The One and Only Poldaran wrote:
I have yet to find a beer that doesn't have an aftertaste of rot and decay. I want to say it's the hops.
It's not the hops. Not that overly hopped beer wasn't the previous obnoxious trend, but if you don't like beer because it tastes like rot and decay, it's probably because beer is fermented. Which... Um.... Well... is more or less controlled rot and decay. It's probably more about *what* is being fermented though (how do you feel about stinky cheese, for example?), so it's most likely the grains themselves. Ciders, meads, and wines all involve fermentation of other things (fruits of various sorts), which I'm guessing you're ok with. Just stick with those, if you want.
All hops do is flavor the beer. Basically make it taste like you're eating herbs. The flavor can vary based on the variety of hop itself and when it's put into the mix. The earlier it's put in the more it just adds bitterness. The later it's put in, the more it'll taste like a weed of some sort. So if you like the taste of gin, for example, you'd actually prefer a heavily hopped beer more than less hopped beers. Techniques like dry hopping involve adding hops during fermentation instead of during the boil. Which adds no bitterness at all (the bitterness comes from the breakdown of the oils in the hops), but a ton of flavor. And yes, this can be taken to ridiculous lengths (and has been).
Um... But while doing this can make your beer taste like a Koala Bear's diet, it's still not going to eliminate the fermented grain taste of beer.