I know the author’s being a little tongue in cheek, but you could say this about anything that is an acquired taste: “stop pretending to like coffee.” “Stop pretending to like tea.”
I personally think it’s amazing they can make beer that tastes like a juice blend with alcohol using only hops; and yes, it tastes delicious.
Agreed. Some people like it, some people don't. Maybe a more general suggestion is "If you don't like something, stop pretending you do." There are a ton of social reasons why one might keep up appearances, though, so that's probably not a useful suggestion either.
Agreed. It’s easy to see how the psychoactive effect of alcohol (or coffee) can build a positive association with any bitter or poison taste over time. The brain is very easy to trick. Bundle an endorphin release with any other stimulation repeatedly, and you will grow to love that sensation, as sure as Pavlov’s Dog drools at a bell.
The latest trends in Oregon have gone to breweries that aren't inherently IPA specialists. It's a niché but there's plenty of action but rough financially since Commons recently had to scale back. Right though there's more than a few: Cascade, De Garde, Upright, Ale Apothecary, Wolves and People, Logdans, Occidental, Yachats, Alesong, Viking Braggot, Monkless to name a few.
There's also a few breweries really upping their barrel aged game and pushing more less-common styles like Crux, Pfriem and Fort George. Honestly, it's better than it's ever been to be an non-IPA drinker. I'm a stouts / sours and Belgians guy and what's happening here is great.
Even San Diego, the one city that embraces IPAs more than Portland or Bend has a few like Lost Abbey that aren't IPA specialists.
We're starting to see a new wave of beer and it's becoming wonderfully diverse. The craft beer scene in Oregon tends to be a bit more forward but its spreading and with breweries like Brewery Vivant in Michigan or Black Project in Colorado, or older ones like Trinity in Colorado.
“niche” doesn’t have an accent aigu on the e, that would make its e pronounced, roughly equivalent to what you’d transcribe as “nisheh” in English. The e is silent.
BA beers have definitely gotten more popular down here in San Diego. Not just bourbon, but rum, and even gin! (Saw it at amplified brewing)
Btw, logsdon is awesome. Probably the best saison I’ve ever had. He was the cofounder of wyeast (one of the two big yeast manufacturers), so he definitely knows his yeast. (I think he is also married to a Belgian, so he knows his Belgian beer)
My favorite Seattle brewery of the last several years is the Machine House. They make flavorful English style ales at low enough ABV that I can drink more than two of them without hating myself.
I will say that I used to genuinely love IPAs, but I think that the author is right that they used to be more balanced. Also, I've started to have something of an adverse reaction to very hoppy beers, namely a dull ache centered around my brainstem. This is after an otherwise small amount of alchohol (more alcohol with low / no hops doesn't produce the same effect).
EDIT: More delightful than any of the local beers, is the advent of Westland Distillery, whose peated single malt is delicious.
I have a taste for darker ales. I have a choice of two, out of at least 30 beers total, at one venue I frequent, in San Diego. The others there are either the usual advertisers like Stella, or IPAs.
I feel like sours are the new IPAs. Most bars around me carry as many sours as IPAs. Being somewhat of a hophead, this annoyed me initially. But dammit, now I'm starting to like sours. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The same thing happens with coffee, where people will indicate on surveys that they like black coffee, but most people prefer something with milk and creme.
That said, the smaller breweries have to make a product that's somehow different. It's not surprising they're trying that route. Orchestras have been trying to one-up each other by making their music a bit sharper to get a "distinctive sound" for hundreds of years.
I have been dry for almost 8 years but have memories of how delicious Dogfish Head 120 minute and stone ipa were. I can't remember what other beer tastes like anymore but the ipa memory lives on
It is easy to like IPAs, the hoppiness is bold and unambiguous. You know what you're getting so to speak. But I usually don't like it - it kills and overpowers all the other tastes. I like wheat ales, I find that in general they have a more variety of flavors. I also like stouts.
I’ve become convinced that American craft beer culture is converging onto a sort of carbonated tea. A typical IPA tastes more like cold maté than it does “proper” beer.
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[ 5.1 ms ] story [ 58.6 ms ] threadI personally think it’s amazing they can make beer that tastes like a juice blend with alcohol using only hops; and yes, it tastes delicious.
The only blocker is closed mindedness.
There's also a few breweries really upping their barrel aged game and pushing more less-common styles like Crux, Pfriem and Fort George. Honestly, it's better than it's ever been to be an non-IPA drinker. I'm a stouts / sours and Belgians guy and what's happening here is great.
Even San Diego, the one city that embraces IPAs more than Portland or Bend has a few like Lost Abbey that aren't IPA specialists.
We're starting to see a new wave of beer and it's becoming wonderfully diverse. The craft beer scene in Oregon tends to be a bit more forward but its spreading and with breweries like Brewery Vivant in Michigan or Black Project in Colorado, or older ones like Trinity in Colorado.
Btw, logsdon is awesome. Probably the best saison I’ve ever had. He was the cofounder of wyeast (one of the two big yeast manufacturers), so he definitely knows his yeast. (I think he is also married to a Belgian, so he knows his Belgian beer)
I will say that I used to genuinely love IPAs, but I think that the author is right that they used to be more balanced. Also, I've started to have something of an adverse reaction to very hoppy beers, namely a dull ache centered around my brainstem. This is after an otherwise small amount of alchohol (more alcohol with low / no hops doesn't produce the same effect).
EDIT: More delightful than any of the local beers, is the advent of Westland Distillery, whose peated single malt is delicious.
The tyranny is the problem.
I have a taste for darker ales. I have a choice of two, out of at least 30 beers total, at one venue I frequent, in San Diego. The others there are either the usual advertisers like Stella, or IPAs.
I never really liked beer, until I discovered hoppy ales. Thanks to the trend, I can now find decent beer almost everywhere.
I recently tried some sort of dry-hopped lemonade - no beer at all, and I found it to be very nice.
That said, the smaller breweries have to make a product that's somehow different. It's not surprising they're trying that route. Orchestras have been trying to one-up each other by making their music a bit sharper to get a "distinctive sound" for hundreds of years.