I worked in bars in Berkeley and Seattle from the late '80s through the mid '90s that specialized in the exploding new varieties of micro-brews that were coming onto the scene. From the late '90s on, I have pretty much brewed the beer I drink.
Throughout this time I had a love for the hoppy, especially the Northwest's very hopped-up styles and some Bay Area beers such as the Lind ("Drakes'" themes) and the Lagunitas.
That is, until my love of bourbon really started to blossom and eclipse other drinks from about 2094 on. Since then, my lust for crazy amounts of hops has tempered and waned. If I now wake up with hops on my breath I even think its a bit gross, where if I wake up with vanilla and tanin on my breath that's a pleasantreminder of an evening well spent. I think the sweetness of bourbon has changed my palate to desire less bitterness. Where traditionally I've made IPAs, high gravity and bitter porters, when I brew now, I emphasize yeast complexity for the tangy notes and am looking at sour Flanders Reds (with bacterial innoculation!), tart hefeweizens (Wyeast's Weihenstafan wheat yeast is much, much better than White Labs' for tanginess), and crisp Blonde Ales.
Has anyone else noticed whiskey hanging their likes in beers?
Roger