"So and so" is a beer connoisseur

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I consider myself a Beverage Enthusiast and I don't limit myself to beer! I like Wine, Cider, Mead and for that matter almost any fermented beverage.
 
Eh, I've noticed most "connoisseurs" drink Guinness. You know, the really heavy, full bodied, higher alcohol beer. :sarcasm:

I overhear people making stupid comments like this all the time and I always make a point (nicely of course, I don't come off as a *********) that it's actually lower in alcohol at about 4.2% on average. One time on vacation in Cancun in the pool two older americans we were chatting with went on to tell us how much stronger Tecate is than American beer :rolleyes: I explained to them that it's actually a half percent lower than the average 5% of most American beers and that the reason they are perceiving it as stronger is due to being on vacation, drinking more, and drinking faster being in a leisurely environment.


Rev.
 
Rev2010 said:
I overhear people making stupid comments like this all the time and I always make a point (nicely of course, I don't come off as a *********) that it's actually lower in alcohol at about 4.2% on average. One time on vacation in Cancun in the pool two older americans we were chatting with went on to tell us how much stronger Tecate is than American beer :rolleyes: I explained to them that it's actually a half percent lower than the average 5% of most American beers and that the reason they are perceiving it as stronger is due to being on vacation, drinking more, and drinking faster being in a leisurely environment.

Rev.

What are ya, some kinda beer connoisseur? :p

I try not to refer to myself at all. If I'm out and someone hands me a beer, I'll thank him and return the favor. If someone wants to try my beer, I'm happy to oblige unless they're rude--but I generally don't spend time with rude people more than once anyway. Live & let live--and if they don't like my beer, that's just more for me to enjoy! :)
 
"Connoisseur" is one of those labels that one should be very cautious about applying to oneself. Unless you've really, really done your homework and have clearly earned the right, it strikes me as arrogant to call yourself a connoisseur.

Applying it to someone else doesn't bother me. It's not a term I use very often, but it is sometimes the correct one. These days, though, "snob" and "geek" are the informal terms, and both have lost a lot of the negative connotation. Still, "beer connoisseur" implies something a bit more than "beer snob" or "beer geek." I'm not sure quite what---a sense of gravitas or elegance. A connoisseur sits in his leather chair in the oak-paneled room sipping from a crystal snifter. A beer geek appreciates his beer just as much, but may be standing out back wearing his work shirt and jeans as he does so.

At least, that's the picture I get from the word. It's interesting to read this thread and find out what other people associate with it.
 
A connoisseur sits in his leather chair in the oak-paneled room sipping from a crystal snifter. A beer geek appreciates his beer just as much, but may be standing out back wearing his work shirt and jeans as he does so.

At least, that's the picture I get from the word.

Sorry but that's plain ridiculous. Are we as a society expected to start dumbing ourselves down using "idiocracy" like terms such as "geek" over "connoisseur"? If I've been drinking several hundreds of types of beer, learning their origins, various aspects about the beers, their histories, and having dumped that much money I'd think it silly just to label me a geek. A word that, mind you, was typically assigned by jocks to kids they would wedgy and torture in school.

To instantly assume a connoisseur is some snobby ****** in a leather chair is akin to thinking someone with a Ph.D. shouldn't call include the term doctor unless they are of the medical type. :rolleyes:


Rev. (Beer brewer and connoisseur) - typing this from my posh leather chair in my elaborate study by the fireplace while sipping not beer but 80 year old brandy...not. LOL
 
I've got a life... far too much to be concerned about such petty matters.
 
Sorry but that's plain ridiculous. Are we as a society expected to start dumbing ourselves down using "idiocracy" like terms such as "geek" over "connoisseur"? If I've been drinking several hundreds of types of beer, learning their origins, various aspects about the beers, their histories, and having dumped that much money I'd think it silly just to label me a geek. A word that, mind you, was typically assigned by jocks to kids they would wedgy and torture in school.

To instantly assume a connoisseur is some snobby ****** in a leather chair is akin to thinking someone with a Ph.D. shouldn't call include the term doctor unless they are of the medical type. :rolleyes:


Rev. (Beer brewer and connoisseur) - typing this from my posh leather chair in my elaborate study by the fireplace while sipping not beer but 80 year old brandy...not. LOL

You quite clearly did not understand much of what I said. At least you were rude in your reply.

-- Dr. Zeg, Ph.D.
 
I'm probably just getting old and crotchety, but I have to know if the rest of you out there experience this.

I have a friend who just started seeing someone, and she says "I told him you're a homebrewer - he's a beer connoisseur and wants to try your beer."

(repeat over and over in a variety of settings and situations)

I think this whole "connoisseur" thing gets thrown around a little too loosely. I love sharing my beer, but I'd be far more apt to give someone a sample if they just asked.

So, have you invited them over to try a few beers? She wants you to meet the guy. :)
 
You quite clearly did not understand much of what I said. At least you were rude in your reply.

I understood completely, and I wasn't being rude, I never insulted you directly I simply voiced my opinion about how silly society has become to shun words rather than understand their actual meaning. Definitions of each word from Merriam-Webster:

Connoisseur

1: expert; especially : one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge
2: one who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties <a connoisseur of fine wines>

Geek

1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity <computer geek>

I wasn't trying to sound rude, just whimsically sarcastic ;)


Rev.
 
I have to agree with rev, I think zeg is off the mark on his interpretation of a connoisseur. A connoisseur of beer has tried many beers and I'm sure many of those beers are drunk in bars and not in leather chairs. He's on the mark though when it comes to having the term thrown around too loosely.

I've had hundreds of different kinds of beers, been on many brewery tours, brew my own. I appreciate a good beer. I might be called a connoisseur of beer but would hesitate to do so just because I've never had to judge beers in any official capacity to see where my palate rates compared to experts. Beer snob? I'm comfortable with that.
 
Beer snob? I'm comfortable with that.

You can call yourself a beer snob with sarcasm being implied. Calling yourself a connoisseur actually sounds more snobby to me.





I know enough about beer and brewing to know that there's a lot I don't know.
 
The amount of times a friend or family member has told me, "You should talk to ____. You are both experts" or "Our friend has a restaurant. You should consult them and give beer advice"

Just brewing extract brews and cellaring a few commercial beers and suddenly you're a Master Cicerone and Pro-Brewer.

It really comes down to...You have more than a few cans of beer in the fridge and know how to carbonate a keg and you must be an expert. It's flattering but I have to set people straight a lot..not acquaintances but I let people I'm friends with know that I'm not an expert...HBT has over 100K users of people and almost all of them know a hell of a lot more than I will ever know and even they don't consider themselves Experts.
 
You can call yourself a beer snob with sarcasm being implied. Calling yourself a connoisseur actually sounds more snobby to me.

To me your a beer snob if you find the mass produced US beers unacceptable. I don't drink Bud, I just won't do it.
 
I won't drink Bud. I don't like it. I don't care if someone hands it to me. 99% of the time, they wouldn't drink my APA if I handed it to them.
 
I won't drink Bud. I don't like it. I don't care if someone hands it to me. 99% of the time, they wouldn't drink my APA if I handed it to them.

Most of the people I know won't touch ANY of my homebrews. "They're too strong" they say! They can't handle malt flavor, hop aroma/flavor, or high ABV. If you hand them something other than BMC they'll look at you funny. I don't drink BMC, but I don't mind that the people I know are the way they are. If I'm out socially and someone hands me a BMC I'll drink it. I won't enjoy it much, but I'll drink it.

I guess what I'm getting at is... a snob won't drink certain beers and will snub them. A beer connoisseur (Zythologist) must try all styles of beer to truely be a connoisseur.

Just my opinion...
 
Most of the people I know won't touch ANY of my homebrews. "They're too strong" they say! They can't handle malt flavor, hop aroma/flavor, or high ABV. If you hand them something other than BMC they'll look at you funny. I don't drink BMC, but I don't mind that the people I know are the way they are. If I'm out socially and someone hands me a BMC I'll drink it. I won't enjoy it much, but I'll drink it.

I guess what I'm getting at is... a snob won't drink certain beers and will snub them. A beer connoisseur (Zythologist) must try all styles of beer to truely be a connoisseur.

Just my opinion...

You need some new friends. I had a brew party last summer and we bottled some beer, brewed some beer and did tastings of a half dozen different home brews. Everybody had a great time. People also brought all sorts of craft beers. There was some BMC but overall, people are willing to try something new.

For me though, Bud aint new. I'll never forget the time I went to Ireland to visit my uncle. He was so proud he had this great import beer. I was all keyed up and then it turned out to be Bud. Doh.... I think that's the last time I had one.
 
You need some new friends..

Haha, at this point in life I don't want new ones! I'll just put up with the old ones. It just seems to be the attitude in my city. There really isn't a very big craft beer/homebrew following here. It's all good. More for me!
 
You need some new friends. I had a brew party last summer and we bottled some beer, brewed some beer and did tastings of a half dozen different home brews. Everybody had a great time. People also brought all sorts of craft beers. There was some BMC but overall, people are willing to try something new.

For me though, Bud aint new. I'll never forget the time I went to Ireland to visit my uncle. He was so proud he had this great import beer. I was all keyed up and then it turned out to be Bud. Doh.... I think that's the last time I had one.

Because you should only be friends with and hang out with people who do the same things you do and like the same things you like :p
 
Most of the people I know won't touch ANY of my homebrews. "They're too strong" they say! They can't handle malt flavor, hop aroma/flavor, or high ABV. If you hand them something other than BMC they'll look at you funny. I don't drink BMC, but I don't mind that the people I know are the way they are. If I'm out socially and someone hands me a BMC I'll drink it. I won't enjoy it much, but I'll drink it.

I guess what I'm getting at is... a snob won't drink certain beers and will snub them. A beer connoisseur (Zythologist) must try all styles of beer to truely be a connoisseur.

Just my opinion...

paint me a snob. I stopped drinking/eating things I know I don't like. I'm not rude about it, but I don't like it, I won't take it.
 
I definitely don't fit the definition of connoisseur, I just love beer. I drink BMC when my pipeline is low, I build my own 6 packs at the liquor store to try new beers and I buy craft beer. It mainly depends on my budget!

"Beer snob" annoys me just as much if not more than connoisseur.
 
Because you should only be friends with and hang out with people who do the same things you do and like the same things you like :p

Because if you like to brew beer you should find some friends who can enjoy it with you, they could be new friends or old friends. Also, people will try new things if you make it fun. You don't need to only be friends with people who like what you like, but you need a few.
 
paint me a snob. I stopped drinking/eating things I know I don't like. I'm not rude about it, but I don't like it, I won't take it.

Not a snob, just a tad close-minded perhaps... my 3 year-old daughter has a similar mentality ;). Seriously though, it'll be hard to convince me people who proclaim their loathing of BMC aren't just doing so to prove their craft beer coolness. My brother-in-law brought a friend over once and we decided to have some beer. I just got back from camping and had a bunch of Keystone Light in the fridge, so I grabbed one for each of us, at which point this guys says, "Oh, no thanks, I only drink the good stuff." So, I swapped his Keystone for a SNPA. Then as he was leaving he noticed my 5 tap kegerator in the garage, even mentioned how cool it was. I'm sure he wondered why I didn't offer him any, or maybe he just assumed I was all out... I wasn't.

Because if you like to brew beer you should find some friends who can enjoy it with you, they could be new friends or old friends. Also, people will try new things if you make it fun. You don't need to only be friends with people who like what you like, but you need a few.

Local homebrew clubs.
 
Part of the reason people want to apply accurate tags and terms to themselves or others is that you want to find a common ground on a topic to discuss. I've had friends/relatives come over and go 'yeah, i'm a beer connoisseur, i love good beer', and I think 'hey, kindred spirit, let's talk about beer!', and then they go 'I only drink light beers', or 'i only like ales', and after that I realize what category they really fall into, and I limit our beer discussion to that level, whereas with a 'real' beer snob I would go down an entirely different path.
 
Sorry but that's plain ridiculous. Are we as a society expected to start dumbing ourselves down using "idiocracy" like terms such as "geek" over "connoisseur"? If I've been drinking several hundreds of types of beer, learning their origins, various aspects about the beers, their histories, and having dumped that much money I'd think it silly just to label me a geek. A word that, mind you, was typically assigned by jocks to kids they would wedgy and torture in school.

To instantly assume a connoisseur is some snobby ****** in a leather chair is akin to thinking someone with a Ph.D. shouldn't call include the term doctor unless they are of the medical type. :rolleyes:


Rev. (Beer brewer and connoisseur) - typing this from my posh leather chair in my elaborate study by the fireplace while sipping not beer but 80 year old brandy...not. LOL

The difference between a doctor and a connoisseur is that "connoisseur" is a self-appointed title half the time, and the other half it's mostly bestowed by people who know less about a subject than the recipient.

I prefer "beer geek". It doesn't have the holier-than-thou judgementality some of the other titles do, and it makes no claims as to expertise. It's something I'm passionate about, and I'll talk your ear off if you let me. Like most geeks I've done some research and experimentation and can generally talk intelligently about it--but any title that implies expertise I'd prefer be bestowed by somebody else, preferably somebody who has that expertise themselves.
 
Obliviousbrew said:
I never call myself anything. People call me things, I´ve been called a range of things (beer related) from beer connoisseur to drunken idiot I don´t care too much for labels.

Exactly.
 
Obliviousbrew said:
I never call myself anything. People call me things, I´ve been called a range of things (beer related) from beer connoisseur to drunken idiot I don´t care too much for labels.

A-f*cking-men
 
I would call myself a beer geek, just like I call myself a gear geek (music stuff). I geek out over it because I have such a passion for it. BUT im also willing to try anything once, and Ill likely be drinking Coors Light tomorrow because i play in a country band and it comes with the territory. Again, like Anthony Bourdain says about chefs, you have to try every food once to really call yourself a chef.
 
Imo, I'll give anyone my brews. Although I have to say it is much more satisfying to broaden the horizons and open a new world to the light lager junkies of the world than give a "connoisseur" something to criticize. I think most people that critique beer dont have any context. Comparing craft brews to micro brews to macro brews to mass produced chain breweries.

knowing a beer's source determines the resources at hand and the quality you should expect.
 
techbrewie said:
Imo, I'll give anyone my brews. Although I have to say it is much more satisfying to broaden the horizons and open a new world to the light lager junkies of the world than give a "connoisseur" something to criticize. I think most people that critique beer dont have any context. Comparing craft brews to micro brews to macro brews to mass produced chain breweries.

knowing a beer's source determines the resources at hand and the quality you should expect.

Hence my abhorrence of Beer Advocate and the like
 
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