Before I get into this, I believe that people like what they like, and they're not wrong to like what they like.
But I've been trying to reconcile two approaches to drinking beer, and would like to initiate a conversation on this.
There appears to be two types (bear with me) of beer drinkers: those who like to stick with what they like, and those who want to keep trying new beers.
I tend to be more the former, and my reasoning is this: Suppose I have a beer that is just about the best thing I've ever had. In the distribution of all beers I've ever tasted, this one is at the right end of the distributional tail, i.e., way out in the right tail of the normal distribution.
Now, among other things, I'm a statistician. I know that, given regression to the mean, the next beer I drink after the exceptional one is virtually guaranteed to be a lesser beer, one I won't enjoy as much.
So, knowing that, and knowing how much I just enjoyed this exceptional beer, I'll just order the same thing again. Why order something else when I know it's impossible that it will meet or exceed what I just had?
And yet, I have friends who will always try something different. It baffles me, honestly, but I keep coming back to my belief: you're not wrong to like what you like, and if you like to keep trying new things, well, you do you as long as I can keep doing me.
But I've been wondering about this for a while. In October we took a 1-week brewery tour trip to the northeast US. Among other places we stopped at Maine Brewing, where I had their Peeper beer. Tied for the best commercial beer I've ever had (with Assassin from Toppling Goliath). You'd better believe I wanted another Peeper.
The only explanation I've come up with for this disparity of approach is this: palate fatigue. That's an issue if you eat the same thing day after day, meal after meal. You become immune to the flavors that originally attracted you to the food, and it becomes analogous to eating gruel at that point.
I'm a little bit taste-blind (sort of like color blindness). Some flavors I just don't get--like tomato sauce. Ever see someone eating Spaghetti and it's like they're having a religious experience, they're enjoying it so much? Tastes like gruel to me.
And some flavors and meals I'll just keep having. I have oatmeal with a little brown sugar and a banana for breakfast. Every day.
So what I'm wondering is this: for those of you who want to keep trying something new, do you get a sense of palate fatigue when you get to the end of a glass of beer, whether it's good or not, such that you need to switch to something else for which you don't have palate fatigue (yet)?
This all just baffles me. I like beer, I'm good at brewing it, friends want to buy it at commercial prices, a local bar wanted to sell it, and apparently the flavor profiles I produce resonate well with others. But once I have a very good beer, I want to stick with it.
So--why do you think there are two types of beer drinkers (yeah, I know, but run with it for a bit, if you would). Why do some people constantly want something new, and others stick with Ol' Reliable?
PS: I'll get a flight at a bar if they're offered. I do try new things. Heck, when we visited Jack's Abby during our East Coast trip, I had a flight where all four beers were terrific. They know how to do lagers there. I was tempted to just order the same flight again. But generally, if I can find a good one, I'm sticking to it.
But I've been trying to reconcile two approaches to drinking beer, and would like to initiate a conversation on this.
* * * * *
There appears to be two types (bear with me) of beer drinkers: those who like to stick with what they like, and those who want to keep trying new beers.
I tend to be more the former, and my reasoning is this: Suppose I have a beer that is just about the best thing I've ever had. In the distribution of all beers I've ever tasted, this one is at the right end of the distributional tail, i.e., way out in the right tail of the normal distribution.
Now, among other things, I'm a statistician. I know that, given regression to the mean, the next beer I drink after the exceptional one is virtually guaranteed to be a lesser beer, one I won't enjoy as much.
So, knowing that, and knowing how much I just enjoyed this exceptional beer, I'll just order the same thing again. Why order something else when I know it's impossible that it will meet or exceed what I just had?
And yet, I have friends who will always try something different. It baffles me, honestly, but I keep coming back to my belief: you're not wrong to like what you like, and if you like to keep trying new things, well, you do you as long as I can keep doing me.
But I've been wondering about this for a while. In October we took a 1-week brewery tour trip to the northeast US. Among other places we stopped at Maine Brewing, where I had their Peeper beer. Tied for the best commercial beer I've ever had (with Assassin from Toppling Goliath). You'd better believe I wanted another Peeper.
The only explanation I've come up with for this disparity of approach is this: palate fatigue. That's an issue if you eat the same thing day after day, meal after meal. You become immune to the flavors that originally attracted you to the food, and it becomes analogous to eating gruel at that point.
I'm a little bit taste-blind (sort of like color blindness). Some flavors I just don't get--like tomato sauce. Ever see someone eating Spaghetti and it's like they're having a religious experience, they're enjoying it so much? Tastes like gruel to me.
And some flavors and meals I'll just keep having. I have oatmeal with a little brown sugar and a banana for breakfast. Every day.
So what I'm wondering is this: for those of you who want to keep trying something new, do you get a sense of palate fatigue when you get to the end of a glass of beer, whether it's good or not, such that you need to switch to something else for which you don't have palate fatigue (yet)?
This all just baffles me. I like beer, I'm good at brewing it, friends want to buy it at commercial prices, a local bar wanted to sell it, and apparently the flavor profiles I produce resonate well with others. But once I have a very good beer, I want to stick with it.
So--why do you think there are two types of beer drinkers (yeah, I know, but run with it for a bit, if you would). Why do some people constantly want something new, and others stick with Ol' Reliable?
PS: I'll get a flight at a bar if they're offered. I do try new things. Heck, when we visited Jack's Abby during our East Coast trip, I had a flight where all four beers were terrific. They know how to do lagers there. I was tempted to just order the same flight again. But generally, if I can find a good one, I'm sticking to it.