I have the cilantro gene. The one that makes it taste like "soap," although for me it tastes like chewing on a McDonalds plastic straw. Even the tiniest amount can ruin a dish for me. This is unfortunate, as Mexican and Indian foods are some of my favorites. Another unfortunate consequence of the cilantro gene seems to be sensitivity to hops. Google says it, so it must be true: Hops and cilantro share several volatile aroma compounds, primarily terpenes and aldehydes, which contribute to their shared herbal, citrus, and soapy flavor profiles. Key shared compounds include linalool, geraniol, and various aldehydes that, while common to both, can produce similar pungent, herbaceous, and sometimes soapy notes. Linalool: A major compound in both, offering citrus, floral, and slightly woody notes. Geraniol: Provides floral, rose, and citrus notes, often found in both aromatic hops and coriander/cilantro. Aldehydes: These are primarily responsible for the sharp, green, soapy flavor characteristic of fresh cilantro, but also appear in green/fresh hops. Myrcene: A prominent hop oil that provides a green, resinous aroma and is also found in many herbaceous plants. Caryophyllene & Humulene: These sesquiterpenes contribute to the herbal, woody, and spicy notes found in both hops and various culinary herbs. β-Pinene: A terpenoid that contributes to a fresh, piney, and woody aroma, found in both hop oils and herbs. So it's not my fault I hate IPAs. I was born this way. I will say that it's not just IPAs that don't taste great to me. It's often beer that has "a lot" of hoppiness. I put that in quotes because I can handle Kona Big Wave (and actually like it), and Easy Drinking Beer by Founders. That's about it. Even beers like Aying Bavarian Pils and Rothaus Pils are too hoppy for me. I can drink Sierra Nevada Pils, but the "not hops" flavor components aren't great to me. So I'm wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation. And I'm curious if there are good pilsners (or other beers that have hops as A flavor component, but not THE flavor component) out there that aren't too hoppy.
I can deal with cilantro. Don't love it, but it's not repulsive to me. Parsley on the other hand I find repugnant and, like you said, a tiny amount can ruin an entire dish for me. However, I love IPAs of all kinds and always have: hazy, WCIPA, old school malty Ipas (got a 4pk of FFF Dreadnaught in the fridge and I'm happy as a clam). So idk. YMMV
I would recommend trying maltier or darker beers that get most of the flavor from malts instead of hops. If you want something like a pilsner maybe try some Helles lagers that are a bit less hoppy, or anything that is mainly malt forward with less hop flavor and maybe low IBU in style. Vienna lagers can be a bit toastier sometimes with toffee flavor, obviously anything darker has a bit roasted flavor, etc. I always enjoy amber and red ales, the key is looking for good malty ones that aren't too hoppy. Abita Amber is a pretty good amber lager if that's in your area. Also, not sure how open you are but most Belgian beers have a very different taste than standard American style beers or typical lagers. The Belgian yeast is the main flavor in those beers, and some styles like the stronger ones focus less on hop flavor. It all depends on what style or flavor you are going for, but there are plenty of malt and yeast forward beers that aren't very hoppy. Good luck in your searches!
Firstly, if IPAs don't taste like soap/perfume, it's not the same chemical pathway. That said, it sounds like you just don't like certain hop varietals or certain levels of hop related compounds. If that's the case, you're just going to have to figure out which ones you like and which ones you don't through trial and error. I know this is less than helpful, but it doesn't make it any less true.
The darker beers are what really sealed the deal for my love of beer at first. I quickly started enjoying IPAs from Stone, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, etc shortly after and never had a problem with hops or any cilantro/parsley flavor. It seems like @liteon163 is more of a pale lager drinker, that's why I mentioned Vienna or ambers as a gateway to the maltier and dark side. Everybody has their own flavor preferences, fortunately I tend to enjoy a little of everything.
I don't know about cilantro (it tastes citric to me), but I feel like a lot of IPA's that people describe as "tropical" taste like nothing of the sort. Some definitely do, but I'd say at least 1/3 taste like random ground vegetation. I can never tell if people think those taste tropical or if they're just saying that because of the hops they used.
I also have the cilantro gene, and it's especially noticeable with fresh cilantro. I can stomach it when it's cut up and cooked into a dish or put into a salsa. I've recently gotten heavily into hazy IPAs. You might try some of those? Ones with Citra have really worked out for me, so far. Also, you can try some of the more 'obscure' stuff like kellerbier/kellerpils, zwickl beers, schankbier, rauchbier, et cetera. If all else fails, stick with Hefeweizen!
Don't let my "low" number of beers I've rated/posted here fool you; I've tried many different beers. I've tried a few Helles and find them to be too light so I've given up on that particular style. I've tried Vienna lagers, Abita Amber (probably my favorite Abita), and many varieties of Belgian beers (most of the spectrum). I've found many great beers of these styles. I forgot about Czech Dark Lager. Most of the ones I've tried have been quite good. I fully intend to keep trying many different styles. But sometimes I like a little hops to balance out the malty character. A great ESB does this for me but they are very difficult to find, at least in MKE. I'm on a quest to find a well-balanced "yellow" beer that has good malt and just enough hops to keep the beer clean. Anyone here also on Untappd, I have the same username there as here. Thanks for the help so far, guys!
Yeah, I have a feeling that traditional British pub ales are going to be what you're looking for, but they are few and far between. Bitter, Best Bitter, and Pale Ale is what I'd concentrate on. How's Boddington's do for you? Old Speckled Hen? Fuller's London Pride/ESB?
As discussed above, it sure does sound like British style beers such as Bitter Ales would be in your wheelhouse. I enjoyed my last bottle of homebrewed Bitter Ale last evening, an enticing combination of malty (biscuit-like) flavors from the floor malted Maris Otter Pale Malt, some hop flavors from the East Kent Goldings hops and also some yeast produced flavors (esters/fruity flavors). I will be homebrewing another batch of this beer in about a month. @bambiere recommended some imports in his above post. I will strongly recommend that you check dates prior to purchasing those beers. If MKE is anything like my area (Philly area) those beers are likely to be quite old/stale. Cheers to Bitter Ales!
I gave Boddington's Pub Ale a 2.75 in 2022 Old Speckled Hen: 3.5 same sitting as above Fuller's ESB: 3.2 back in August, although I noted it was "backwards" to me being malty first and then hoppy. Never had London Pride. Sullivan's Maltings Irish Red Ale: 4.1 I noted "A very complex beer with a bit of cream, a bit of hops, a bit of malt, and a touch of smoke. It all goes together with near perfect balance." I tried it at the Yard House in San Antonio, TX; I don't think it's available here in MKE. I'll have to keep looking. And maybe I'll try the other Sullivan's brews. I don't really need it to be "yellow" beer if it's complex and well-balanced. I just don't want it heavy on hops unless it ends up being something else in the end (like an ESB). My favorite ESB so far has been a pilot project beer brewed by Stevens Point Brewery named "Royal." Untappd calls it an English Pale Ale. Maybe that's a style worth trying?
I have not seen anyone with an across the board issue with hops, but I'm fairly convinced there is a genetic component with at least some hops as I've had people that just taste pure green onion or other nastiness off of otherwise pretty rounded hops flavor wise. I'm completely sure there's a genetic component to some yeast strains as I've had at least one brewery where I could spot their beers by the nasty ick of their house yeast and I've heard same type stories elsewhere. Palate affects things too, but almost for sure genetics have an effect on what kinds of flavors you notice most strongly.
Do you happen to know how old those beers were when you drank them? English Ales like those you discussed will not be tasty if old. Cheers! P.S. To put a finer point on this discussion, I refuse to purchase English imports like those discussed by you at my local beer retailer(s).
If by "genetic component" you mean "there's a massive variation in what people can smell and taste", then, yeah, there's a genetic component.
I did not pay much attention to their dates, although the Maltings was on tap and tasted fresh. I say that because I could pick out subtle components, like the smoke that was barely there yet clearly intentional. Now that I've been here, I do pay more attention to dates.
