Don't Be So Bitter

I have been talking with people about IPA's and the trend towards ultra- hoppy beers. In my impromptu survey, it seems that more men than women are into this phenomenon. An acquaintance who runs a bar remarked to me that women almost never order IPA's but the ones who like them are addicts. If a woman likes IPA's that is all they tend to order. Hmmmmm... why all this contention over hoppiness? I have also read that men like bitter tastes more than women due to the fact that in general they consume more zinc than women. Zinc, it appears, effects the way bitter foods taste. The more zinc you have in your diet, the more you like bitter flavors. As for me, I am on the fence. I like the flowery citrusy qualities of hops, and some bitterness but an overwhelming, lingering bitterness turns me off. A good example of this serious bitterness is Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale. I just can't figure out why this much bitterness would be a considered a good thing. I know some people- all men- who love this beer. It has been suggested to me that a lack of appreciation for bitterness equals an unsophisticated palate. Well, although this may be true, I just can't help but think extreme bitterness is form of taste bud torture. Frankly, it reminds me of the taste of gourds. I know, you're wondering what beer has to do with gourds. You are also probably wondering how I know what one tastes like. I offer this story: When my sister and I were kids we were un-satisfied with carving boring old pumpkins at Halloween. We felt we needed to carve a cucurbit with a little more panache, like say, gourds. What we didn't realize was that pumpkins are the time honored squash of choice for carving because they are ideally suited for it. Unlike pumpkins, gourds are rock hard, have a very small inner void and disproportionately thick walls. So, after a long struggle and many failed efforts at finding very tiny candles to fit in our mini-lanterns, we realized yet another reason people don't carve gourds- the taste. Long after we had cleaned up and washed our hands, anytime our fingers came in contact with our mouths we were assaulted by a horrible extremely bitter taste that lingered even after drinks of water or washing. The taste was so terrible we decided that this bitter gourd flavor could be a form of torture. A person would be forced to lick a piece of gourd thereby having to endure that bitter unpleasant taste for all eternity. Or perhaps, now that we're older and wiser we could just skip the gourds and substitute a Bigfoot Ale. There, you see? I can blame my dislike of the very bitter on my childhood. Freud be praised!

So to improve my unsophisticated palate I have popped some zinc tablets and done some research. I have come up with a few beers in this ultra hopped style that I do like. My top pick is Hazed and Infused, an unfiltered dry-hopped English style ale. My second pick is Hop Devil by Victory Brewing. These, in my opinion, have a goodly amount of hop flavor, and an enjoyably bitter but not gourd-like finish. And, Mr. Goodbar- for your information Victory Brewing is in PA so I would consider it local. Hooray!