Beer Snobbery

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SkewedBrewing

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The other day I was at my favorite local restaurant, Wilde, on Broadway here in Chicago. The shepherd's pie is awesome and they have plenty of Guiness to go with it.

On this occasion, however, I decided to go a slightly different route and order a couple of Smithwick's in lieu of the usual Guiness. When I went to the bar to order one, which I'd done before and had no complications, the bartender, who was about my age (26 or27), looked at me like I had a monkey on my shoulder and snidely replied, "We don't have Smithwicks, but we have 'Smitticks'."

At first I took it in stride, thinking he might be Irish or something and he was trying to be funny. So, as I return for my next round, I ask another bartender for a Smithwicks. Same reply.

Now, I know I live in Lakeview/Lincoln Park and I shouldn't be surprised to run into some snobby people every once and a while, but I thought it was pretty ridiculous to have two different dudes try to correct me and sound cool when all I wanted was a beer... and I'm the one tipping them... And I probably know more about beer than both of them...

Anybody else ever run into beer snobbery like this?


:tank:
 
The other day I was at my favorite local restaurant, Wilde, on Broadway here in Chicago. The shepherd's pie is awesome and they have plenty of Guiness to go with it.

On this occasion, however, I decided to go a slightly different route and order a couple of Smithwick's in lieu of the usual Guiness. When I went to the bar to order one, which I'd done before and had no complications, the bartender, who was about my age (26 or27), looked at me like I had a monkey on my shoulder and snidely replied, "We don't have Smithwicks, but we have 'Smitticks'."

At first I took it in stride, thinking he might be Irish or something and he was trying to be funny. So, as I return for my next round, I ask another bartender for a Smithwicks. Same reply.

Now, I know I live in Lakeview/Lincoln Park and I shouldn't be surprised to run into some snobby people every once and a while, but I thought it was pretty ridiculous to have two different dudes try to correct me and sound cool when all I wanted was a beer... and I'm the one tipping them... And I probably know more about beer than both of them...

Anybody else ever run into beer snobbery like this?


:tank:

The faux beer snob. You are getting off easy. If they actually knew anything, they would know both pronunciations were acceptable.
 
I gave up on trying to educate the beer ignorant a long time ago. Most of the time it's not worth the effort.
 
Not a fan of that bar - mostly because of the crowd but I would have told them to **** off :)
 
Not a fan of that bar - mostly because of the crowd but I would have told them to **** off :)

Ya, as a bar its just alright. I live right around the corner so I like to go there for dinner every once and a while, awesome atmosphere. However, not awesome employees.

This was one of those situations where you can't think of anything witty to say until you've already walked away and its too late...
 
That happens a lot at Irish Pubs. I often ask for SmiTHWicks to see what they say. Usually they'll say Smitticks? Sure! but not in a condescending way. The guy probably thought he was all cool and trying to show you up or teach you something.
 
I don't know if this is yuppie-type snobbery or just Irish purism. Was the guy Irish? If he has an Irish accent, next time tell him you love his English accent and that you always admired Princess Diana. See what he says or does.
 
I got that same response one time; but it was in a bar in Maynooth (pronounced muh-newt) Ireland. I accepted that the guy probably knew the correct pronunciation so I went with it. I've never heard anybody in the states call it Smittick's, though.
 
Put yourself in this guys shoes... maybe he really does like beer, and is a younger guy. He deals with yuppi garbage all day and has to be happy about it. Serving people like that would give me an annurism in a day. Correcting someones pronunciation at the bar would be the least of that owners problems if I worked there.

FWIW Smitticks is the proper pronunciation as far as I am concerned. Just order it the way most beer people do and you won't have to worry about it.

On a similar note ordering a Hofbrau is my favorite (Hofbroy). I usually give it two shots then order a Hoffbrow.
 
I work in the wine industry and just laugh my ass off when people pronounce the grapes with a French or Italian accent. Like Giada deLaurentis on the Food Net speaking like a normal person until she runs into an Italian word and then it goes from being Lah-zan-ya to a-la-ZAN-ya.

In all honesty I always thought that it was smith-ix. kinda like woostah (Worchester).

By the by, I was always mispronouncing Willamette until I talked with some Oregonians who said that just like Dammit, you say it will-am-it. Who knew?
 
My first pint of Smithwicks was in Ireland years ago and I ordered it with the '..THW...' sound. The bartender was fine with it and didn't say anything so there are Irish people out there who don't care what you call it.
 
I work in the wine industry and just laugh my ass off when people pronounce the grapes with a French or Italian accent. Like Giada deLaurentis on the Food Net speaking like a normal person until she runs into an Italian word and then it goes from being Lah-zan-ya to a-la-ZAN-ya.

In all honesty I always thought that it was smith-ix. kinda like woostah (Worchester).

By the by, I was always mispronouncing Willamette until I talked with some Oregonians who said that just like Dammit, you say it will-am-it. Who knew?

I couldn't agree more with the whole Giada thing, she's hot and can cook but that forced italian accent just makes her awkward sometimes.

On another note, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but I am pretty fluent in both German and Italian. However, when I am speaking english and I am saying an italian or german word in an english context, I usually just pronounce it with a regular American accent.

I guess I just need to remember that when I'm at certain bars/restaurants I need to remember their pronunciations for certain beers.
 
....... When I went to the bar to order one, which I'd done before and had no complications, the bartender, who was about my age (26 or27), looked at me like I had a monkey on my shoulder and snidely replied, "We don't have Smithwicks, but we have 'Smitticks'." .......

You should have said, "Thats funny because You were going to get a tip, and now your not" :rockin:
 
I was going to mention that too, but I forgot! If you don't like the service then don't tip the sonoffabitch. Or give him this tip, "Don't fry bacon naked, that **** hurts!"

Edit: :off:Awesome, the site * out the bad words for you. I don't have to worry about my sailor mouth any more. ***** ** ***** ***** *** *** ****** ** * ****** ******, that's for sure!
 
Thats how it's pronounced in the south because they dont pronounce the 'h'. For example three is pronounced tree. smithwicks up here is pronounced 'smithicks' with no w.

Oddly enough, that is how I say it now that I actually say it out loud to myself. That is probably because I have only spent time in the North.

:off: My brother just took a new job that is headquartered in Belfast! I am hoping to hop a ride in his suitcase sometime.
 
Maybe you could get Loweface or peterfuse to post how to order in Irish (with added phoenetic spelling!). Than go back and order from the same bartender and order it Irish. When he looks at you like you have two heads, just tell him you figured he knew Irish because of the way he pronounces "Smitticks".

(Yes... go through all of that trouble for spite. :cross:)
 
In my job we get a TON of people who dont know much about beer...especially ours!

Here are some things that I hear on a regular basis in the tastings:

"Wait, you guys make a cider...so does it have beer in it or is it like apple juice?"
"Wait, you guys make soda?! Is it alcoholic??"
"Can I try that ipah (they pronounce it like hip without the "h")?"
"I don't like beer, what should I try?"

The list goes on and on, but I just suck it up and try to answer the questions as friendly and genial as possible since I am representing the entire company to them. The waiter should have acted the same way. Some of our beers are harder to pronounce, even for the beer geeks! We have a beer in our 100 Barrel Series called Rauchfetzen (rahwk-fet-zen), so if people butcher it I just reply "Oh you want to try the Rauchfetzen" with the correct pronunciation and they are totally fine with it. That wasn't beer snobbery, that was pure ******-baggery
 
Coming from and living in Southern Ireland and having financed a lot of my college days working in bars, the correct pronunciation is Smithicks, you don't pronounce the "W" or you'd get laughed out of it.

The Irish for the phrase would be "Ba mhaith liom pionta Smithwicks a cheannacht, má is é do thoil é." pronounced "Baw wy lom pyonta smithicks a kyanacht, maw shay duh hull ay."
I would like to buy a pint of smithwicks.

It's like worcestershire sauce being pronounced wuster as someone else already mentioned.
 
On a similar note ordering a Hofbrau is my favorite (Hofbroy). I usually give it two shots then order a Hoffbrow.

Yeah, but isn't Hofbrau, a german beer? Therefore it would be pronounced Hofbrow. I've never had it, and not sure I've ever seen it, so I'm just assuming it's german.


And Giada's family is Italian, and although she was born in America, most of her family speaks Italian, and therefore she probably hears a TON of italian pronunciation growing up. And, she's hot, so she gets a free pass. :D
 
Yeah, but isn't Hofbrau, a german beer? Therefore it would be pronounced Hofbrow. I've never had it, and not sure I've ever seen it, so I'm just assuming it's german.

Hofbrau is a German beer, from Bavaria, where they pronounce things funny and don't use "high German". They say Hofbroy. I do it just for fun and only people are pretty into the German thing get it. On an off topic note, it is a fun way to get into a conversation with your tender if they know what you are saying.
 
Hey well if you ever do make it to belfast we should grab a pint. My mates from oregon are coming to visit this thursday. i forgot to tell them to bring over some rogue.
I spent a month there ~3 years ago great place that's come a long way. Do you work for NTNI?
 
Hofbrau is a German beer, from Bavaria, where they pronounce things funny and don't use "high German". They say Hofbroy. I do it just for fun and only people are pretty into the German thing get it. On an off topic note, it is a fun way to get into a conversation with your tender if they know what you are saying.

Ah, I have studied with high German. I've heard many German speakers say that Bavaria has a strong local dialect, but I've never had opportunity to hear the difference. Kind of like our strong southern accents I guess.
 
Ah, I have studied with high German. I've heard many German speakers say that Bavaria has a strong local dialect, but I've never had opportunity to hear the difference. Kind of like our strong southern accents I guess.

Yeah most German areas have a dialect but the south especially so. Bavarians and Schwebians have the craziest ones I have heard. I can barely understand anything they say...
 
Hofbrau is a German beer, from Bavaria, where they pronounce things funny and don't use "high German". They say Hofbroy.

But doesn't the umlaut over the "a" in Hofbräu change the final dipthong to "oy" anyway? (Like Löwenbräu; for some reason I really love saying "Lervenbroy." Not that I'd order it at a bar, or pronounce it like that if I did. It's just fun to say. :D)
 
But doesn't the umlaut over the "a" in Hofbräu change the final dipthong to "oy" anyway? (Like Löwenbräu; for some reason I really love saying "Lervenbroy." Not that I'd order it at a bar, or pronounce it like that if I did. It's just fun to say. :D)

Don't know the specifics, I just know that's how they say it. +1 on Löwenbräu being much cooler to say than drink
 
But doesn't the umlaut over the "a" in Hofbräu change the final dipthong to "oy" anyway? (Like Löwenbräu; for some reason I really love saying "Lervenbroy." Not that I'd order it at a bar, or pronounce it like that if I did. It's just fun to say. :D)

Hmmm, that could be. I never got far enough along to learn umlaut pronunciations. I've been meaning to get back into the studying, but it's hard when you don't have any natural speakers to learn from.

I've done the Hoegaarden thing, but never gotten any funny responses. I figure if you are going to call a thing by it's name, you should use the natural pronunciation.
 
Those are my old stomping grounds, moved to the burbs about 4 years ago. Sounds like a new place. Is the Duke of Perth still around? That's a good, cozy, unpretentious place to get a beer and some decent food.

BTW, I think it's fine they corrected your pronunciation, I'm all for saying things right. But there is a proper way to correct people!
 
I have trouble correcting people and not sounding like a snob.

I get that most people don't obsess over beer like we do, and don't know differences in specific styles. That's cool with me. I just like to educate people, in case they run into a faux snob.

My girlfriends hates it. I was at a bar with her not long ago and asked what they had on tap. The bartender starts going down the list and explaining what style each beer was; "Paulaner, is a Hefeweizen, Great Lakes Holy Moses is another Hefeweizen....etc." My girl instantly sees me react to that and jabs me in the ribs under the bar.

I don't want to be a know-it-all, but it's hard to correct someone and not sound like one, especially when it's their job.
 
I don't want to be a know-it-all, but it's hard to correct someone and not sound like one, especially when it's their job.

i know what you mean in was at a german beer tent and asked if they had any dunkelweizen. The bartender told me she had none but had a bitburger pilz and said this is pretty much the same thing. My calm reply was "no, no it's not"
 
i know what you mean in was at a german beer tent and asked if they had any dunkelweizen. The bartender told me she had none but had a bitburger pilz and said this is pretty much the same thing. My calm reply was "no, no it's not"

Yeah, those are pretty far from being similar.

To some people, beer is beer, that's that.
 

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