I'm a huge iced coffee drinker and I'm not a big Blue Bottle New Orleans iced coffee fan, it doesn't taste much like coffee to me.
Similarly, artisanal "cold brew" at most places nowadays seems oddly bitter to me, without any depth. I been drinking iced americanos instead of cold brew for the last couple months and am happy now.
Indeed; 've always found "cold brew" or "toddy" coffee incredibly boring and empty. (Which makes sense, of course; so many of those flavors are extracted by heat.) I'll mix it with some milk and simple syrup on a hot day, but it's still not really coffee to me.
But you say "nowadays" - I wonder what changed. I'd be surprised if there was a significant shift in technique. A general move to a different roast? Perhaps just your tastes preferring a more acidic coffee?
Similarly, artisanal "cold brew" at most places nowadays seems oddly bitter to me, without any depth. I been drinking iced americanos instead of cold brew for the last couple months and am happy now.