Butting Heads Over Budding Hops

There’s been a lot of hubbub around an opinion article that appeared last Thursday on slate.com.  The author was making the case that hoppy beers are the biggest obstacle to craft beer’s mainstream acceptance, as many beer-drinkers equate craft beer with tasting like pine needles/grapefruit pith/cat urine – not necessarily a great taste for many.  On-line forums lit up & our own Facebook wall was active with folks weighing in on their love of or hate for hops, & whether they thought American craft brewers are overdoing it when it comes to adding those flavorful little green cones to their beers.  Some of craft beer’s most outspoken personalities have critiqued hyper-hopped brews: Garrett Oliver’s made the analogy that “No chef brags about having the saltiest soup” & Jim Koch’s asserted that “There’s not a huge set of skills to make an 80-IBU beer”.  Fightin’ words indeed, especially considering that they come from the mouths of quintessentially East Coast brewers.

On our own little Facebook “forum”, it was great seeing people get passionate & voice their opinions about a polarizing topic.  Opinions trended toward either “What is it with American brewers & their stupid hops?” or “If you don’t like hops, there’s plenty of others to pick from”.  We’ll spend a second & just validate the latter point – it’s a big, happy umbrella with craft beer, & if choice A doesn’t suit you, try choice B, C, or R.  We serve many well-seasoned craft drinkers, many among them who are just not into IPAs, or sours, or Belgians, or lagers, or whatever. 

But reading this article brought two personal anecdotes to mind around the issue of appealing to consumers.    In the first, I was drinking with a few friends who like good beer & the conversation gravitated to that topic.  We shared our appraisals & praise of the Belgian-inspired strong ales we were drinking, when a buddy remarked, “Man, I can’t wait ‘til breweries get over this overly hoppy trend.”  I might be paraphrasing, but you get the gist.  I get it – I disagree, but I get it.  It’s no secret that prominent hop profiles are probably the biggest “love-it-or-hate-it” dimension of the new brewing paradigm, & are a hurdle a lot of folks can’t (& don’t necessarily want to) clear.  My response, however, was that hopped-up beers are not going anywhere any time soon – roughly 99.9% of American breweries make at least an IPA. 

And I got a little defensive from a patriotic/historical standpoint.  Hops – American hops – are what have distinguished American craft beer from practically the get-go.  Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale (& its predecessor, New Albion Ale), considered tame by today’s standards, was revolutionary in its inception for its bold use of Cascade hops & paved the way for pretty much every hoppy American ale that came after it.  American brewers had less going for them in the way of domestic malt, but found a cornucopia of flavors in American hops & came to sire a whole family of beer that was uniquely American.  This has been the main aspect of American beer that’s caused European brewers to break with tradition & actually try to emulate (as opposed to just mock, as was previously the case).  The word “American” in any style title – IPA, stout, porter, barleywine, brown -  basically denotes a greater hop presence than its European counterparts.  American, American, American.  So part of me says that you don’t have to like hoppy beers, but at least respect them & their role in this country’s beer renaissance.

However, another part of me remembers a little happening with one of my best friends a few years ago.  It was the rehearsal dinner for my wedding, & I’d picked a place that knew & served quality beer.  When the server asked for drink orders, my buddy ordered a Yuengling.  “I’m sorry, we don’t have that here” was the server’s reply, “but I think you’ll like our pale ale.”  I tried to call the server back & tell him to get their light lager, but was too late – he was on a mission to “upsell” & “convert” my neophyte friend to the good stuff.  When he returned with the hoppy pale, my friend took a tiny sip, set the beer down, & stuck to water for the rest of the evening.  With the best of intentions, that server tried to show my friend the light & failed.  Just an endorsement for mutual respect.  We promote the respect for beer in its myriad flavors, styles, personalities, & support challenging ourselves.  But we also realize that failing to respect someone else’s taste & evangelize where it isn’t wanted doesn’t help anybody.