The Week I Drank Cider Instead of Beer

An FYI blog by: Dayna Tran (COO & Brewery Captain of Eternity)

Your taste palate is affected by so many things. It can be affected by the food or drink you had up to 24 hours ahead of time! I knew this, but found out again the hard way last week.

Fall is a great time in Michigan for apple picking, corn mazes, and cider and donuts. It seems like most Michiganders like to have the excuse to enjoy cider and donuts in the fall because, well, it’s just that time of year!

For our family, the first sign of fall is Mom making spiced cider in the kitchen. And this year I got a special delivery of it to the bar! I used to dread fall because it meant “Back to School” (Ugh!). But now, I am finally starting to appreciate the colors, the smells, the tastes of fall and was enjoying a lot of hot cider throughout the day (Thanks, Mom!).

Here’s the thing though, last week I just wasn't in the mood for beer. At first I thought I was in a weird mood, but Mike and I started talking about it and realized it was because of my excessive cider consumption! The sweet, tart flavors of the cider were sticking around on my palate and it didn’t matter what beer I tried, hoppy, sweet, Belgian, English, it all tasted “off”. The only thing that sounded good was an Oktoberfest with a splash of spiced cider in it! (I know it sounds crazy, but it is amazing!)

The moral of the story is to be aware that sometimes you may taste a beer and it will seem “off”. Most people will think it just isn’t a good beer and not want to try it again. Don’t be like most people. Think about it and maybe you had some cider earlier that day, maybe you had spicy Indian food for lunch, maybe you have been eating donuts because your co-worker brought a bunch in to celebrate Friday. Your palate isn’t the same as mine, and you may be affected by different foods, so I am curious, am I the only one who has had this change of palate before? Let me know in the comments!

I am totally going to stand up from my computer to get some hot cider. I’m so cold…

Hello fall in Michigan!

Cider and beer. Sometimes a good combination. Seriously. Depends on your palate!