why is beer bitter?

[Mr Downtown]

I'm particularly sensitive to bitter tastes, I think, and never cared for beer until I discovered Belgian whites and wheat beers. My nephew is the same way, and tonight we were discussing why brewers ever thought the bitter hops aftertaste was desirable. My vague theory was that it gave a better mouthfeel or aftertaste in the days when refrigerated beer (and sweet drinks) were much less common. Why deliberately make a beverage a little bitter?

[Number]

Some people like the taste. Aside from that, hops were used as a preservative in olden times when nothing more effective was available.

Alpha acids have a mild antibiotic/bacteriostatic effect against Gram-positive bacteria, and favor the exclusive activity of brewing yeast in the fermentation of beer. Alpha acids are responsible for the bitter flavor in the beer.

[Tim R. Mortiss]

Bitter isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it were, we wouldn't all have a fifteen year old bottle of Angostura Bitters sitting in our liquor cabinet, ready to be handed down to our heirs when we die without quite finishing it.

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Why deliberately make a beverage a little bitter?

Coffee, tea, beer... I like these drinks because they are all a little bitter.

[drewtwo99]

coffee and tea are tasty DESPITE their bitterness to me. Same with beer. The lighter and less bitter the beer, the better.

And I like my tea without sugar or cream.

I have no idea why people consider bitterness a desirable quality in beverages. You certainly don't hear people talking about how a given meal would be better if it were just a bit more bitter. (at least I don't)

[Alan Smithee]

I agree that I like the bitterness of beer, but given the number of people who don't and the fact that at least one national brand had a major advertising campaign based on being the least bitter, I'm surprised no one has tried to make a non-hopped beer. A beer that lacked some bittering or flavoring agent might be unpalatable (I'm not sure) but there are lots of spices that were used before hops became universal. A few beers (wheat beers especially) use coriander or other flavors, but almost always with hops as well. There must be whole dimensions of beer flavor that have gone unexplored, even among craft brewers!

[Bryan Ekers]

Because it caught its wife cheating with ale.

[NDP]

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee

I agree that I like the bitterness of beer, but given the number of people who don't and the fact that at least one national brand had a major advertising campaign based on being the least bitter, I'm surprised no one has tried to make a non-hopped beer. A beer that lacked some bittering or flavoring agent might be unpalatable (I'm not sure) but there are lots of spices that were used before hops became universal. A few beers (wheat beers especially) use coriander or other flavors, but almost always with hops as well. There must be whole dimensions of beer flavor that have gone unexplored, even among craft brewers!

In terms of beer, doppelbocks aren't that bitter. Neither are Russian Imperial Stouts. They're both quite smooth ... but watch the ABV content or you'll get drunk a lot quicker than you would with your typical mass-produced American lager.

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

coffee and tea are tasty DESPITE their bitterness to me. Same with beer. The lighter and less bitter the beer, the better.

And I like my tea without sugar or cream.

I have no idea why people consider bitterness a desirable quality in beverages. You certainly don't hear people talking about how a given meal would be better if it were just a bit more bitter. (at least I don't)

But if you lose the light bitterness from coffee or tea, then it's not really coffee or tea any more, is it? Then it's water! If you like tea, you like a bitter drink. Yes, it's only lightly bitter, but that's what tea tastes like. There's nothing wrong with that. If you truly didn't like the bitterness at all, you'd drink water, or you'd add milk and/or sugar to your tea.

And there are certainly bitter foods that people like. Vegetables such as aparagus, radishes, spinach and other leafy greens... these are all a little bitter. Some spices (bay leaves, rosemary) have a slight bitterness to them.

Bitterness, in moderation, is not an unpleasant taste. The exact same can be said for salt, sour, and sweet.

As for bitter drinks? They can provide a nice contrast to a salty or sweet food. Beer is great with steak, or wings, or pizza. Coffee goes nice with a big slice of cake, or strudel, or a donut.

[MrDibble]

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee

there are lots of spices that were used before hops became universal.

Yeah, but most of those gruit ales were bitter too or worse, toxic - henbane and wormwood, for instance.

[Bridget Burke]

Most people like the balance a bit of hoppy bitterness gives to beer. I had one hop-free beer at the Gingerman & found it utterly bland. It wasn't one of the witbiers, which can be quite tasty--but which are often served with orange or lemon. That "balance" thing again...

IPA's have become quite popular & some brewers go for "hoppier than thou." I quite like a good IPA but some are too bitter for me.

Investigate International Bitterness Unit or European Bitterness Unit ratings. There are hundreds of beers, ales, etc., out there--so there's something for every taste. Or every mood.

Here's an interesting article....

[Chefguy]

I'm with the OP on this one. Local micros tend to go overboard on the hops and make it undrinkable for me. On the other hand, beers like Bud, Coors, etc are a non-starter. I usually buy lager or hefeweizen.

[silenus]

Kneel before Zod!




Hops are why beer exists in the first place. Sorta like how lobster exists only as a clarified-butter delivery device.

[Emtar KronJonDerSohn]

You can make alcoholic malt beverages without hops. They have names like "Smirnoff Ice" and "Four Loko."

[August West]

Originally Posted by Bridget Burke

Most people like the balance a bit of hoppy bitterness gives to beer. I had one hop-free beer at the Gingerman & found it utterly bland. It wasn't one of the witbiers, which can be quite tasty--but which are often served with orange or lemon. That "balance" thing again...[/url]....

This. Without something to counter the sweetness from the malt, you get a cloying, unpleasant mess.

I agree that the race to find the absolute pinnacle of alpha-acid solubility has become tiresome, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the occasional hop bomb (I'm looking at you Bell's Two-Hearted).

[Alan Smithee]

Originally Posted by Emtar KronJonDerSohn

You can make alcoholic malt beverages without hops. They have names like "Smirnoff Ice" and "Four Loko."

Originally Posted by August West

Without something to counter the sweetness from the malt, you get a cloying, unpleasant mess.

There's obviously a market for cloyingly sweet alcoholic beverages without hops. There is also a large and growing market for craft beverages--even craft sodas are taking off. There should logically be a market for unhopped beer.

Plus, hops have a very distinct taste that some people, who like coffee and chocolate, find unpalatable. Why not create beers with other flavors that balance the sweetness of the malt?

[lance strongarm]

Lots of old beer recipes contained flavoring and preservative agents other than hops. Hops just worked well.

There are plenty of modern beers that use milder hops and/or only a little bit of hops, and some that use other flavors. You just have to keep drinking to find them. Good article:

http://www.madisonbeerreview.com/200...thout-any.html

In sum, my advice is the same as usual - drink heavily.

[Ludovic]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

You certainly don't hear people talking about how a given meal would be better if it were just a bit more bitter. (at least I don't)

I also don't like the bitterness of beer and coffee, and mildly dislike the bitterness of tea enough that I prefer it weak.

But sometimes I do like a little bitterness in my food. Occasionally I will add broccoli to my food to give it a needed bitterness (stir fry for example).

[silenus]

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee

There's obviously a market for cloyingly sweet alcoholic beverages without hops. There is also a large and growing market for craft beverages--even craft sodas are taking off. There should logically be a market for unhopped beer.
Plus, hops have a very distinct taste that some people, who like coffee and chocolate, find unpalatable. Why not create beers with other flavors that balance the sweetness of the malt?

#1 - that does not follow.

#2 - Fuck 'em. If you want sweet, drink a rum & coke. If you don't like beer that tastes like beer, drink Belgian or Bud.

[johnpost]

if it didn't taste bitter then everyone would drink it.

[Suburban Plankton]

I'm just talking out of my rear end here, but I think that hops are essential in order for beer to taste like 'beer'. In large (or even not so large) quantities they impart more or less bitterness to the beer, but I think you need some hops to give the brew a 'beer flavor'; without hops at all it just doesn't taste like beer.

And to address the OP, there are quite a few beers, as you've already discovered, that are not bitter. They still have hops because 'hops=beer', but without the unpleasant (to you) bitterness that's associated with larger quantities.

[Simplicio]

I always assumed it was the same reason that sodas were carbonated, without something to offset the sweetness it would be too sugary for anyone to drink substantial amounts.

[Chimera]

Originally Posted by drewtwo99

I have no idea why people consider bitterness a desirable quality in beverages. You certainly don't hear people talking about how a given meal would be better if it were just a bit more bitter. (at least I don't)

The existence and historical value of black peppercorns says otherwise.

[silenus]

Not to mention 5 Spice powder, which has (ta-da!) one of each taste in it.

[BlueKangaroo]

Rogue Brewery, at least at one of their Oregon sites, is doing some amazing things with no-hop beers. They are interesting, they are recognizably beer, and they are lovely. However, so far as I can tell, they also don't ship worth a damn. That, at least, was my understanding back in October when I had some of them.

I've definitely sought out slight bittering agents for cooking, as needed. I am not great at inventing my own recipes, but it's clear that bitter is really a required flavor for a well-balanced dish. Doesn't need a lot, necessarily, but it needs some. Even brownies have a slight edge of "bitter" for all that they are SWEET.

I suspect, Mr Downtown, that's the biggest part of it. A hint of bitter often brings out a roundness to flavors in something that might need it. As I recall, even the no-hop beers from Rogue had bitter elements to them. One was tea-based, for example.

[August West]

Just thought of a hop-less beer that I actually enjoyed. I was judging a homebrew competition and one entrant was a Spruce Beer, the brewers used fresh spruce branch tips, I believe the wort was poured over them on the way into the fermenter, but I could be wrong.

It was quite tasty, I thought, but it didn't fare well with the other judges.

[Mr Downtown]

So there's no relationship between the hops and the inability to serve beer very cold? There's no particular reason that IPAs are so hoppy?

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

There's no particular reason that IPAs are so hoppy?

Well aside from the fact that they taste good that way.

Guinness tends to be a popular very non bitter beer, FWIW.

[silenus]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

So there's no relationship between the hops and the inability to serve beer very cold? There's no particular reason that IPAs are so hoppy?

No, and that's the style profile. IPAs are hoppy to off-set the increased malt and alcohol content.

[Nightsong]

Huh. This is a rather fascinating thread, as I'm someone that finds beer (and apparently anything with hops) overwhelmingly bitter. Which is odd, considering that I do like bitter things such as tea, coffee, dark chocolate, bitters in mixed drinks, etc. (Heck, I'll drink a good orange bitters straight. Yum.)

I definitely need to keep an eye out for these hop-less drinks. (None of that nasty stuff such as wine coolers, etc. If I wanted a bunch of sugar and artificial flavors to drink, I'll go for a soda.)

___
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[the apples fell]

Beer is incredibly bitter to me, I cannot stand it. I once went to a party and the only alcoholic beverage available was beer.. I couldn't even finish one drink. It was just unpleasant, and was a Budweiser.

[silenus]

Stick to white wine. That leaves more beer for the rest of us.

[Captain Amazing]

Originally Posted by the apples fell

It was just unpleasant, and was a Budweiser.

But you repeat yourself.

[GreasyJack]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

So there's no relationship between the hops and the inability to serve beer very cold? There's no particular reason that IPAs are so hoppy?

I don't know about historically, but my go-to camping and hiking beers are all IPA's because they're still pretty good when they're warm.

[CrimeThink]

I was with you up until 2 years ago. I hated bitter beers and did not understand why IPAs were a thing. I went through a period where I tried a new beer every time that I drank. After several months IPAs simply started tasting better and better to me. Now I love them.

[silenus]

Originally Posted by GreasyJack

I don't know about historically, but my go-to camping and hiking beers are all IPA's because they're still pretty good when they're warm.

That's true of just about any British beer. The proper serving temperature is within 5º F of what it was brewed at.

[lance strongarm]

Originally Posted by silenus

#2 - Fuck 'em. If you want sweet, drink a rum & coke. If you don't like beer that tastes like beer, drink Belgian or Bud.

No True Scotsman fallacy.

[lance strongarm]

Found another example of a beer brewed without hops. In this case they used caraway seed. It's another one of those "vintage" recipes, or in this case, one where they guessed what would have been available at the time.

http://brewers-alley.com/1634ale.aspx

[silenus]

Originally Posted by lance strongarm

No True Scotsman fallacy.

Oh, thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten Scottish ales, which also tend towards the sweet end of the spectrum. Nice catch.

[lance strongarm]

Originally Posted by silenus

Oh, thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten Scottish ales, which also tend towards the sweet end of the spectrum. Nice catch.

Awesome.