Does beer taste less bitter the more you drink it?

[tremendoustie]

It's weird, for me I hated beer at first, but force em down and all sudden it clicked, now I love beer

Yeah, I think taste buds age too. It's not just that you get used to it, or grow to like it, I think broccoli, coffee, beer, etc, actually taste different to young people -- stronger, and more bitter.

 

[NoHero]

Yeah, I think taste buds age too. It's not just that you get used to it, or grow to like it, I think broccoli, coffee, beer, etc, actually taste different to young people -- stronger, and more bitter.

Actually, I saw on Nova Science Now with Neil DeGrasse Tyson that broccoli, and some other greens and foods have a bitter taste to those with the gene receptors. So these foods are bitter based on your genetic inclinations. Beer may be the same way. Broccoli has no bitter taste whatsoever to me, but people who taste this have a gene that makes it that way.

 

[Uriel999]

Try these beers:

Heinekan, Stella Artous, Yuengling, Michelob Porter, Blue Moon (blue moon with an orange garnish is very smooth and delicious), Killians Irish Red, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat or Blueberry, Purple Haze, ummm there are a lot of different beers out there that are no bitter. It does take time to find what you like though. Eventually you will like the taste of beer with exceptions: High Life, Natty Light, Budlight, Miller Light, Michelob Light, pretty much anything "light" will suck. Those brands are just what you drink when your broke and want to get a buzz with friends.

 

[dannno]

Fat Tire is made by the New Belgium Brewing Company. They also make Sunshine Wheat Beer which I highly recommend. Much better than fat tire, has an orangey flavor to it...

In the store I go to, New Belgium Brewing Co. also has 1554, Hoptober, Skinny Dip, Mothership Wit and 2' Below.. the brewery makes quite a few more. All are great beers, highly recommended (and organic!)

To the OP, I recommend a Guiness as somebody else suggested. You won't be able to have much more than 1 or 2, they are pretty heavy.

Try a Heffeweisen (wheet beer), they should serve it to you with a lemon slice. That's an easy drinker as well.

Also, like others have mentioned, after you have 3 or 4 beers, drinking will become much easier and the taste won't really matter. At that point you can move onto the cheap stuff.


MY FAVORITE kind of beer are IPAs (India Pale Ale). They can be a bit bitter, but they also have glorious amounts of wonderful hops flavor.. and some are not bitter at all.. Good hops taste like heaven, so some day you should try and work yourself up to drinking some good IPAs.

 

[dannno]

Try these beers:

Heinekan, Stella Artous, Yuengling, Michelob Porter, Blue Moon (blue moon with an orange garnish is very smooth and delicious), Killians Irish Red, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat or Blueberry, Purple Haze, ummm there are a lot of different beers out there that are no bitter. It does take time to find what you like though. Eventually you will like the taste of beer with exceptions: High Life, Natty Light, Budlight, Miller Light, Michelob Light, pretty much anything "light" will suck. Those brands are just what you drink when your broke and want to get a buzz with friends.

Ok, Heinekan I don't drink because it tastes of nothing but bitterness to me.. no good flavor.. but a lot of people love Heinekan so never know..

Stella is a good light beer that is easy to find at most bars that have any sort of import selection at all. It's french, but even the Brits will drink it, so you know it has to be pretty good.

Sierra Nevada is a good refreshing beer.

Try drinking a nice cold beer when you are thirsty some time.. That might help a bit. Just remember to drink a lot of water afterwards, otherwise you will get dehydrated. If you drink more than a couple beers, always drink plenty of water, you will get dehydrated.

 

[LittleLightShining]

In the store I go to, New Belgium Brewing Co. also has 1554, Hoptober, Skinny Dip, Mothership Wit and 2' Below.. the brewery makes quite a few more. All are great beers, highly recommended (and organic!)

To the OP, I recommend a Guiness as somebody else suggested. You won't be able to have much more than 1 or 2, they are pretty heavy.

Try a Heffeweisen (wheet beer), they should serve it to you with a lemon slice. That's an easy drinker as well.

Also, like others have mentioned, after you have 3 or 4 beers, drinking will become much easier and the taste won't really matter. At that point you can move onto the cheap stuff.


MY FAVORITE kind of beer are IPAs (India Pale Ale). They can be a bit bitter, but they also have glorious amounts of wonderful hops flavor.. and some are not bitter at all.. Good hops taste like heaven, so some day you should try and work yourself up to drinking some good IPAs.

We have similar taste. I still don't get the whole "Guinness is heavy" thing, though. I can easily drink more than a few (when I'm in the mood to drink) and not feel particularly heavy or dehydrated. One personal note on Guinness-- I refuse to drink it out of bottles. It has to be on tap or from a can into a glass.

 

[kaleidoscope eyes]

Ok, Heinekan I don't drink because it tastes of nothing but bitterness to me.. no good flavor.. but a lot of people love Heinekan so never know..

Stella is a good light beer that is easy to find at most bars that have any sort of import selection at all. It's french, but even the Brits will drink it, so you know it has to be pretty good.

Sierra Nevada is a good refreshing beer.

Ah was just about to mention Sierra Nevada... good stuff, that.

Man this thread makes me want to go down to this little store that carries all sorts of delicious unusual domestic and imported beers and go get me one of their pick and mix your own 6 packs. I want some Warka!

 

[dannno]

We have similar taste. I still don't get the whole "Guinness is heavy" thing, though. I can easily drink more than a few (when I'm in the mood to drink) and not feel particularly heavy or dehydrated. One personal note on Guinness-- I refuse to drink it out of bottles. It has to be on tap or from a can into a glass.

Ya I agree the "heavy" thing could be completely psychological.

Guiness bottles have a wicket in them and you're supposed to poor it into a glass, the wicket helps create the perfect amount of head. You're also supposed to let a Guiness sit for a specific amount of time (around 75 seconds I think?) after poured.

 

[LittleLightShining]

Ya I agree the "heavy" thing could be completely psychological.

Guiness bottles have a wicket in them and you're supposed to poor it into a glass, the wicket helps create the perfect amount of head. You're also supposed to let a Guiness sit for a specific amount of time (around 75 seconds I think?) after poured.

I know all about the little cartridge. It's still not the same. The bottles definitely don't have the same effect as the cans do when it comes to head. I only very rarely drink beer straight from a bottle. It's uncivilized.

 

[dannno]

I know all about the little cartridge. It's still not the same. The bottles definitely don't have the same effect as the cans do when it comes to head. I only very rarely drink beer straight from a bottle. It's uncivilized.

Oh, I mis-read, I thought you meant you wouldn't drink guiness straight out of the bottle, not that it couldn't come from a bottle.

I drink a lot of beers out of bottles, but I also have a nice beer glass so I pour them sometimes too.. if it's Guiness or Boddingtons it has to be poured of course.. speaking of which, OP should probably try Boddingtons as well (make sure to pour into a beer glass, attempt a ~ 3/4" head and wait 75 seconds):

It's creamy like Guiness, but in a light beer.

Guiness and Boddington are not carbonated, the bubbles are actually nitrogen. That's why it has a smooth creamy head, but tastes more flat.

 

[amonasro]

Ok, Heinekan I don't drink because it tastes of nothing but bitterness to me.. no good flavor.. but a lot of people love Heinekan so never know..

Stella is a good light beer that is easy to find at most bars that have any sort of import selection at all. It's french, but even the Brits will drink it, so you know it has to be pretty good.

Sierra Nevada is a good refreshing beer.

Try drinking a nice cold beer when you are thirsty some time.. That might help a bit. Just remember to drink a lot of water afterwards, otherwise you will get dehydrated. If you drink more than a couple beers, always drink plenty of water, you will get dehydrated.

I hate US Heineken because it is partially skunked by the time it gets here from those stupid green bottles. Beer bottles are historically brown to keep out the light wavelength that makes beer skunk in the first place. Stupid marketing. Rolling Rock has the same problem.

Stella is fabulous, especially from a fresh keg. It's about as close as you can get to experiencing what beer tastes like in Germany.

Sierra Nevada makes a great beer, and is always an excellent value. I like their Torpedo extra IPA and their seasonal Christmas beer, can't remember the name.

I usually stick with microbrews. Bells, Dogfish Head, Bear Republic... there's so many to try and unfortunately we only have one liver

 

[Cowlesy]

It's always fun to try craft brews but as far as ones in most stores and bars I'd give a Heineken Light, or Stella Artois a shot.

YouTube - Blue Velvet Pabst Blue Ribbon

 

[Cowlesy]

Oh, I mis-read, I thought you meant you wouldn't drink guiness straight out of the bottle, not that it couldn't come from a bottle.

I drink a lot of beers out of bottles, but I also have a nice beer glass so I pour them sometimes too.. if it's Guiness or Boddingtons it has to be poured of course.. speaking of which, OP should probably try Boddingtons as well (make sure to pour into a beer glass, attempt a ~ 3/4" head and wait 75 seconds):

It's creamy like Guiness, but in a light beer.

Guiness and Boddington are not carbonated, the bubbles are actually nitrogen. That's why it has a smooth creamy head, but tastes more flat.

Boddington is delicious.

It depends on what you are drinking for.

Having a nice dinner? Drink a Boddington.

Going to a sporting event all day? You need cheap, lite beer. I've yet to see anyone pound a case of Boddington at a NASCAR race.

Note: Pabst Blue Ribbon Lite, is my new favorite cheap beer. I didn't even know they had a Lite version!

 

[Ninja Homer]

Congrats on the birthday and first beer! Yes, beer will taste overly bitter at first, unless you are used to bitter foods or drinks. Taste buds that detect the bitter taste are on the back of the tongue, and because you probably haven't used them much, they're telling your brain that it's really bitter. Once those taste buds get used to it, the bitterness will tame down, and you'll probably start to enjoy some other bitter things as well, such as a good cup of straight black coffee.

The bitter taste buds on the back of your tongue are also the reason that beer tasters swallow the beer rather than spitting like wine tasters do. The bitterness is an essential part of the overall flavor, so that needs to be judged too.

If the bitterness is too much for you at first, you might want to try sucking on a lemon drop or something. It will coat your throat and kind of clear away the bitter flavor.

A lot of the recommendations here are pretty good, but I disagree with Heineken. Heineken is really bitter... it's like they took a crappy American macro-brew and just added extra hops to it to try to cover up the crappy flavor. I gotta give them credit for their ad campaigns though. If only they put as much money into making a good beer.

Your best bet for finding some beer you like is micro-brews. Hops (which is a flower) is what gives the bitterness, but there are many variety of hops. A lot of brewers use hops that's compressed into little dried pellets. The pellets are good for storage, shipping, and measuring out for large quantities of beer. They give the same amount of bitterness, but they lose a lot of the hops natural sweet flavor and aroma. Fresh hops tastes better, and you'll know it when you have one. Micro-brews are more likely to use fresh hops.

Usually, the darker the beer, the more sweet it is, and the less bitter it is. An exception to that is imperial stout or extra stout. Try a porter, cream stout, chocolate stout, oatmeal stout, or brown ale. The flavored beers are also usually less bitter, like a cherry or strawberry. Wheat beers are also a good choice, especially with a slice of lemon in it.

One of my favorite beers when I first started drinking beer was Gosser Dark, which is a Belgian ale. It's really dark and sweet, it's not too thick or heavy, and it hardly has any bitterness to it at all. It's best from a keg, but you should be able to find a 6-pack at a decent liquor store. New Belgium Brewing Co's "1554" is pretty similar, but a little heavier.

 

[tremendoustie]

As far as mainstream goes, I like Sam Adams. Torino is super cheap, and pretty darn good. It's like corona except a little less of a corn taste and more of a wheat taste.

 

[Ninja Homer]

Boddington is delicious.

It depends on what you are drinking for.

Having a nice dinner? Drink a Boddington.

Going to a sporting event all day? You need cheap, lite beer. I've yet to see anyone pound a case of Boddington at a NASCAR race.

Note: Pabst Blue Ribbon Lite, is my new favorite cheap beer. I didn't even know they had a Lite version!

PBR is pretty good as far as big name beers go. I can drink it as long as I start out with something a little better (like a Boddington) first. Where I'm at, the marathon session beer of choice is Grain Belt Premium (aka just plain "Premium", "Premo", or "Brain Melt").

The stuff's been around for a while.

 

[Cowlesy]

PBR is pretty good as far as big name beers go. I can drink it as long as I start out with something a little better (like a Boddington) first. Where I'm at, the marathon session beer of choice is Grain Belt Premium (aka just plain "Premium", "Premo", or "Brain Melt").

The stuff's been around for a while.

I had many Grain Belts when I was out hunting in the midwest this year!

 

[dannno]

Dogfish Head

I've only had their 90 minute IPA, but it's one of the best!

 

[malkusm]

I'll chip in here -

I've tried over 300 beers and I'm just now getting into home brewing. There is such a huge variety in beer that you shouldn't be quick to condemn all brew as foul tasting. There are a lot of types of beer that I used to hate (IPAs, for example). My advice would be to jump all around on the spectrum. Try a lambic or a wheat beer if you thought the Winter Lager was overpowering or bitter. Try a Guinness or some other type of cream stout.

You might not like any beer, but it's impossible to say after trying just one type.

 

[JeNNiF00F00]

Try avoiding the big name brands and finding some local brew.

I can't remember the company name (Fat Tire maybe?), but I had some when I lived in Fort Collins that was made with honey and espresso.

fucking righteous beer that was

I love New Belgium beer. My favorite is the 1554. Its a dark beer and is good with garlicy food.