Keeping your taste palate in check.

Ten Fidy fits the bill too. Those are the only two non-BA stouts that still evoke an audible WOW from me every time. World Wide Stout too, but that's in a league of it's own.

 

I can trade you some Voodoo Big Black Voodoo Daddy thats a stout that is just as good as anthing thats barrel aged. The Modern times Stout is pretty good and in CA

 

i suggest never drinking anything unless it's barrel aged. honestly, your taste buds are more ruined than a hardcore **** star. no regular beer will ever love you again.

 

Non-BA stouts shine in different ways. I agree that a bog-standard RIS doesn't typically hold a candle to a BA version. But a particularly hoppy RIS will give you a totally different drinking experience, and a highly hopped BA stout doesn't work. As for aging, you'll do yourself a favor and not age BA stouts. Drink those puppies when the barrel is still pretty fresh, or you're wasting beer. Good agers like Expedition are nice to keep around for this reason.

In other words, a non-BA RIS isn't a step down, but rather, a different experience. Drink what you like, and if aged or fresh hoppy stouts don't really make it for you, then move along and stick to the BA stuff.

 

Well, I think we can possibly cut a little slack on this one... The OP did say "downgrade the palate"...so it seems a perceived calibration thing to me? I can see where it implies that a "lesser" beer is a "downgrade", though...maybe just a poor choice of words? It's more dialing back the expectations, I think. Sure..if you are drinking BA RIS all the time, then an outstanding "normal" stout might seem a weak sister in comparison. My thought is how do you avoid making that comparison and go by individual merit?

Whether it is bad-ass BA impy stouts/regular stouts or IPA's/DIPA, they represent different categories. One is not "lesser" than the other, just different. More than a palate reset, I think the mindset also needs to be adjusted to accept the differences in what each beer "is" or is intended to be stand-alone - not in comparison to something else. Each on its own merit. Completely agree with those posting that these are stylistic differences, not differences in the "worthiness" of a beer. I can relate this a little to my IPA journey - couldn't stand them until I did try one of the extremes. By going way over the top, I could then go back and appreciate the more typical examples of the style.

I feel as though the big beers (in general) are a treat - I don't drink them frequently, so they stand out as an "experience". Can't really afford to drink them all the time. Plus, as much as I like some of them after a while it would just get to be "too much". They don't fit every consumption occasion either - not gonna suck down a Backwoods Bastard or a BA Framinghammer after sweating my butt off doing yahdwork... Since I reverse the situation, my perspective differs. I'll drink my Leaning Chimney or Berskhire Coffee Porter as regulars. Then when I do hit one an Espresso Oak Aged Yeti (random example) it is like "this is freakin' awesome", but I have no problem going back. I know it was something special and can treat it as such. Maintaining variety this way works for me - I don't become accustomed to anything in particular. Probably not a great explanation, but that's my opinion and how I feel about it...YMMV

 

I will say on Draft it is a whole other experience just the right amount of bourbon to the coffee and chocolate and the bottle is more subdued on them with more bourbon odd imo but still enjoyed it. Smoothest BBA Stout I've drank.

 

To me, it was very much as it says on the label - bourbon coffee stout. It was hot and a little boozy, but that rarely bothers me, and didn't in this case. It just didn't a have a ton of depth to me. The mouthfeel was lacking, I found the coffee close to overpowering, and the hype was undetectable.

The longer I'm around, the less effort I'm willing to put in to getting the hard to get. And with KBS, once again, I just do not get the hype. Sure it's a good beer, but even if it was $2.50/bottle the first was probably the last time I'll buy it. I'd rather drink BCBS or Heresy. And don't mistake my disappointment for lack of skepticism. I had no expectations that it would be like drinking unicorn tears. But KBS and Lagunitas Sucks are probably two of the most talked about beers on this site and I don't get why. And it's not because I don't like big, bold flavors either. Two of my favorite beers are Heady Topper and Backwoods Bastard (and they're certainly hyped, too).

I guess I'm just rambling to say don't believe the hype about any beer. And again, don't only drink big beers.

 

I will try it on tap one day and see if it changes my mind.

 

crackers and cheese and water, work for me.

 

These are also another reason I feel it isn't worth the hype.

 

I think you'd like "Amerika" better based on all of your anti-american comments.

To the OP, some styles do dwarf other styles in intensity but when I revisit them after a while, I appreciate them for their subtleties.

 

There's nothing more classically American than sarcastically making fun of America. Take pride in your toothlessly irreverent heritage!

I did find that once I got used to higher ABV beers, lower ABV beers felt more like drinking a soda than drinking an alcoholic beverage. A good soda, though. In order to readjust so you feel the alcohol you'd probably have to take a few weeks off from drinking.

 

I don't know what that means. I didn't realize I had a fan though. Want an autographed picture?