The Over-Hopping Of BEER!

I'm a craft beer drinker from the start of this century and millennium. I often will buy from my local crafters, but love exploring a variety of brews, sometimes from around the world. I am not a Lite beer drinker, and can't understand the fascination with it, as Lite beer drinkers still have beer bellies!

I prefer beers that have a malt or yeast dominance and believe that the bitter hop taste should be a lightly lingering after taste. Instead today most craft beer brewers are adding an overkill of hops to their beers. The most famous of hop beers are the IPAs(Indian Pale Ales), which were over hopped for a reason. When the British soldiers and others were colonizing India in the 18th century, the extra hops helped preserve the beer and its flavors for the long trip. At the time it took them around the Cape of Good Hope and the trip wrecked havoc on their porters.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy hop beers from time to time, but in most the hop bitterness is overwhelming. There are some, Pale Ales and IPAs, that are evenly balanced, but most are hopped more than they need. They truly leave a bitter taste in your mouth, and makes any palate for most foods null and void.

I have no intention of quitting Pales and IPAs, because like I said, I do enjoy them. I also know the ones that fit my craving at the time without an overpowering hop bitterness. What I am noticing myself is that there are many crafted porters, stouts, imperial stouts, and yeast beers(such as the Belgian varieties) are leaning more towards hops than malts and yeasts.

I would really hate to go to the mass produced commercialized beers that only serve the purpose of  getting you drunk, but good beer should be balanced in my opinion.