I’ve read that our sense of taste changes over time. So is this really a chicken/egg debate? Is it the repetition of a flavor that causes your body to adapt and thus begin enjoying the flavor. Or is it the natural adaptation of your sense of taste that changes to encompass a flavor you didn’t like previously?

I offer two examples from my own experience: coffee and gin.

I did not like coffee for years and really didn’t start drinking it until I was in my mid-20s. When I did start drinking it, I loaded it up with cream and sugar. Over time, I began cutting back on the sugar until I didn’t use it, then cream until I didn’t use it. Now, I only drink my coffee black, and adding cream and sugar is mildly repulsive. It seems that I caused the adaptation in my sense of taste.

Then there’s gin. I was repulsed by gin for years and only tried it a couple times. Didn’t like it at all. Too piney. Then at a Christmas party a few years ago, I decided to make myself a gin and tonic because, well, it was free. Suddenly, I loved gin and it became my favorite liquor. There was no long adaptation over time. It was like a switch was flipped.

So what’s the answer? Perhaps both occur. Sounds to me like a good blog post topic for one of my upcoming weeks…

It’s a strange concept to imagine. After drinking Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic a couple of years ago I was certain there was no more vile tasting liquid and it was a cruel prank played on the world by a disgruntled Sam Adams employee. I was shocked to find other people tolerated this “beer” and even enjoyed this Satan in a glass.

So, the question is, do I need to just drink more lambics to acquire the proper taste? If so, is that nothing more than culinary Stockholm Syndrome? Are there forms of food, music, drink, design, and politics that are simply bad or are valid and good if the consumer has the proper taste?

I kinda hate to imagine a world where things like
* Cranberry lambics
* Communism or
* The mid-90’s New York Knicks basketball style
are consider good or valid.

At the same time I hate to imagine a world where
* Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
* Capitalism or
* The mid-00’s San Antonio Spurs basketball style
are consider bad or boring.

I guess the proper answer is to say that most are valid and just the further to fringe an idea or a flavor gets the greater the chances of failure are. However, we should embrace these fringe flavors and try to acquire as many differing taste as possible. After all, variety is the cliche of life.

This could all be true. But I simply enjoy hating Sam Adams Cranberry Lambics too much to try to acquire a taste for these bottles of liquid sadness.

I can not thank Half Moon brewery enough in Belgium and English ale of course. I was transformed. I enjoy gueze and lambic despite the negative reactions from folks I know. I enjoyed Cantillon and love Frank Boon’s classic work. The man deserves a medal for his efforts.

I have recently decided to join rate beer in order to improve my beer writing and obviously my knowledge too. Good luck. I’m only 27 btw.

I had an interesting experience with gin that might give you hope. I didn’t like gin for the longest time. Too piney. However, I was at a Christmas party a couple years ago and decided to make myself a Bombay Sapphire and tonic, because it was free and I wouldn’t feel bad if I had to toss it if I didn’t like it.

Well, I really liked it, and gin has been my liquor of choice ever since. It’s like a switch was flipped. I’ve heard that our tastes change as we get older, so who knows, maybe your sour switch hasn’t flipped yet.

I’ve had a heather ale or two. I’m very fascinated with beers that are brewed with other herbs than hops. There are so many possibilities out there with other ingredients. I think it’s time we bring them back and start exploring again!

Salt(ed) beer not only exists, it’s common! True, that is stretching it a bit, but let me explain.
As somebody mentioned already, the Leipziger version (not the elusive Gozlarer version, I’m told) of Gose actually contains kitchensalt – if in minute quantities. It is more spicy than salty in character, however.
Really salty beer is well-known under the form of Rauchbier, as usual in Bamberg, Franconia and its surrounding area. The smoked malt imparts a really salty flavour, reminiscent of smoked ham or mackerel. American and other brewers have made their own versions of this old type of beer.
But a lot of common, not specifically prepared beers (can) have a salty streak. “Mineral quality”, as it is often known, expresses itself by being slightly salty, but this stays often hidden by other tastes as sweet, bitter, etc. When you start looking for it, and develop your palate, you will start finding it more often. Though I know it is considered derelict, the classical tongue-area map for tastes can help: search the alleged “salt-area”, and see if you find a reaction. Last, also the classical S-S links, that confer cooked vegetable flavours in small quantities, can get salty streaks when in larger doses: oysters, sea water – if not to all tasters.

One remark on sour beers. While it is true that most sour American ales are styled upon Belgian examples, it is not so that we invented sour beers. We just preserved them longer than the rest of the world – with some exceptions as Berliner Weisse. I would wager that 250 years ago and longer, sour was the norm everywhere, rather than the exception.

Success with more tasting and writing,
Joris

-Don’t like beer
-Choke down some crappy beer and eventually acquire a taste
-Branch into English beers
-IPA’s
-Start to dip your toe into the Sour world

Gruits were made with all kinds of herbs, including mugwort, bog myrtle, wild rosemary, juniper, and many others.

I have no foundation for this, but I think gruits will make a comeback and will be the next trend we see in a few years.

Here’s a post I wrote over the summer about my experience homebrewing a gruit. It was a very interesting experience, and the beer turned out pretty good!