This script is from the first season of Beer Notes, which you can listen to at beernotes.org. Fun fact: This is the first episode we ever recorded!
If you don’t like the bitterness of IPAs, you might be a supertaster. That’s right: This week on Beer Notes, we’re exploring how supertasters taste craft beer differently.
A supertaster is someone who identifies flavors such as bitter, sweet, and sour, more strongly than others. Supertasters have more taste buds. They make up about 25% of the population, where 50% are average tasters and 25% are non-tasters.
Women are more likely to be supertasters than men. About 35% of women and only 15% of men can call themselves supertasters — That might be where the stereotype that women don’t like craft beer comes from.
However, in today’s world, where 84% of America’s drinking population lives within 10 miles of a brewery, breweries are cranking out literally hundreds of new craft beers every week. Many of these beers do not taste bitter, and attract both women and men.
So if you don’t like IPAs, avoid black coffee and aren’t too sure about brussel sprouts, you might be a supertaster. In that case, you can still enjoy the hoppiness of an IPA if you pair it with a high-fat food. For Beer Notes, this is Ann McGinnis Hillyer.
Author: Kristin Helf
Kristin is a writer and picture-taker in Ocean City, Maryland. She likes puppies, pumpkin ales and watching movies for the Ocean City Film Festival in her spare time.
