Others seem to like the wines I like

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[David M. Bueker]

Lots of people also like coffee, club soda and Budweiser.

What’s your point?

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Yes, there's a lot of variation in wines, but I don't think the situation is any different for coffee or beer, for connoisseurs of those beverages.

-Paul W.

Yes, there's a lot of variation in wines, but I don't think the situation is any different for coffee or beer, for connoisseurs of those beverages...

This is another classic evergreen wine board topic. I used to argue that wine exhibited more variation because of the vintage differences and the more extensive aging in comparison to beer. Others countered that beer can be made with a much wider range of ingredients and exhibit a wide range of flavors. Which is of course true.

Yet as much as I like beer and find that it has its place, for any given bottle I find more potential 'fascination' to track variation with wine. Beer sometimes needs a bit of air or temperature change to settle into its best showing. But for the most part, once you've taken a few sips of the beer you've already gotten the full story. Then the question is whether you want to keep consuming that story.

For the wines all of us drink, you usually need to watch for much more variation as it airs and changes temperature (and is paired with food); and you're probably never going to get a 'full story'. I find that very intriguing.

True that vintage isn't generally significant for beer as it is for wine.

I would argue that hops are to beer what oak is to wine.

-Paul W.

[David M. Bueker]

Hops - the nuclear weapon of the craft beer wars