h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Beer. This may be the single most popular drink in America, while also being the reason for countless deaths (by auto accident, homicide, and dehidration) several failed marriages, a large number of parentless children, and the bad, vomit-taste in the oral area, among other things that space will not allow me to discuss. Some of the readers may ponder why this drink is so favored among drinkers. Beer, in all honesty, tastes disgusting. This taste is excused with the clique "it's an AQUIRED TASTE," meaning that the individual must drink emense amounts of the drink to actually begin to appreciate it. I have heard it said that beer, after drinking it in long expanses if time, begins to taste better. This excuse can be dismissed, because of the fact that the more beer you drink, the less in touch with reality you really are.
The truth is that beer has become a sort of "crutch" to many individuals. An individual (after a long and stressful day, a fight with "the significant other", or some other mild trauma,) will often go down to the bar where beer is served, and begin to drink. This is followed by more and more drinks of the foul liquid, until the customer is completely drunk, or 'smashed' as they lovingly refer to it as. This is followed by repeated trips to the toilet, so as to vomit. The consumer often loses touch with reality completely. They will awake the following morning (because most drinking occurs at night) with a splitting headache, or 'hangover' as it has come to be called. This is not helped by the fact that they are in a strangers bed, next to an unknown, and many times, unattractive other. They are forced then to get up and go about the day, despite the headache, the unidentified lover, the bad taste is the oral area, and the lack of pants (the consumer does not even remember what happened to them.) The consumer will likely go out again the following night, and repeat the activities. Why? Because this is what we call fun.

Different beers taste differently. Some beers do taste awful, but that depends on taste. I can't stand chalky beers but prefer the sweeter, darker beers.

The problem with people saying that it's an aquired taste is that they haven't tasted many beers. I know, I've tasted a LOT. It used to be my job for a while. All I can suggest is to give variety a bit of a go. If you live in an area where there isn't much choice then there isn't much you can do about it except maybe buy bottled imports.
And I've tried a fair few American beers, some of them are great, unfortunatley most of them are dreadful.

Wow, that was bitter (not the drink)!

In response, there IS an element of "acquiring" a taste for beer. In Britain, at least, the usual route used to be "pop" (soft drinks) - cider (like pop) - lager (unchallenging) - bitter. Big brewers have tried to cut out this stage by making beers unchallenging, and have now developed "alcopops" to get the punters young.

Most good beers have bitterness to them and bitter tastes are more complex and more interesting, and need to be developed. This is true in food as it is in beers (olives are a good example).

Squirrel referred to Americans, but it's also true that in Britain youths and arrested-development adults drink to get drunk. Many of us grow out of that stage and develop a taste for proper, craft-made beers on grounds of taste. Drunkenness is a happy side-effect.