Do you go more for "flavored" beers?

I find that I've actually leaned mostly toward "unflavored" or "normal" beers. It's really amazing how the basic malt, yeast, and hops can create the illusion of so many different flavors without any of the ingredients that those flavors remind you of actually being involved.

That said, I've got nothing against "extra" ingredients on top of the standard beer formula, and have tried and liked several beers with other things added into them beyond water/malt/yeast/hops. I'd like to actually taste them if they're going to be there, though... it's odd when flavored beers only have a teeny tiny little bit of whatever extra flavoring was added to them. I mean, it shouldn't completely overpower the rest of the beer or anything, but if you're going to put a spotlight on your added ingredients (like, if it's more obviously stated than just one little fine-print "ale brewed with ____" note on the bottle) they should stand out!

 

Dangerous Man's Peanut Butter Porter is sublime. I could drink it until my ears fell off.

And their Chocolate Milk Stout is maybe sublimer.

 

I completely agree! Don't get me wrong, I'll try almost anything, and coffee stouts I'm especially partial to, but I do honestly prefer beer that keep its ingredients fairly simple. I prefer beer that alludes to other tastes with actually having them, if that makes sense. For example, I love that Sculpin tastes like tropical fruit juice without containing any actual tropical fruit. That's the beauty of the beer.

 

I used to find it hard to pass up an odd-ball ingredient beer. More often than not, they're average to terrible. Many are used purely as a gimmick. That being said, I will not trash an ingredient just because it is novel. Who knows what the next adjunct all-star will be?

 

I like to mix it up. For a while I realized I was increasingly favoring super puckering sours and uber intense stouts. Some good threads on BA made me realize I should take some time to appreciate more subtle styles, such as pilsners, doppelbocks, etc. I'm really glad I did.

 

As long as i like the ingredients on their own I like to try them in beer.

 

I prefer straight beer. Added flavors are ok in small amounts but should never overpower the base beer.

 

I will try them but I stick to the main stream most of the time. Like rapsberry and rosemary does not sound strange. I finally just bought a bottle of flying dogs Dead Rise a beer flavored with old bay seasoning.

 

You just caught my attention...I am an Old Bay fan boy and use it in soups, salads, sandwiches and of course seafood. Bigs sunflower seeds use it as a dusting flavor...great seeds!

Now I have something new to look for, thanks!

 

It depends a lot....I myself, despite being german, hate the rhg because it is full of idiosincracies and basically only a marketing tool.
I personally LOVE "traditional" offerings which go aiganst it- Kriek, Gose, Gruit,witbier,spiced belgian ales like La Chouffe.
With the downright "weird" stuff which just combines stuff for the sake of being different, it is more hit and miss and I can live without it.

 

Nope. The same reason I don't prefer flavored coffee like hazelnut and french vanilla.

It's not beer.

Just like the bean has all the flavor it needs inside it, so do the basic ingredients that go into a beer. A skilled roaster and a skilled brewer will bring those flavors to life in the beverage.

 

I think that's an over-broad way of looking at it. Spices have a long history of being used in beer, and can certainly be used skillfully to accentuate any other qualities coming from the other ingredients (especially by many well-respected Belgian brewers). As with anything else, it all comes down to how they are used with me.

And how necessary they are, as well- coffee and cocoa nibs usually come across as being too 'obvious' to me, and not as well-incorporated into the overall profile. Even the best ones I will tend to see as an occasional treat- kind of like a flavored coffee, actually, and not something I can make a habit of drinking.

 

Agreed!

Nothing can beat a good old Coca Cola...but...every once in a while a Cherry or Vanilla Coke will hit the spot perfectly!

In it's simplest terms...it doesn't have to be "beer" to taste good.

 

Amen! Preach it, brother! Halleluah!

 

I like them, but I definitely drink a lot more "normal" beers. Give me a chocolate peanut butter stout any day though.

 

Does food not become food anymore or the food it was if you flavor, season, or spice it...? I think I drink plenty of both. Really enjoy coffee in porters/stouts. I enjoy fruit in ipas, fruit beers, other lighter offerings. Often enough just a good, well made beer in any style without any additives is great.

 

I really enjoyed Utah Sage Saison - Epic Brewing Company, I never thought I'd care for a beer with a cooking spice in it (other than pumpkin ales), but I loved this one

 

I don't usually go for "flavoured" beers but I do find myself reaching for a lot of fruit beers lately. In the last week I've had blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and apple flavoured beers (naturally flavoured, of course), all of which were excellent. I suppose I was a bit of a purist in terms of beer but I can happily say that I'm beginning to stretch my borders.