Hop Head?

By scot in Lounge on Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Over the past few years and, realistically, the last six months of trying a lot of beers, I have switched over. I have officially become a hop head. Hop burps are so outstanding.

In the past, in my inability to really understand how to enjoy an American craft beer, I never really liked hoppy beers. IPAs were the devil (thank you WaterBoy). I would drink a beer straight out of the fridge as the only way to drink cheap college beer, was as cold as possible. Warming it up made it pig mud. zx 630 Due to my lack of knowledge I would try to drink IPAs at 34 degrees. The amount of bitterness from hops is over the top at that temperature while the flavoring and aroma hops aren’t yet letting their beautiful additions be known.

The few times that I enjoyed an IPA I couldn’t figure it out why. But with age comes knowledge and a true appreciation of American craft beer. I am now to the point where I believe all craft beer bars should not keep their damn kegs so cold or, at least, have a beer connoisseur line of taps, for people who appreciate and understand drinking beer at the right temperature. I now enjoy a really good IPA or APA (lots of hops please) but there are still times that I want a malt beer or a beer brewed to style that isn’t off the wall.

Two Beer Dudes, Rich and I, will do our best to try and educate our visitors (we are not experts, just huge fans of American craft beer) and in turn we hope that you will do the same. In my struggles to educate my and my wife families, I have learned that repeated instructions is necessary. Enjoy!