Good story at Vinepair.com. It’s titled “If You Are A Fan Of IPA, Science Says You’re More Likely To Be A Psycho.”

We don’t need science to confirm what we already knew, because anyone who likes the taste of hoppy pinecone butt is, by default, a psycho, but the article says this:

If you’re a big time fan of bitter drinks, such as IPAs, Negronis, Boulevardiers and the like, scientists at the University of Innsbruck in Austria have uncovered that you’re also more likely to exhibit malevolent personality traits. The same is true if you crave black coffee or tonic water. Basically, you’re a psycho.

To come to their conclusion, scientists surveyed 1,000 participants and asked them to rank a variety of foods on a six-point preference scale. Once the foods were ranked, respondents were also asked to complete a personality questionnaire. The results were then scrubbed against each other to determine the results.

…

What the researchers uncovered was that the more a person craved bitter flavors, the darker their personality. Scientists believe this correlation exists because we have naturally evolved to see bitter flavors as a warning sign – as bitterness is generally correlated with something that may be toxic or harmful. So in effect, those who prefer bitter flavors may be getting a thrill from tasting something that might be harmful for them. That certainly sounds a bit psychotic to us.

Can’t argue with the science. No issues with this study. Send it to the guy running the Breweries in PA account and we’ll see if he complains again. Last time we did a facetious story about hops, he threw a shit fit and claimed we hated small business. We’ll have to get him on Crossing Broadcast one of these days to mend fences, like when Obama held the beer summit. Next IPA on me! Quadruple dry hopped of course, with notes of citrus and deciduous tree. Tastes like a Boxelder Maple, if you put it through a woodchipper and then dumped it into a vat with orange peels.