I hate it when someone calls me a "beer snob". It's a pejorative. Like others have noted, I will never pass up a beer; if I fetch up in a restaurant with a beer list consisting of BJCP Category 1 and nothing else, I will select from that list and enjoy myself.
It depends on my mood. Some weeks ago, my wife and I were driving through a small town where I knew an excellent brewpub resides, so I suggested we go there for lunch. Unfortunately, the brewpub was closed that day, so we opted for another nice-looking restaurant a block or so up the street. Their beer list had selections from the larger craft breweries, and also had a couple of 'house' beers - a porter and a 'light lager' type beer. My wife ordered the porter, so I - shock, dismay! - ordered the light beer. I figured it was made at the brewpub down the street, but I was wrong - it was from a larger brewery in PA that makes some flavorful - and contract 'craft' - brands.
You know something? My beer was gooooood. It was crisp, clean, faultless, and exactly what my meal - crab cakes - needed. The porter, also quite good, was excellent with my wife's burger.
Another anecdote: Recently I was presented with a situation in which I had the privilege of meeting brewers whom I had never met. Immediately upon discovering that I was an experienced brewer who knew what I was talking about, bottles materialized seemingly out of nowhere. Long story short, a couple of hours later I was completely in the bag. Fit-shaced. Loopded. Mead will do that to a fella. Anywho, about three-quarters of the way through this mayhem (damn you, Rob, whereever you are), a nice lady who had served me a delicious Scotch ale told me she wanted to start creating her own recipes, as she was a kit brewer. She wanted to expand her knowledge of ingredients. So I slurred my way through my standard pitch of "Brew small, like one-gallon, batches, use one malt, and vary the hops. Then drink 'em. Next, brew a bunch of small batches, use one malt, one hops variety, and vary the yeast. You can pretty much figure out what the grains will do by reading lots of good recipes and eating the grain, but you can only figure out the interplay by brewing." Her eyes lit up.
I guess the moral of the story is this: No matter what word you use to describe a beer lover - enthusiast, connoisseur, aficionado, lover - you're not a snob if you internalize your opinions. If asked for an honest assessment of a beer, an aficionado will give it. A snob gives his opinion unasked, and is moreover a d!ck about it. I could have told the lady brewer to go get Designing Great Beers and read it; instead I gave her practical advice on how to attack her problem.
That's the difference between a beer snob and someone I want to be. A beer snob is a d!ck, and I try not to be a d!ck.
Sorry for the ramble,
Bob
