Avoid Style Lock - Open your Mind and your Palate

 

 

Fridge Pic from one of our trips. Many styles and options available all over.

We all have that friend. The one who will only drink one style of beer and eschews any deviation, any offering not in their wheelhouse or any trip to the new and unusual. For many, many more years than you can imagine, I was that friend as only the cheapest of beers could find their way into my glass and only then if they tasted like I thought a beer should. I tossed aside any notion that a real man would drink anything but macro lagers (not that I called them that, it was all just damn beer), this craft beer trend was for hipsters and rich people who had too much money and little sense. I was as passionate about my defense of being a drunken fat guy as I am now about the world of beer I have discovered and it is part of the reason I am seeing things in a new light every time I open a can or bottle and sip deeply of someone's dream. But there exists in Craft Beer too the Style Snob, the person who has honed in on one kind of beer and will not budge an inch, forever caught in Style Lock, an endless loop of doing the same thing over and over again.

Such diverse options I used to give myself...

  The entire reason for me exploring Craft Beer was the new and different, learning things about the regions and places in the world where beer styles came from, said styles that transformed from brewer to brewer as minds came forward to try it a little different and discovering flavours I had no idea existed as an option for my beer. The sameness of macro lagers was once the siren call I answered and it makes absolutely no sense to go back to that kind of consumption just because I really like IPAs or Sour Ales. I can understand if there are styles that we may not appreciate or enjoy, Kathryn continues to seek sours or IPAs that she likes even though it has been a constant miss for her save the very odd one. But to cut out any further exploration of a style seems defeatist and could mean you miss out on the beer that could change your life.

Make a Connection...

  The thing about trying different styles and the variations created by individual brewers is that each one takes on a life of it's own and much like the current Haze Craze, it begins with the base style and someone taking a chance on something new. If we get so locked into one version of a style, these new and constantly changing things that could eventually bring the next great beer to your glass. Thinking since you hated one sour that all sours are the same is making the same mistake I made way back when I was crushing Coors Light and getting hammered multiple times a week.

  Call it palate fatigue if you will, but I find that after a few of the same style in a row, even with hop variations and the like, they all start to blend into one giant beer, devoid of character and missing that unique pop that one enjoys when switching up and moving around the style chart. I look to how many pints I think I will be having on any particular evening and then curate my beer choices based on that. Only having 1? I usually choose a slow sipping, high ABV and a little more bold than if I am going to be having 3 or 4. If it is one of those hanging out nights, I usually start with a milder profile beer and make room to grow on my palate as the night goes on. I find sours and wild fermentation ales tend to skew my taste buds for the rest of the night so I leave them until the last few beers to get into anything a little off centre. Same goes for any kind of Double or Imperial, barrel aged anything, leave it for the finale and keep it a little more sessionable to start.
  The growth of my personal palate was challenged by taking risks when it came to what I enjoyed. I could hardly choke down a sample share of any IPA a little over 4 years ago and now am a decided hop head, bring me the resinous pine and citrus pith and watch my smile shine. But I didn't get to where I am today when it comes to appreciating so many different styles of beer by solely focusing on one style and leaving everything else by the wayside. Look around and see all the excellent options available, you just might surprise yourself.


Cheers!


Polk