Hop flavour

[jayk34]

Not an important question, just more a "Is it just me?" question. I'm a new convert to hoppy IPA American style beers and have a question for those more experienced.

Was drinking very hop forward beer all day and then had a bottle of my favourite West Indies porter. It tastes totally different and the only way I think I can explain it with limited beer vocabulary is that I can taste malty flavour from the porter but nothing else. Do the American citrussy hops cancel out the hops used in the West Indies porter or indeed other less hopped styles?

 

[An Ankoù]

It's not that they cancel out, rather that, apart from the bittering hops, there's not a great deal of hop flavour in WI Porter.

 

[jayk34]

It's not that they cancel out, rather that, apart from the bittering hops, there's not a great deal of hop flavour in WI Porter.

The hop flavour from the other beers certainly persist. Not complaining, just an odd thing for me as I didn't really drink anything other than porter or stout

 

[MickDundee]

The answer is twofold I think - in the stouts/porters, there’s less hop used so less hop flavour, but also the roasted malts will mask what hops have been used.

In pale hoppy beers, the hop volume is much higher, and there’s not as much in the way of specialty malts to mask the hops.

Yeast is also a consideration, as some yeast are selected for enhancing the hops and others mute the hops and focus on the malt.

 

[The Baron]

Hoppy beers will burn your taste buds but a porter is not about hoppy flavour but malts so yes you are correct.
I do like the west Indies Porter even though it is a mass produced beer

 

[Griff097]

I brewed a USA Stout from the MM recently and its the only stout I have had that had a hop forward flavour.
As others have said the heavier flavours and chocolate malt disguise the hops.

 

[Surfingobo]

Have you ever taken a sip of a chocolate milkshake - delicious, then a bite of chocolate - delicious, then back to the milkshake - bleugh what is this milkwater! If not, try it, it’s an interesting exercise in perception.

I think the same happens with beer. I get the same if I switch from a stout to a bitter, the bitter is fairly tasteless in comparison.

 

[Random Badger]

Have you ever taken a sip of a chocolate milkshake - delicious, then a bite of chocolate - delicious, then back to the milkshake - bleugh what is this milkwater! If not, try it, it’s an interesting exercise in perception.

I think the same happens with beer. I get the same if I switch from a stout to a bitter, the bitter is fairly tasteless in comparison.

These days I have consigned bitter to strictly being a breakfast drink. By the time I've had a couple of imperial stouts for elevenses and a NEIPA as an amuse-bouche, I find that drinking bitter with lunch is decidedly uninspiring. May as well have a cup of tea!

 

[Jim Brewster]

I once had a little taste of a part of a hop pellet when brewing, the bitterness lingered for a long time and wiped out my palate.