I'm turning into Beer-lord!

FedoraDave · Post by **FedoraDave** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 5:54 pm

I used to say that I liked balanced beers. Not too malty, not too hoppy. Little by little, though, I gained an appreciation for a well-hopped IPA, and beers that I would tentatively sip a couple of years ago are now beers that I actively seek out.

Last Sunday I brewed a batch of my King Pin IPA, and I made significant changes in the hops bill, beefing up both the bitterness addition and the dry hop addition. I really want that Centennial to kick it big time right from the start. I'd love to be able to draw pint after pint of it from the keezer and feel that punch of hops hit me in the nose and then the tongue.

I guess next I'll have to move to the Big Easy....

Kealia · Post by **Kealia** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 6:45 pm

I think it happens to a lot of us. I was the exact same way a number of years ago. I think that hops (for some of us) grow on you and over time our tastes do change. Much like alcohol tolerance I think we build up a resistance, for lack of a better word, to/for hops.

Some beers that I used to think were too bitter of hoppy, now I find aren't bitter/hoppy enough. Go figure.

I still love a good balanced Pale Ale and am picky about which DIPAs I like, but I've definitely felt "the shift".

Post by **Beer-lord** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 6:50 pm

I am extremely flattered that someone would lower them selves to my level. Major props to you Dave.
I'm constantly trying new things and 2016 will be very good...,,hop wise.
Despite the movies, we have running water and toilets so anyone who wants to visit NOLA, let me know.
We'll pass a good time, cher.

The_Professor · Post by **The_Professor** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:21 pm

FedoraDave wrote:I'm turning into Beer-lord!

I'm imagining a butterfly bursting out of it's cocoon.......then ordering an IPA.....

mashani · Post by **mashani** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:39 pm

I think it's great. But hopefully you don't lose your taste for other stuff.

Luckily I obtained a taste for very hoppy IPAs without losing my taste for standard "old world" beers.

The thing that makes me sad is when someone starts to think anything but the hoppiest IPA on the planet is "boring". I don't see that as much different then some BMC drinker thinking anything that isn't BMC is too extreme, except backwards. I like all sorts of beer, and I wouldn't want to give any of it up.

Now give me one of your IPAs.

LOL.

FedoraDave · Post by **FedoraDave** » Sat Jan 09, 2016 4:51 am

mashani wrote:I think it's great. But hopefully you don't lose your taste for other stuff.

Luckily I obtained a taste for very hoppy IPAs without losing my taste for standard "old world" beers.

The thing that makes me sad is when someone starts to think anything but the hoppiest IPA on the planet is "boring". I don't see that as much different then some BMC drinker thinking anything that isn't BMC is too extreme, except backwards. I like all sorts of beer, and I wouldn't want to give any of it up.

Now give me one of your IPAs.

LOL.

No, losing my taste for the other stuff isn't going to happen. I'm currently enjoying to the extreme my keg of South Ferry Steam Beer, and savoring the balance of the Northern Brewer hops against the rich notes of the malt bill. And I've got other recipes I'm not going to tinker with, because I appreciate their flavors for what they are, and they deliver what I intended.

Your comment on the people who think anything but the hoppiest IPA is "boring" reminds me of my theory about certain craft beer drinkers, and how many of them (it seems to me) think craft beer means a highly hopped beer, and they go on and on about how they love the really bitter beers. They don't seem to know or understand the scope within the world of beer, and how satisfying a Kölsch or an amber lager can be, and rather than tasting the beer, they're just seeing how much bitterness they can stand; somewhat akin to a Hot Wing Eating Contest.

Rebel_B · Post by **Rebel_B** » Sat Jan 09, 2016 9:22 am

Kealia wrote:I think it happens to a lot of us.

Perfect description! It's not just bitterness, but the aromas & flavors gained from late hopping that I appreciate.

Post by **Beer-lord** » Sat Jan 09, 2016 9:55 am

Rebel sums up my feelings and likes exactly. I do like some bitter beers but if those aren't balanced, they're not my kind of beer.

ScrewyBrewer · Post by **ScrewyBrewer** » Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:09 am

I like all beers, from DIPAs to Wee Heavies, and every style in between. Beers that are ready to drink right away and beers that take months to condition. And this does cause some intense decision making on my part when planning what to brew next. Happy is the brewer that enjoys each individual style of beer for its own unique qualities. Because that brewer will most likely never run out of beer styles to enjoy.

Gymrat · Post by **Gymrat** » Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:24 pm

ScrewyBrewer wrote:I like all beers, from DIPAs to Wee Heavies, and every style in between. Beers that are ready to drink right away and beers that take months to condition. And this does cause some intense decision making on my part when planning what to brew next. Happy is the brewer that enjoys each individual style of beer for its own unique qualities. Because that brewer will most likely never run out of beer styles to enjoy.

^^THIS^^

Since taking up brewing my beer pallet has expanded exponentially. Mostly because I always wanted to brew styles I didn't necessarily like but I had friends that did. After a while it became a challenge to expand my brewing abilities to cover any style. In doing so I have developed a taste for styles I previously didn't like.

FedoraDave · Post by **FedoraDave** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 6:25 am

Vince sums up my approach very well. Because of my weekend work schedule, and the distance I have to travel to my LHBS, I like to plan well in advance what my brew schedule is going to be; I'm talking months in advance. So I plan for seasonals (in a couple of weeks, I'm brewing a pilsner, because I want it to be well-lagered and on-tap for the summer), and I also check to see that I've got a good balance across the spectrum of styles. Alongside my King Pin IPA, for example, I will probably have 2Daves Irish Red on tap, and bottles of Fedorus Magnus Kölsch, Groomsman's Pride IPA, and Tennessee Cream Ale. I've always liked having a lot of variety in the pipeline, and the fun in homebrewing, for me, is exploring new styles, and creating my own recipes.

Still, as far as my original post, if I'm going to make a hoppy beer, I want it to be a hoppy beer! When I first formulated the recipe for King Pin IPA, it was hoppy enough for me, but now, if I'm going to make it my "signature IPA", I want it to be good and aggressive, and I know my tastes have changed for the bitter.

::ducks and runs to avoid rotten tomatoes::