Earlier this year I reviewed the Widmer Drifter Pale Ale and thought it was out of this world. I liked it so much that I said I would make it my “go to” beer. Well, I didn’t quite make it my “go to” beer but I did buy about 3 more six packs of it since then and had them over the summer.
What a difference a summer can make… I don’t like this beer much at all anymore. I don’t know if I am bored of it, or if my taste buds have dulled that much. It tastes very plain to me now. What I once considered a nice grapefruit bite, is little more than a nip of hops. Perhaps something changed in their distribution, or perhaps I’m biased after drinking it next to beers such as Stone IPA, Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA, & Lake Placid’s UBU Ale.
Whatever… it doesn’t hold up for me anymore; I have to slide the Hop-Talk rating back down to a 2.0.
(Yes, that is my photo, © Hop-Talk.com)
I guess there is another hard to detect rating on beers we haven’t explored – how does it hold up over time? As you note here some beers lose their appeal after the initial blush. Others, one may not have strong feelings about but over time come to enjoy/appreciate it more.
Of course there are factors such as our tastes change over time, time of the year (season), heck time of day even
, appetite, company (i.e. friends/family/enemies) … even mood – for example if I’m in a bad mood I like something with more hop bite.
So perhaps, while hard to measure, the test of time is one of the important ones – as only with time can you see how it holds up in the variety of influences that make up our taste.
Drifter makes a good first impression: awesome, unbelievably good aroma. And pretty tasty when it’s cold. Let it warm a little — which helps most ales — and all the joy goes out of it. So I can completely understand your two different opinions of it.
Here’s my take on it.
.-= Bill (It’s Pub Night)’s last blog ..Lucky Lab Harvest 2009 =-.
I just tried this beer on tap last night, and while the first couple of sips were delicious, it just didn’t do it for me. I thought it was ok, but nothing to get excited about.
My newly found joy has been the Lagunitas Lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ and the Little Sumpin Extra. Both are absolutely delicious. Get them while you can.
I haven’t had Lagunitas Lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ and the Little Sumpin Extra… I call them for Oktobefest if I can get them.
.-= Ron’s last blog ..Widmer Drifter Follow Up =-.