Hard to go back?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by SummitSeries72, Jun 7, 2013.

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  1. SummitSeries72

    SummitSeries72 Zealot (540) Mar 17, 2011 New Jersey

    I just had my first Imperial Russian Stout (Stone, no less). Now I am drinking one of my erstwhile favorite Oatmeal Stouts and I find it - to my great surprise - wanting. Is this a common experience. I loved my first Imperial Stout. Am I going to find it difficult now to enjoy regular stouts? I guess the question could probably be expanded as follows: If you love DIPAs, is it hard to enjoys IPAs?
     
    #1 SummitSeries72, Jun 7, 2013
  2. RhyminBelmont

    RhyminBelmont Initiate (0) May 14, 2013 Illinois

    No.
     
    #2 RhyminBelmont, Jun 7, 2013
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  3. Frankinstiener

    Frankinstiener Initiate (0) Jul 28, 2009 Illinois

    This is what they call a Russian Threshold Shift, the lupulin threshold shift equivalent for stouts.
     
    #3 Frankinstiener, Jun 7, 2013
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  4. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    Imperial Stouts are very different from Stouts. No point in comparing the two. All they have in common is 5 letters, s,t,o,u,t,.
     
    #4 dennis3951, Jun 7, 2013
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  5. ipas-for-life

    ipas-for-life Savant (1,041) Feb 28, 2012 Virginia

    Yes to stouts. No to ipa's
     
    #5 ipas-for-life, Jun 7, 2013
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  6. highdesertdrinker

    highdesertdrinker Pooh-Bah (2,706) Nov 5, 2012 Arizona
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Parabola ruined me for life and yup I know; first world problems!
     
    #6 highdesertdrinker, Jun 7, 2013
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  7. SummitSeries72

    SummitSeries72 Zealot (540) Mar 17, 2011 New Jersey

    Maybe. But I can tell you that I found the Imperial Russian Stout that I just had to be more viscous and flavor-intensive than any regular stout that I have ever had. For me, it makes me want to get imperial stouts from here on in. Perhaps the following analogy would be helpful. Since I experienced craft beer, I would not want to go back to the BMC (Bud Miller Coors) macro brews. My question in this thread is intended to determine if other beer enthusiasts have experienced this same phenomenon. Once you've experienced an imperial stout (or DIPA), is it hard to go back to regular stouts (or IPAs)?
     
    #7 SummitSeries72, Jun 7, 2013
  8. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I don't think the analogy to IPAs and DIPAs is appropriate, so to that question, no.
    Do I find it hard to go back to lesser beers after I've had a better version of the same or similar style? You bet.
    But generally, there's no reason to do that so it's not an issue. Onward and upward!
     
    #8 Orca, Jun 7, 2013
  9. RichD

    RichD Pooh-Bah (2,318) Mar 18, 2012 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I actually love Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout for what it is.And that's after drinking some Imperials. The main issue is comparing Oatmeal Stouts to Imperial Stouts. It's like comparing APAs, IPAs and DIPAs/IIPAs. They may share a name, but they're completely different brews.
     
    #9 RichD, Jun 7, 2013
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  10. BobaFret

    BobaFret Initiate (0) Apr 8, 2013 Pennsylvania

    In my opinion, imperial stouts are a more intense version of a stout. Sometimes I want this extra flavor profile, other times not especially since the ABV is generally higher. I like that stouts and IPA's span a wide spectrum.
     
    #10 BobaFret, Jun 7, 2013
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  11. SummitSeries72

    SummitSeries72 Zealot (540) Mar 17, 2011 New Jersey

    Yes, I know, you are essentially correct. (I like Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout too.) But I just had the experience of drinking a favorite oatmeal stout after an imperial Russian stout and thought that my favorite oatmeal stout was suddenly very plain. Put it this way: the intensity of the Imperial Russian Stout made my favorite oatmeal stout pale in comparison.

    Oh, and by the way, as much as I love Jagr, go Pens!
     
    #11 SummitSeries72, Jun 7, 2013
  12. SummitSeries72

    SummitSeries72 Zealot (540) Mar 17, 2011 New Jersey

    Good point. But it's hard to get away from that which you just admitted: imperial stouts have a more intense and rich flavor profile.
     
    #12 SummitSeries72, Jun 7, 2013
  13. RichD

    RichD Pooh-Bah (2,318) Mar 18, 2012 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Well, if you drank both back to back then that's the problem. If you switch the order then you will definitely enjoy both more. My brother was drinking a Young's double chocolate stout and I made him try a sip of my KBS and he couldn't enjoy his Young's afterwards. I once had a Sierra Nevada Hoptimum and followed it with a Samuel Adams Summer ale and the Summer ale had no taste at all. It's all about order of operations.
     
    #13 RichD, Jun 7, 2013
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  14. SummitSeries72

    SummitSeries72 Zealot (540) Mar 17, 2011 New Jersey

    Excellent point. You are absolutely correct. Order is everything. At a barbecue that I was invited to over Memorial Day, one of the beers my host had was Brooklyn Brewery's 55 Pennant Ale. It is probably not a beer that I would typically buy, since there are numerous other beers that are much more distinctive. But when not faced with any comparisons, I really enjoyed the Pennant Ale. It was a really nice drinking ale.
     
    #14 SummitSeries72, Jun 7, 2013
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  15. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    Are you from Summit NJ?
     
    #15 dennis3951, Jun 8, 2013
  16. loafinaround

    loafinaround Initiate (0) Jul 16, 2011 New York

    Will admit that Samuel smith's oatmeal seems a bit tame after some heavy hitters... then again, I'm often not in the mood for something viscous.

    so it depends upon your mood. sometimes bcbs, sometimes ten fidy, sometimes big john.

    ditto for other styles
     
    #16 loafinaround, Jun 8, 2013
  17. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,811) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I can't speak for contrasting the stouts, but I can say that DIPAs did not ruin IPAs for me, and IPAs did not ruin pale ales for me. I prefer a DIPA to an IPA, but that's more because of the flavor profile; from my first of each, I had that impression. Further, they're different enough that just because I want an IPA, I don't automatically want a DIPA.

    I HOPE Stone's Espresso RIS hasn't ruined all other stouts for me, but I'll let you know this weekend. :wink:
     
    #17 Roguer, Jun 8, 2013
  18. JuicesFlowing

    JuicesFlowing Initiate (0) Jul 5, 2009 Kansas

    No. I enjoy each style for what it is.
     
    #18 JuicesFlowing, Jun 8, 2013
  19. Beer-A-Lot

    Beer-A-Lot Pooh-Bah (2,031) Oct 4, 2012 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah

    I'll never get tired of a Sammy Smith's Oatmeal or Young's Double Chocolate. Imperials and Russian Imperials just add to the love. While I may prefer the Imperials now, I'll never forget my first Taddy. Love them all.
     
    #19 Beer-A-Lot, Jun 8, 2013
  20. Stevedore

    Stevedore Grand Pooh-Bah (5,096) Nov 16, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Once you go black, you don't go back.
     
    #20 Stevedore, Jun 8, 2013
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