Comment by JadoJodo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by JadoJodo | Hacker News Reader

The article's conclusions aside, I wonder how many people enjoy the taste of alcohol itself? While my personal beliefs prohibit me from imbibing in a way that would cause inebriation/dependence (and getting buzzed fits in the former), I have tried most kinds of alcohol and have never really "gotten" it. A coworker bought me my first drink on my 21st (a bottle of Jack Daniel's) and a friend made me a Jack and Coke with it. Halfway through the glass I just wanted a plain coke.

Since then, I've tried a wide variety of beer, wine, rum, bourbon, etc and have only once come away from the experience with a "I didn't hate that/I'd buy that again.". The vast majority of the time I've failed to finish what I'm served (or do so out of politeness) and reflect that I'm simply "missing the point" because I'm not interested in inebriation/"buzzed". I'm sure there are those that enjoy the flavor (perhaps in the same way that I "enjoy" very spicy hot sauce), but wanted to ask.

I’m similar - rarely drink and dislike most alcoholic drinks - except that I have found certain flavors I like. Usually it’s sweetened wines, or cider. Also it’s often about pairing - the acidity or tartness sometimes just hits the spot.

Good things to compare to are:

- spicy food

- stinky foods (eg cheese)

- coffee

All of the above are acquired tastes. I could barely eat spicy before, now I love it. Stinky cheese makes we want to vomit, but others enjoy it. I only drink decaf, yet periodically enjoy a black coffee, something which seemed absurd when I was younger.

To me alcohol is just one more flavor option. I wouldn’t want it banned just because other people can’t control themselves.

I don't know if it's just the taste or some conditioned response, but having a glass of cold lager (or particularly a pilsner) at the end of a long day tastes like heaven to me, in a way that no other drink does.

Some alcohols are the best drinks I've ever tasted such as Caipirinha with strawberry and a lot of sugar. If only I could achieve this taste without alcohol. (note that I rarely drink so my taste is not amplified by an addiction). Unfortunately such alcohols 1) have a lot of sugar and 2) are not mainstream in my culture but this is e.g in Brazil.

It tastes better when your taste buds age. It was gross until I was about 24 then it became delicious.

This is why when the price of beer went up 18+ people stopped buying it because they only used to buy it as a cheap way to get drunk. Drinks companies switched to making extremely sweet alcoholic drinks to counteract that and marketed them towards this audience to make up the loss.

I used to work in advertising and worked on marketing one of these a products so this is what I heard from one of the worlds largest breweries while doing it.

Alcohol is a poison. You don't drink it for the taste. Certainly, not the first time you drink it.

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