Against hoppy beer

[Jake the Mess]

I certainly agree with author of this article, too much hops for somebody, who is not used to them, just tastes bitter and nothing else. He/she doesn't get all the aromas experienced drinkers do. And that's not very pleasant. When i first tried SN Pale ale it seemed way to bitter for me. Now, it is one of my favourite session beers. It just takes time and a couple of drinking/tasting sessions with your friends (or alone, there is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking alone ) to develop your taste and find your preferences.

Here is my list of beers i try to recommend to someone who is intrested in trying craft:

Fullers London Pride (pure, enyoyable classic)
Fullers Discovery (one of my favourite summer brews)
Fullers Honey Dew (i don't like it, but most newcomers love it)

Sam Adams Boston Lager
Brooklyn Lager (one of my first entries into craft, still think it is amazing)

Saison Dupont (balanced beer, suitable for every occasion)
St Bernardus Wit (belgian wit, not for everybody, but if you are into wits - this is the best)

Some lighter hefes like Schneider weisse - meine blonde weisse, Paulaner Naturtrub, even Erdinger maybe (again not my favourite, but newbies like it pretty much).

 

[shavious]

I love a good beer period. Make it good. I will like it.

This guy has it right!

 

[Haggises]

Had a Yards Extra Special Ale last night.
Started off hoppy, but was going down well by the end of the bottle!

 

[Mark_M]

Around the Twin Cities there is an explosion of craft breweries. Most of them go to extremes, specially with hops. Me personally I don't like hoppy beer. The hops makes my taste buds cringe. That's just me. I like a really good Czech style Pilsner for example or a Red Ale or a plain old Pale Ale that's not too hoppy. It's rare for me to find a local brewery making a really good Pilsner. Not the American style, which I never drink. I am starting to get into the Belgium style ales too, and they are way different to me, but satisfying.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Around the Twin Cities there is an explosion of craft breweries. Most of them go to extremes, specially with hops. Me personally I don't like hoppy beer. The hops makes my taste buds cringe. That's just me. I like a really good Czech style Pilsner for example or a Red Ale or a plain old Pale Ale that's not too hoppy. It's rare for me to find a local brewery making a really good Pilsner. Not the American style, which I never drink. I am starting to get into the Belgium style ales too, and they are way different to me, but satisfying.

What about Surly Hell? I know its a Munich Helles Lager but I found it most impressive for a lager. (Surly was probably one of those craft breweries that make you cringe, isn't it? )

 

[brewer]

being a hobbybrewer myself i would say that there is always a fine line between good and too much. Some of the american hops (amarillo, citra,tomahawk,...) can easily overpower a beer as to both aroma and taste. I can appreciate a nice hoppy beer like a houblon chouffe or most apa types specially on a warm day. A few years back i even made a duvel tripel hop clone with quite some succes but there are examples that overdo it on the hops. Any beer with an ibu (biterness units) of over 50 usually leaves room for little other tastes than hop and that's a shame. There are 3 main elements in beer and the trick is to let each come through in the end product

 

[luvmysuper]

I like a hoppy beer, it has a place. I don't like the fact that it's getting harder and harder to find craft beers that aren't overdone with hops.
I was at a microbrewery a few months ago and the house beer was so god awful hoppy that it was completely undrinkable.
I actually had a vision in my head of a convention of brewers all sitting around and laughing as they suggest even more ridiculous amounts of hops and saying things like "This stuff curdles stomach acid, I'll put it out and those boneheads will choke it down and rave about it's bitter nuances just to be cool".
Much like the guest feasts I attended in China where plate after plate of gross "delicacies" were trotted out to see just how far the wai guo ren would go before he puked.
I've stopped drinking IPA's because they have gotten so bad that they just spoil your ability to taste anything until feeling returns to your taste buds.

I'm hopeful the pendulum will swing from the extreme to the middle ground again where hops are a part of the brew that are savored for it's unique flavors as opposed to blasting your senses with a bitterness that makes Don Rickles seem like Lamb Chops.

 

[Mark_M]

Hey John, I'll have to try that one for sure. Yes, Surly is indeed one of those hoppy beers that I avoided and didn't explore the whole line. Don't know if you've been following them, but they (Surly) went to court and got some medieval laws overturned here in Minny that did not allow small breweries to sell their beer direct. As a result, there are tons of new micro breweries here to sample from, and they all have tap rooms.

 

[Haggises]

Last night I had a large bottle each of Sam Smith's Imperial Stout and IPA. Both wonderful in their own way.
The IPA had no in-your-face hoppiness at all.

 

[IPA_Brewer]

New to this site and someone pointed me to this thread. There is an almost identical thread on a homebrewing forum that I am a part of. I am happy that there is a hop explosion - I love them. Heck, I actually make and drink hop tea. Love the stuff. I am not against any other types of brews, I just love me some hops - a lot of them. The whole reason I got into homebrewing was because of hops. I continually found myself sampling different beers and thinking "I wonder what this would be like if we amped up the hop profile a bit"? So, I started brewing and experimenting.

I think that it is funny that a common theme comes in to all of these hop-hating threads, which is the idea that throwing too many hops into a bill is a way to hide imperfections or poor brewing technique. "Creating a balanced beer is the true sign of good brewing". Statements like that make me smile. If it makes me an inferior brewer just because I prefer a drink that has some heavy bitterness, delightful floral aroma, and awesome citrus flavor, so be it. I like them and that is all that matters. I also brew some "balanced" beers that I like quite a bit, but I prefer beers that are hop-heavy. Not just bitterness, but loads of aroma and flavor as well. So I will continue to enjoy and brew hop-heavy beers - but now I will do it with fresh straight razor cuts on my face.

 

[galopede]

I was surprised even more by the UK top ten list - at least half of them stouts.
That reminds me, got a Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout on the shelf.....

Well, I've been drinking proper beer here in the UK for about 45 years and can only assume that it is list compiled by Americans of their favourite available Brit beers over there!

I very seldom see anyone ordering a stout unless it's during my local Cheltenham Gold Cup horse racing festival when half of Ireland crosses the Irish Sea to us!

In fact, many of those beers are Scottish and I haven't seen most of them in pubs or beer shops!

I had a look through the UK beers section on that Beer Advocate and I'd say that most of the beers I get in the pubs round here aren't even on the lists.

Gareth

 

[Jake the Mess]

New to this site and someone pointed me to this thread. There is an almost identical thread on a homebrewing forum that I am a part of. I am happy that there is a hop explosion - I love them. Heck, I actually make and drink hop tea. Love the stuff. I am not against any other types of brews, I just love me some hops - a lot of them. The whole reason I got into homebrewing was because of hops. I continually found myself sampling different beers and thinking "I wonder what this would be like if we amped up the hop profile a bit"? So, I started brewing and experimenting.

I think that it is funny that a common theme comes in to all of these hop-hating threads, which is the idea that throwing too many hops into a bill is a way to hide imperfections or poor brewing technique. "Creating a balanced beer is the true sign of good brewing". Statements like that make me smile. If it makes me an inferior brewer just because I prefer a drink that has some heavy bitterness, delightful floral aroma, and awesome citrus flavor, so be it. I like them and that is all that matters. I also brew some "balanced" beers that I like quite a bit, but I prefer beers that are hop-heavy. Not just bitterness, but loads of aroma and flavor as well. So I will continue to enjoy and brew hop-heavy beers - but now I will do it with fresh straight razor cuts on my face.

Yeah, some beers are meant to be hop-heavy. IPas are all about hops and are meant to be super hoppy. On other side there are barley wines, bocks, traditional stouts, that are all about malt. And I don't see anybody complaining about it. There is a beer out there for just about everyone, and with that kind of range that we have right now, I really don't see a reason to complain about too hoppy beers. You don't like it? Don't buy it then. Main problem that author of article is talking about (at least from my perspective) is introducing new drinkers to beers that are overdone in one way. That just puts them off, since their taste is not developed yet. Not a lot of people will like imperial IPAs and belgian style sours when they first try it. Start with easy drinking golden ales or nice bitters and in couple of sessions they will find their own preferences, and when they do, you start to direct them to extreme versions of what they like.

 

[Seattle]

Too much hops in beer? Thats like saying "having too much sex in bed."

 

[RockyNomad]

Well said, I think.

In all seriousness, I am hopped out myself. Still like them, but wow are they often overdone. Then there's sour beer...what's that about? I guess peeps are always searching for a new flavor.

How is this for a new flavor? It only comes in a two pack.

 

[IPA_Brewer]

Yeah, some beers are meant to be hop-heavy. IPas are all about hops and are meant to be super hoppy. On other side there are barley wines, bocks, traditional stouts, that are all about malt. And I don't see anybody complaining about it. There is a beer out there for just about everyone, and with that kind of range that we have right now, I really don't see a reason to complain about too hoppy beers. You don't like it? Don't buy it then. Main problem that author of article is talking about (at least from my perspective) is introducing new drinkers to beers that are overdone in one way. That just puts them off, since their taste is not developed yet. Not a lot of people will like imperial IPAs and belgian style sours when they first try it. Start with easy drinking golden ales or nice bitters and in couple of sessions they will find their own preferences, and when they do, you start to direct them to extreme versions of what they like.

I see your point about the introduction to newer drinkers. I also agree with/understand the sentiment of: why complain about it?