I have a lot of friends who will go on and on about craft beers and these new ones that they’ve found, and whenever I try them they just seem to taste the same, with the same hoppy aftertaste

What is it about them that people like so much? What am I missing?

22 comments

  1. I’m not a craft beer (or any beer) fan.

    But I do love all the different names and labels that you get.

  2. They’re lovely. They all taste different, although I admit that the hoppy aftertaste is overkill on some. But it’s a nice aftertaste.

    It’s so much nicer than real ale, which isn’t punchy enough for me, and than supermarket lagers like Stella for example which are pretty much just pop for adults with no real taste.

    But it’s all just down to opinion. If you’re happy drinking something else, just stick with what you like.

  3. TL:DR Just the classic case of each to their own.

    I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a Stella/San mig, but I do like a bit of variety if I’m having a drink, with craft beers they can be hoppy, fruity, light, dark or heavy. You could opt for a sours if you fancy a bit of zing. You could also venture into stouts and porters if you fancy a pudding without chewing!

    I like wine, but a lot of it tastes the same to me, I just haven’t explored it as thoroughly as experienced wineheads have.

    if you like Stella/San migs or your other “standard” lagers then good on you, there’s nothing wrong with that either.

    The best part of a drink is the people that you consume it with.

    I think it’s time for bed.

  4. For the same reason people are interested in food, there are so many combinations of ingredients and different styles and ways to brew. Even if you take two beers of the same style to say they taste the same is like saying all beef taste the same when in reality there’s a world of difference between a McDonald’s patty and a steak a Michelin star restaurant would serve.

    I think the reason people can be passionate about beer is because such a cool hobby, the majority of people who indulge are often so inclusive and excited to share and everyone has the one common hobby already to get talking about so it’s a great space to make friends. So many new beers released weekly, so many new breweries popping up around the world, it’s kinda like Pokémon if there were millions of them, so much to try and enjoy and compare your thoughts on with your friends.

  6. Remember at school if you asked people who their favourite band was, someone will always list of a bunch of obscure ones?
    Same thing.

    Bonus points if the name is some edgy pun.

  7. I’m an American, and the craft beer thing started over here in the 90s and is still kind of a thing, but it has now blended more into the mainstream. From an American perspective, when I was growing up, we always had a very bad reputation of drinking very water downed crap beers, alongside maybe a few international beers that were sometimes only so much different and considered fancy beer. Which was basically true prior to the craft beer craze. I’m not sure if my perspective of the UK is old and outdated, but when I had been there a long time ago, it seemed like beers were more regional to specific areas. For example, I went to Newcastle, and locals had no idea that Newcastle beer was one of our fancy beers in America and couldn’t comprehend why that would be. Honestly, I think it was always just more about which companies were able to manage better distribution deals than it was about what was really popular. Now that the craft beers have made their way into the mainstream here, there are so many, and they’re all battling for shelf space in the stores. I used to be able to buy my favorite beer at the supermarket, and now I have to search to find it available somewhere, if at all. So, though I do think part of the hype of the craft scene can sometimes just be pretentious crap, I think it’s just what happens when people actually have a variety to choose from for a change.

  9. It’s just alcoholics trying to normalise their need to constantly drink by trying to pass it off as a hobby or interest. It makes them feel better about themselves than just buying 4 cans of Stella to drink every night.

  10. Lager does nothing for me – do you remember when you were young and tried lager for the first time? If you’re like me, you thought it tasted bad.

    Well, it still hasn’t really grown on me. Craft beers on the other hand – way more variety to find a drink I actually enjoy. Can’t speak for all of them (no one could, there’s so many) and I’m sure most wouldn’t be my thing anyway. BUT – if some of these craft beers didn’t exist I probably wouldn’t drink beer at all apart from the occasional Weiss beer. Certainly wouldn’t take a bogstandard lager out of choice.

  11. I like the taste, I like trying a few different ones if I’m in a pub. Is it more complicated than that?

  12. I wouldn’t say it’s an obsession for the whole nation. I personally don’t drink at all, not a fan of any alcohol. But I can understand that other people have different tastes and interests. This js one of those things, it’s ok to like different things. Not everyone is obsessed with craft beer. I would say the majority of people are indifferent. But those who love it will be vocal about it so you’ll notice it more.

  17. Different people like different things.

    If it’s not your thing, then fair enough.

  20. As with anything, the more you try them, the more you’ll be able to discern subtle differences and nuanced flavours, though that would be no guarantee you would come to like it. There are also innumerable different styles and sub styles within beer. If you don’t like OTT in your face hopping, avoid most IPAs, maybe try a Cold IPA though which are fermented with a lager yeast, giving a cleaner profile, and usually lower bitterness.

    If you enjoy wine, perhaps try a sour beer – a Berliner Weisse can have the same vinous tang you get from a nice white wine.

    There are a lot of breweries that just throw hops at a beer and call it craft, and there are plenty of craft breweries that produce things that are more subtle and interesting.

    If you don’t like it, that’s cool. I don’t like Brussels sprouts, so I don’t eat them.

  21. Do you eat the same flavour & brand of crisps all the time?

    No, because although they might be the same “flavour” you know a McCoys is different to a Walkers to a Hula Hoops in the way they taste.

    Craft beer is the same IMO. Yes there are some overly fancy ones, but a lot them are built on the same foundation with slightly different flavours in them.

  22. It’s a hobby, I like to drink less but enjoy it more some days, so I’d go for the more exciting (and expensive) craft beer and only have a few, other days if I’m getting on it I’ll go for cheap and cheerful.

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