colada. This batch of beer had a combination of coconut, tropical fruit and citrus flavors well in balance between those and really a tasty beer except for me I could not get that thought of Pina Colada out of my head. I do not despise the drink of Pina Colada but it is not a mixed drink that I would order either. In contrast my wife loved this batch of beer - it was gone before I knew it. My wife likes to say here contribution to the homebrewing process is that she 'cleans' the bottles (i.e., she drains them).

Cheers!

 

Sounds like a coconut melon flavored hard seltzer would be your nightmare.

 

The percentages of ingredients might be very different, but ingredients are only ever a fraction of the story, and beer enthusiasts tend to put too much emphasis on them. Consider how many ways you can cook an egg.

My view of strong ales might be different from most. In my mind, strong IPAs, barley wines, scotch ales, strong modern old ales, and even so-called “strong ales” (when used to mean something unique in the category)- they are all just strong ales with less to distinguish them than what style guides would lead one to believe.

Specifically focusing on the barley wine / IPA dynamic though, brewers have rebranded or branded barley wines as IPAs for marketing purposes... so clearly our style culture is somewhat OK with parallels and overlap.

Neither of the above is to suggest that consumers would be OK with considering ANY (“American”) barley wine a strong IPA and vice versa. Look at Bell’s Two Hearted (which is strong enough in ABV to be in the barley wine range) and their Third Coast Old Ale. Both are “strong ales,” but I don’t think many would consider both to be IPAs or barley wines. Their differences are huge and they embody our ideas of their categories solidly enough. And I’m saying this as much more of a style lumper than splitter.

So going back to Bigfoot, I said, “I don't think it's really like any IPA.” It’s certainly a hoppy beer, but I stand by that comment because I have never encountered an IPA like it. (Or barley wine for that matter, but for me it falls into that camp much more.) If had alongside a strong IPA or Celebration, It would stand out tremendously for me. Could it be considered an IPA? Given the flexibility we’ve given the term - sure... but it’s still doesn’t resemble one currently. Heck, Sierra Nevada might eventually brand it as one in an attempt to help sales. Do I consider it an IPA? Not personally.

 

@AlcahueteJ - I should have said “percentages and amounts.”

 

Kind of funny you say this, because I find Celebration to be unique as well.

But overall I agree, they do taste different to me, despite the results of my blind tasting.

If I recall correctly, I think Bigfoot was one beer I WAS able to pick out at first. I also think the two are much different colors as well.

 

Whenever I rate any beer, i gulp down the entire glass when i get to taste, so no second opinions are formed.

 

I just ran into the "cool can art" issue yesterday. After five minutes of turning cans in their four pack holders trying to figure out what the heck was in the can I just went and grabbed a bottle of Saison DuPont. Around here cans are very popular due to the many lakes, so entire shelves are filled with canned craft beer and almost every one is trying be unique with their can "art" just like everyone else. I'm passing on them all.

 

Boulevard tank 7 is the most overrated say Saison I've ever tried. Come at me.

 

Birthday: Oct 1, 1981 (Age: 38)

 

While I have been a huge fan of the beer and stood by it for many many years as one of my favorites, recently I’ve found it to be overly hoppy, overly floral, bordering on soapy sometimes, and lacking a certain amount of depth that I believe it used to have years back. Somehow I still love it. But you’re not wrong.

 

Well, saying any beer is the most overrated might be hard to defend...

However...

I had Tank 7 for the first time as part of the online saison tasting a while back. My first review was not very favorable. For my second go at the beer, though, I moderated somewhat, but only somewhat, since I took the beer for what it was... as I called it, an India Pale Saison. Here is my summary statement from my review:

"Overall, the Americanization of the saison by Boulevard has created what might fairly be called an India Pale Saison. Maybe that's what the brewer means by "American" saison. If you like the flavor (citrus and pine) and bitterness (resiny) of American IPAs, then you'll enjoy this take on a saison. It is reasonably well done if looked on in that light, although the yeast flavors, being significantly in the background when present at all, are a downgrade for a saison.

Personally, I am not a fan. The iconic flavors and feel that the style "Saison" suggests play second fiddle (or third fiddle) to the American hops."