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Changing tastes...

Discuss beer or anything else that comes to mind in here.

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BeerIsGood
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Changing tastes...

Post by BeerIsGood »

One thing I enjoy about this hobby of ours is that it's a constantly evolving process. Several years ago I didn't enjoy and stayed away from styles such as Saison and Flanders Ales. However, in the last year or so I've retried Fantome Saison, Duchesse De Bourgogne, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Goudenband, and several others and enjoyed them immensely. I have bought a few Saisons since returning to Canada. Conversely, Hefeweizens, which used to appeal to me greatly, are now largely of passing interest.

What significant changes of heart have others experienced regarding style?

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MatttthewGeorge
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Post by MatttthewGeorge »

Never thought I'd drink Pilsner's again, yet they've been a stable in my house the last year. Dark/brown ales and black IPAs definitely aren't one my radar anymore. Even porters and stouts, unless they're Imperial (read: full-bodied) and/or barrel aged.
Last edited by MatttthewGeorge on Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BeerIsGood
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Post by BeerIsGood »

I can totally relate regarding the Porters/Stouts. Unless it's Imperial or so full bodied I can float a horseshoe in it, I tend to stay away.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Many beer styles have ebbed ad flowed for me. The only constant is my willingness to try something I reckon I may not think is that great, and it surprises me still. It's not about styles for me so much as it is individual beers, or really excellent brewings or presentations of a style. Paulaner Salvator on draught, unpasteurized in Köln, as great as the best Belgian ale.

The really perfect experiences are what do it for me, not even the style categories which themselves have proven only mildly meaningful. There is so much stylistic latitude in a given style and freedom of the brewer. I would say rather than changing wholesale, my 'tastes' are growing and I seek greatness in any example of beer rather than a style. Consider a Farmhouse Saison that is also Sour that is also Smoked or aged on fruit or Cognac barrel - at some point you capitulate with your rigid expectations.

In Beerum Veritas

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Tapsucker
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Post by Tapsucker »

Great topic! I've thought about this a bit in the last while too.

Here are some random inputs.

I still love my IPA's and hoppy beers, but have largely gravitated to brighter and dryer styles. I definitely prefer a great aroma (late hop) over a bitter, which I used to prefer and before that preferred a maltier beer.

Over the last several years I have grown a great appreciation for well executed 'continental' lagers in the Pilsner/Helles/Marzan families. Some of this might be that as a home brewer I decided to try my hand at these styles, The research involved in tasting the best of them that I could find, combined with the extra and attentive work in (admittedly half-assed) mastering them, was a great revelation and I'm happier for it. I will qualify this by saying that I'm talking about the best executions of these styles, ones that are lively and not industrial grade. IMHO, there is a lot more craft in brewing, fermenting and lagering a great beer in this category than in what we have come to call 'craft beers' based on a grain and hops bill and maybe some crazy fruit/vegetable mess tossed into a pot.

Again, possibly clouded by being a home brewer, I still can't get my mouth around sour spoiled beers. I put too much effort into not letting my brew house get contaminated. Beside, the stuff tastes like shit to me. For the record, I do keep revisiting and trying, but still no sale.

Also, on the 'not come around to it list', are krieks (can't stand marzepan or cough syrup) and much of the barrel aged stuff. I've had a few pleasant barrel aged beers and don't disagree with the concept, but a majority I have tried are just heavy handed. They kind of remind me of the early craft scene in the US where it was an arms race to make the biggest beer possible and all we got were booze bombs and malt liquor. Too many of the barrels I've had are all about the barrel and not the beer.

Stouts and porters are still in my happy space, but I generally like the more modest Irish stout and porter styles, Baltic porters and imperial stouts. Again the big mess stuff is lost on me (ahem, coffee infused). I will say, however, I don't find myself having these as often as I used to, but I still do like them.

I think I'm going to spend some time seeking out (and maybe brewing again) some milds. I have been distracted from this nice solid and enjoyable style. Back to the roots as they say...
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Craig
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Post by Craig »

I found when I was getting in to beer my tastes changed a lot. I went from trying everything, to being really in to Belgian stuff, to hoppy stuff, to stouts and barley wines and finally shifted to saisons and sours. That was over the course of maybe 5-6 years. Now I find I'm much more static, in that I still enjoy all the previously listed things, but I do tend to favour sours when I can get them and my everyday drinker is usually an IPA. These days I find that I'm starting to get a little more appreciation for good beers with less intense flavours like Hefes and milds, but they're not really posing a threat to supplant my dominant preferences.

Another thing I've noticed is I'm much less enthralled by experimental styles than I used to be. I'm not sure if that says something about me and my tastes becoming less adventurous, or if the experimental stuff just isn't as appealing any more. Back in the day a raspberry sour was pretty novel, but these days it's much more exotic. At FoBAB last year the big trend seemed to be adding nuts, which didn't do it for me at all. I'm also not much of a fan of the session or milkshake IPAs that have become so popular. They're fine, but just not things that really excite me.

Masterplan
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Post by Masterplan »

I've found that I like well made beer regardless of the style, timing of year plays the biggest factor in my choice. However my only falling out is with pumpkin/yam/spice beers. I used to enjoy the Halloween release, but now I'm glad that the Christmas release comes out nearly the same time.

I also used to drink Belgian Tripels/quads more regularly, now I tend to pass them by for 'lighter' fair.

BeerIsGood
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Post by BeerIsGood »

I'm responding to my own thread, but one more thought occurred to me. While in Canada, Kostritzer was the only Schwarzbier I'd tried and I was like...well...ok...fine. In Asia, I retried Kostritzer on numerous occasions. I also tried about fifteen others and developed a real appreciation for the style. I treated them like I do stouts, basically room temperature. It really worked for me.

seangm
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Post by seangm »

As touched on here already, I find that I appreciate lighter, less "exciting" styles more than ever now. Pilsners, helles lagers, bitters, English brown ales especially. In my earlier days it was the more extreme the better, but now I find myself getting the most enjoyment out of pure expressions of the style and beers that have little to no flavour additions. Drinking fresh helles at various bars in Munich has been one of my fondest beer memories of late.

Ok, Cantillon right at the brewery is probably the most memorable beer experience of my life, but that goes against the simple style narrative lol...

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