Adventurous or not?

[sheffield hatter]

I was taken to task by Mobyduck/Citra recently on Alan Winfield's blog, The Neverending Pub Crawl.

In response to my encouragement for Al's plan to go to Brighton with his missus, Mick wrote this:

Citra17 April 2018 at 10:51
Yes I agree with Will (about Brighton, not his lack of adventure in beer flavour), If you get the chance Alan there's an almost endless amount of pubs there for you to enjoy.

I don't want to make out that I was upset about this off the cuff remark (sob!), and obviously I didn't want to hijack Al's blog by replying there, so I've started this thread here to maybe kick off a conversation about adventurousness in our appreciation of beers. (I know he was only pulling my leg, but I thought it would make for a good discussion, so here we are.)

I read recently on another blog - Wee Beefy was responding to the supposition that all Double IPAs taste the same - "Remember when almost all beer except lager was brown?". Earlier in the same piece, he had mentioned that back in the early 90s, all beer tasted like Wards, Stones, Tetley or Marstons. Now not only were not all of those beers brown, but as far as I can recall, they all tasted different, too. I would imagine that the same is true of DIPAs, too. To be fair, Wee Beefy then goes on to extol the choice and range of different beer styles available today, but in comparing that with what it was like 25 or 30 years ago, I think he is maybe guilty of a little bit of exaggeration.

What he overlooks is that the sort of extremely hoppy beers that he describes are a fairly niche feature of the overall beer market. Maybe more to the point is that nowadays certain beers have become ubiquitous: Sharps Doom Bar, obviously, but also St Austell Tribute, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Marstons Pedigree, (formerly Wells) Bombardier and (formerly Thwaites) Wainwright, to name a few. I know some people swear by Bass (when it is well kept), just as I do Black Sheep (with the same proviso). I reject the idea that this means I am unadventurous, however.

What I do say is that, while I am always willing to try a new beer or a new beer style, there are some that I have tried and don't like. Beers with citra, centennial, cascade and mosaic hops, for example; milk stouts too. And after a few experiments I like to come back to a beer that I know and love.

[Aqualung]

"Remember when almost all beer except lager was brown?".

Not really, there was always Young's Ordinary, Boddingtons, Taylor's Golden Best, Batham's Best and Hook Norton Bitter to name five off the top of my head. It's nearly 40 years now since Exmoor Gold kicked off the revolt against BBBs which really took off with the advent of Hop Back.

I know some people swear by Bass (when it is well kept), just as I do Black Sheep (with the same proviso).

I swear when I see Bass as the only or a prominently showing choice in a pub. How can people be so blind to the fact that it was ruined in the 1980s, let alone the fact that today it's just another Marston beer probably employing the dodgy system that allows it to be served straight after delivery.
Give me Black Sheep every time over the majority of Marston products.

What I do say is that, while I am always willing to try a new beer or a new beer style, there are some that I have tried and don't like. Beers with citra, centennial, cascade and mosaic hops.

Some of the best hops going there. You're definitely unadventurous!

[sheffield hatter]

Some of the best hops going there. You're definitely unadventurous!

"Best" = hops that you like.

[Quinno]

"Best" = hops that you like.

all sounds a bit revitalization to me....

[rpadam]

What I do say is that, while I am always willing to try a new beer or a new beer style, there are some that I have tried and don't like. Beers with citra, centennial, cascade and mosaic hops, for example; milk stouts too. And after a few experiments I like to come back to a beer that I know and love.

Make mine a Harvey's!

[london calling]

If you try new beers and styles you are adventurous. 90% of the beers I try are new to me but when asked I always say if you like Doombar or Bass stick to it .Why change.

[Mobyduck]

I was taken to task by Mobyduck/Citra recently on Alan Winfield's blog, The Neverending Pub Crawl.

In response to my encouragement for Al's plan to go to Brighton with his missus, Mick wrote this:

Citra17 April 2018 at 10:51
Yes I agree with Will (about Brighton, not his lack of adventure in beer flavour), If you get the chance Alan there's an almost endless amount of pubs there for you to enjoy.

I don't want to make out that I was upset about this off the cuff remark (sob!), and obviously I didn't want to hijack Al's blog by replying there, so I've started this thread here to maybe kick off a conversation about adventurousness in our appreciation of beers. (I know he was only pulling my leg, but I thought it would make for a good discussion, so here we are.)

I read recently on another blog - Wee Beefy was responding to the supposition that all Double IPAs taste the same - "Remember when almost all beer except lager was brown?". Earlier in the same piece, he had mentioned that back in the early 90s, all beer tasted like Wards, Stones, Tetley or Marstons. Now not only were not all of those beers brown, but as far as I can recall, they all tasted different, too. I would imagine that the same is true of DIPAs, too. To be fair, Wee Beefy then goes on to extol the choice and range of different beer styles available today, but in comparing that with what it was like 25 or 30 years ago, I think he is maybe guilty of a little bit of exaggeration.

What he overlooks is that the sort of extremely hoppy beers that he describes are a fairly niche feature of the overall beer market. Maybe more to the point is that nowadays certain beers have become ubiquitous: Sharps Doom Bar, obviously, but also St Austell Tribute, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Marstons Pedigree, (formerly Wells) Bombardier and (formerly Thwaites) Wainwright, to name a few. I know some people swear by Bass (when it is well kept), just as I do Black Sheep (with the same proviso). I reject the idea that this means I am unadventurous, however.

What I do say is that, while I am always willing to try a new beer or a new beer style, there are some that I have tried and don't like. Beers with citra, centennial, cascade and mosaic hops, for example; milk stouts too. And after a few experiments I like to come back to a beer that I know and love.

Ha, I knew that'd get you going,of course I was (am ) pulling you're leg, but I am in Aqualungs camp regarding hops. I also understand everyone has different tastes and I can appreciate a well conditioned beer whatever it's nature, I recently had a pint of Flowerpots Bitter (southern stuff) brownish but sublime, I liked it enough to have two or three, I prefer hoppier stuff but know a good beer when I taste one whatever its ilk.I object in main to the mainstream bland, but there is good in all styles. I just wish Will would sort his tastebuds out.
At the end of the day you like what you like, and fair play.

[london calling]

Have to say the best beers I have ever had probably contained some of those great hops you mentioned.

[Aqualung]

Ha, I knew that'd get you going,of course I was (am ) pulling you're leg, but I am in Aqualungs camp regarding hops. I also understand everyone has different tastes and I can appreciate a well conditioned beer whatever it's nature, I recently had a pint of Flowerpots Bitter (southern stuff) brownish but sublime, I liked it enough to have two or three, I prefer hoppier stuff but know a good beer when I taste one whatever its ilk.I object in main to the mainstream bland, but there is good in all styles. I just wish Will would sort his tastebuds out.
At the end of the day you like what you like, and fair play.

That sums it up really. I still like Holden's and Batham's a lot despite them being old school. It helps the fact that they are all under £3.00 a pint in their tied houses which makes the price differential with JDW more like 50p rather than the £1.50+ in London.
I know numerous people who can't get on with New World hops and the pale beers but there's no point in ranting at them. When I used to regularly go to the King's Ford in Chingford there was a bloke who tried all the real ales but we hardly ever agreed on what was good. When we did agree it was an excuse for wild celebrations!

[rpadam]

I know numerous people who can't get on with New World hops and the pale beers but there's no point in ranting at them.

Quite...