Soft Palate

I didn't drink beer until age 25, and fortunately my roommate at the time got me off to a decent start taste-wise with the likes of Guinness, Bass and Killian's Irish Red. Over the ensuing 13 years I've managed to largely avoid the bland Budweisers and Millers of the world in favor of labels that offer more body.

My recreational drinking gained new purpose recently as I started brewing beer. Suddenly I found myself reading beer reviews and purposefully buying different styles in an effort to broaden my limited horizons. While I'm still trying to differentiate between the various flavors in beers, my palate has already come a long way. I didn't even like hoppy beers when my buddies and I named our brewing group The Hoplings. Yet after being primarily a pale-ale guy, I now love getting my hands on a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA or a pint of the latest Hop Project at Nashville's fantastic local brewery, Yazoo Brewing Company. The strong hop flavor is definitely an acquired taste, much like the roasted barley that lends a strong coffee flavor to stouts. (Incidentally, I don't drink coffee and still haven't acquired that taste in beer. So far, chocolate-y porters are as far as I like to go in that direction. I only enjoy Guinness in limited doses.)

In many ways I feel like my education has just started, but so far my favorites are (in off-the-top-of-my-head order):

• Yazoo Pale Ale
• Chimay Premiere (Red)
• Rogue Dead Guy
• Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
• Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
• Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

I've begun reading Designing Great Beers and am now making a concerted effort to distinguish the roles various ingredients play in the taste of beers. This part is quite challenging for me. I've also read that you should taste your ingredients before brewing, which makes perfect sense. I'll make a point to do that with future brews.