How did beer get so popular? It isn't even very good.

[vi edit]

how can you drink stouts and not ipas?

I don't really understand why you can't understand that. A stout is just a dark ale using roasted malts and/or barley. They typically are heavier on the grain/malt to give them a heavier body and higher APV. Most stouts are usually lighter on hops and get any underlying "bitterness" from the roasted properties of the grain which is usually balanced out by the sweetness of the additional grain or malt extract.

I don't really understand peoples apprehension towards stouts. In the case of oatmeal stouts they can be some of the smoothest, most mellow beers you can drink. Some people are just freaked out by the color or something. I don't really get it.

IPA's on the other hand can punch you in the face with a flaming pinecone and are really something that are not for everyone.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Same reasons coffee and tea became popular.

All taste like ass but they are cheap with side effects.

Bullshit.

Coffee is magicly delicious. It's so delicious that it's even used as an ingredient in many stouts!

And tea is superb. It's got a deliciously bitter flavor. Try the Dogfish Head Sah'tea. It's really quite magical.

For kids, I agree, they all want the cheap thrill and cheap price. But, for an adult, the cost and side effects are likely much much less important than the taste/flavor.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I don't really understand why you can't understand that. A stout is just a dark ale using roasted malts and/or barley. They typically are heavier on the grain/malt to give them a heavier body and higher APV. Most stouts are usually lighter on hops and get any underlying "bitterness" from the roasted properties of the grain which is usually balanced out by the sweetness of the additional grain or malt extract.

I don't really understand peoples apprehension towards stouts. In the case of oatmeal stouts they can be some of the smoothest, most mellow beers you can drink. Some people are just freaked out by the color or something. I don't really get it.

IPA's on the other hand can punch you in the face with a flaming pine cone and are really something that are not for everyone.

I like to explain the difference between stouts and IPAs is that stouts have a roasty-toasty taste. IPAs taste like flowers and pine cones. Some people like one, but not the other, some like both. There are of course Black IPAs or some exceptionally high IBU imperial stouts, which have both the floral/hoppy taste and the roasty-toasty taste. But, They are completely different flavor profiles.

 

[norseamd]

I don't really understand why you can't understand that. A stout is just a dark ale using roasted malts and/or barley. They typically are heavier on the grain/malt to give them a heavier body and higher APV. Most stouts are usually lighter on hops and get any underlying "bitterness" from the roasted properties of the grain which is usually balanced out by the sweetness of the additional grain or malt extract. I don't really understand peoples apprehension towards stouts. In the case of oatmeal stouts they can be some of the smoothest, most mellow beers you can drink. Some people are just freaked out by the color or something. I don't really get it. IPA's on the other hand can punch you in the face with a flaming pinecone and are really something that are not for everyone.

was more or less talking about imperial stout

 

[VulgarDisplay]

People disliking stouts is usually about consistency and not about flavor. I had it in my head that stouts were like paste when I was an uncultured swine of a binge drinker. I know better now.

I had a chocolate coconut ale from two brothers here in Chicago A week ago that was amazing. Two brothers "the more the merrier" I think. There are some great micro breweries in the Chicago area. Two brothers being my favorite.

 

[KeithTalent]

I had a few of the Nitro Milk Stout last Friday; delicious stuff.

I really love beers of all types, it just depends on my mood and/or the food I am eating, if I happen to be eating at the time.

KT

 

[HumblePie]

I agree with you. I've had many beers which had zero hint of bitterness in them.

KT

Tolerance to the taste doesn't make the taste go away. Especially to those aren't used to the taste and especially if the taste is particularly strong.

Vi-Edit's example of salt in a pasta sauce was on the mark but not in the way he thinks. I put zero salt in pasta sauce, because even a sprinkling in a 10 gallon pot tastes too salty for me. I am not a salt eater. I have even a pinch of salt in something and it overpowers everything else sometimes for me. I can eat it, but I don't like it. I don't usually cook with salt if I can help it. Funny thing is, this isn't the case for foods that are suppose to be salty in taste. I can deal with that strangely enough. Foods that aren't suppose to be "salty" in taste I end up tasting salt when it's added and don't like it. Foods that are suppose to be extremely salty, like chips, brined foods, and such I like because of the overly salty taste.

Beer is much like that. It's made from hops. Hops are bitter regardless of the amount. Some people have a strong aversion to the taste of anything bitter. Bitter is a strong flavor. Some people will be able to taste the bitterness no matter how mute it would be to others.

This is another reason I can't stand cilantro. If even 1 leaf of the shit ends up in my food I can't stand it. Too much and I puke it out because it tastes SO BAD to me. My be allergies, but oh well.

 

[HumblePie]

how can you drink stouts and not ipas?

fine with imperial stouts but they are still hard to drink for me. maybe i will start drinking them and get used to them

Thickness? IPAs just taste overwhelmingly bitter to me regardless of the ones I've tried. I've tried hundreds and found them all less than what I like. Imperial stouts, while bitter, have that thicker, richer, bold flavor of something else that pushes the bitter back somehow to me.

 

[MrPickins]

This is another reason I can't stand cilantro. If even 1 leaf of the shit ends up in my food I can't stand it. Too much and I puke it out because it tastes SO BAD to me. My be allergies, but oh well.

This is likely due to genetics:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html?_r=0

I have the same problem (tastes soapy to me).

 

[norseamd]

Thickness? IPAs just taste overwhelmingly bitter to me regardless of the ones I've tried. I've tried hundreds and found them all less than what I like. Imperial stouts, while bitter, have that thicker, richer, bold flavor of something else that pushes the bitter back somehow to me.

bold is a understatement

 

[dougp]

I don't really understand why you can't understand that. A stout is just a dark ale using roasted malts and/or barley. They typically are heavier on the grain/malt to give them a heavier body and higher APV. Most stouts are usually lighter on hops and get any underlying "bitterness" from the roasted properties of the grain which is usually balanced out by the sweetness of the additional grain or malt extract.

I don't really understand peoples apprehension towards stouts. In the case of oatmeal stouts they can be some of the smoothest, most mellow beers you can drink. Some people are just freaked out by the color or something. I don't really get it.

IPA's on the other hand can punch you in the face with a flaming pinecone and are really something that are not for everyone.

Technically the mouthfeel or "heavier body" comes from mash temperature - has nothing to do with the amount of grain used. Perfect example would be a dry stout, which looms around the 4-5% ABV range.

 

[AMCRambler]

I'm drinking a glass of Brooklyn Brewery's Irish stout and is great.

I used to be like you and not like the taste but when your taste buds mature, you'll discover things can be delicious that aren't just salty or sweet. Love me some bitter, piney, IPA's too.

Wine is the same way. You'll start out liking sweet white wines like riesling or zinfandel and then you'll graduate into the bitter/dry reds like merlot and malbec. It's all good shit! When you can enjoy the flavors as well as the effect, you'll find out.

 

[BoberFett]

I imagine most who prefer non-beer "malt liquor" enjoy beer as well.

I enjoy myself a Mickey's now and then.

Green grenade!

 

[vi edit]

I enjoy myself a Mickey's now and then.

Green grenade!

I'm a sucker for Mickey's on occasion.Bonus for the picture puzzles on the bottom of the caps.

 

[boomhower]

Good beer is delicious.

 

[MrPickins]

I enjoy myself a Mickey's now and then.

Green grenade!

Ugh, too many bad nights in high school drinking that stuff. :|


Not sure I'll ever touch that or Boone's Farm again.

 

[norseamd]

you guys need to try first nation peppermint tea. that is if you can still find it

 

[vi edit]

Beer is much like that. It's made from hops. Hops are bitter regardless of the amount. Some people have a strong aversion to the taste of anything bitter. Bitter is a strong flavor. Some people will be able to taste the bitterness no matter how mute it would be to others.

I just think you have freakish tastes and a flair for drama. Beer isn't "made from hops". It's one small ingredient. If you go by weight, hops account for less than 1% of what beer is. Hell it's even close to that if you count just dry materials that go into it. To liken to my pasta sauce recipe again, it's like saying pasta sauce is made from salt.

And there are many different kinds of hops all with different characteristics. They can be added at different times during the brewing process and obviously in different quantities. Many traditional stouts are very light on hops and any sort of "bitter" that is there is more from the toasted nature of the grains than anything else. Not the hops. The hops are there to balance out the sweetness of the malt in those brews. Not be the primary note you smell/taste.

 

[norseamd]

I just think you have freakish tastes and a flair for drama. Beer isn't "made from hops". It's one small ingredient. If you go by weight, hops account for less than 1% of what beer is. Hell it's even close to that if you count just dry materials that go into it. To liken to my pasta sauce recipe again, it's like saying pasta sauce is made from salt. And there are many different kinds of hops all with different characteristics. They can be added at different times during the brewing process and obviously in different quantities. Many traditional stouts are very light on hops and any sort of "bitter" that is there is more from the toasted nature of the grains than anything else. Not the hops. The hops are there to balance out the sweetness of the malt in those brews. Not be the primary note you smell/taste.

true

but you might still be a ipa heretic

anyways the roast of the malt is what gives those imperial stouts their dark and strong taste

 

[el-Capitan]

Beer is watery, bitter, and bland. Also, the alcohol content isn't very high. Why isn't whiskey more of a social beverage?

Because water turns bad.

In the old days sailors bunkered beer, not fresh water, because it would not spoil on trips to America, India or to wherever else that did not have its own flag.

 

[xSauronx]

i'm 21, i don't get beer - if you want to not be sober then go with liquor - if not, why the hell are you drinking

because its more delicious than water.

i didnt get the food pairings of drinks when i was....your age. im only 30, but i get it now. a friend and i stock up on our favorite red and almost always save it for a good steak. it works. maybe its getting to try it, maybe its taste buds maturing.

but i drink for deliciousness. i can drink a fair amount of booze before i get drunk, and i pace myself. i dont want to get shitfaced and make a fool of myself [well, typically]. but i pay good money for good, delicious booze.

 

[norseamd]

because its more delicious than water.

there is nothing more delisious to any lifeform than water. animal or fungi or plant or even bacteria. especially after being in the desert too long

 

[chimaxi83]

Has this thread gotten a "medium rare" yet, because it needs one.

Came here for this. OP, stick to apple juice and chicken tenders

 

[norseamd]

actually medium rare steaks are bad for you. at least i think based off what i read.

i prefer well done or more or less annihilated

 

[SolMiester]

i'm 21, i don't get beer - if you want to not be sober then go with liquor - if not, why the hell are you drinking

LOL...wow