Despite the fact that I have brewed about 250 gallons of beer and probably drank 10 times that in my lifetime I really don't understand beer as much as I would like to. I know that my favorite style of beer is an IPA and I could tell you I enjoy the IPA at one local brewery more than the other but can't really tell you why. I don't know what "pine" or "floral" tastes like. I know I enjoy a local vanilla porter but I don't know what makes it different from other vanilla porters.
It's only since I started brewing about 5 or 6 years ago that I really began to enjoy and become interested in the different beer styles. When we are out I can certainly find my way around a beer menu better than any of my friends but I still want to learn more.
I understand I could experiment with my brewing but, to me, it probably makes more sense to learn from beers that are already available. To make 5 gallons of a beer I may or may not enjoy doesn't make sense. I am thinking hops may be a good place to start since IPA is my preferred style but I don't know how to go about it. I know there are several lists of the "best beers" out and maybe I could give some of those a try but I still want to know what makes them the best and if I like or don't like them I still want to understand why this is...what makes the beers different that I like and don't like.
So with all that said, how did you learn to better understand beer?
It's only since I started brewing about 5 or 6 years ago that I really began to enjoy and become interested in the different beer styles. When we are out I can certainly find my way around a beer menu better than any of my friends but I still want to learn more.
I understand I could experiment with my brewing but, to me, it probably makes more sense to learn from beers that are already available. To make 5 gallons of a beer I may or may not enjoy doesn't make sense. I am thinking hops may be a good place to start since IPA is my preferred style but I don't know how to go about it. I know there are several lists of the "best beers" out and maybe I could give some of those a try but I still want to know what makes them the best and if I like or don't like them I still want to understand why this is...what makes the beers different that I like and don't like.
So with all that said, how did you learn to better understand beer?