Beer nerds

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
rexbanner

rexbanner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
1,378
Reaction score
102
Location
DC
I have to confess this. I own and run a nano and some people just drive me nuts. I remember ages ago I was talking to a rep from Sam Adams and she told me that they don't like to hire people who homebrew because they tend to be "a little too eccentric and lacking in social skills." This definitely seems to be true of a good portion of them. A lot of homebrewers seem to have this attitude that no matter what, they know better than anyone else. Even though honestly the homebrew community is seriously lacking in knowledge and literature based on real brewing science... I could go on and on about just how much misinformation is out there. A lot of homebrewers really know their **** and are cool to talk to, but some drive me nuts in the way that they treat conversations as just a way to one-up other people.

Then we have the untappd and ratebeer folks. People who order a flight and immediately get out their phone or notebook. To each their own, but when I go to a bar I'd like to drink a ****ing beer, not work on a homework assignment. I've never written a beer review in my life or picked a beer because it got good reviews from some random stranger on the internet. In fact, I find the entire beer review thing to be inherently flawed. Heavier styles will almost always receive higher ratings. Some of you might be saying "I use untappd to keep track for myself!" Ha, I doubt that's the only reason, but fine. Others might be saying "Well I get enjoyment out of it" and think I'm a dick and need to lighten up. Fair enough. I just felt like getting this off my chest. I am very nice to my customers but it can be tough bartending so many hours. Sometimes I do it for 12 hours straight.

If you take beer too seriously, it would seem to me that it gets less fun. I can certainly tell you that it gets less fun for the people around you.
 
Yep, I think there are pr*cks in every hobby and brewing is no exception. One time on my weekly bike ride with guys from the local bike shop, (which is just an excuse to burn off calories to justify the cheeseburgers and beer afterwards), a new guy showed up with probably a $10,000 bike and would not shut his know-it-all trap about every damn thing.

But the good ones in this hobby seem to outnumber the jackwads by a big margin. We just notice the jackwads more.
 
I agree with you about the Ratebeer folks. I've had friends come in to town who I take to the good breweries around the area, and they spend the entire time looking things up on ratebeer.com and taking notes on their phones. It's ridiculous because they don't focus on the moment and the beer in front of them as much as they do their expectations based on what they read online.

BTW Your black belgian tripel sounds amazing, i might have to attempt something like that.
 
I agree with this, while I admit I do use rate beer at the distributor (limited funds = try to get best quality for the $) I don't profess to be an expert on beer but I stop talking to people I know because the time of going to get a beer with them was fun, is no more. It has become "I don't shop on that shelf that's too mainstream," for Christ's sake shut your mouth and drink the damn beer.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app
 
Well, these beer nerds can be your bread and butter seeing how you run a nano.

In a way, you come off as someone who is a know-it-all as well when you dispute why someone uses untappd, for example. It could just be the delivery, I am not sure. You say that there are those who may say that it is used to keep track of themselves then you automatically dismiss that as though we're full of ****. Well, to each their own but I for one have used it for three reasons. To keep track of beer I like and do not like, to start a wish list of beers I want, and to see what the general public thinks about a beer. In the end, I will order something with 2 stars if I have a feeling I may like it. Everyone tastes different.

I went to a brand new brewery Friday. The staff refused to give me 10 minutes of their time and it was not due to them being packed. It was 4:30 and I hardly think that they couldn't give me even 3 minutes to make eye contact and tell me about their beers. They've been open 2 months and they threw a piece of paper in front of me and said "this is our beer" and wandered off. So I went to untappd and found that no beer rated over 3. Now that doesn't tell me much. I ignore movie ratings too generally. But when faced with all new beer, a staff (who two of them were owners) who refuse to discuss anything with me, and just not knowing what kind of flavors I'll find in various beers, I will use whatever means I can to maybe see what I am in for.

So yes, people use untappd for reasons that extend far past whatever beer nerd, egotistical, narcissistic BS excuses.

It is hard to dispute that some homebrewers can come off as those who know more than anyone. I think the same goes for people who cook as a hobby or something like that. I've seen it and I try my best not to do it. I like to learn about beer as much as I like to brew it. I am not afraid to tell someone I do not know. I think JonM hit it spot on in terms of the type of people in this hobby and how the cool ones outweigh the ones you don't care to speak to.
 
At first I called myself a beer snob. The I called myself a beer nerd.

Now I call myself a beer enthusiast. I like learning about beer and brewing, and I want to try just about everything because I enjoy just about everything.

I blogged about sampling beers for a while. But it was mostly an exercise in identifying flavors and ingredients. I haven't done it for about a year though.

I used untapped for a while to keep track of beers. But I haven't used it for about a year too.

I'm back to mostly just drinking for enjoyment.
 
Some people take beer WAY too seriously.

I mean, I LOVE beer. I brew beer, because it's fun, I can, and I enjoy the satisfaction of creating a quality product.

But there's another reason I brew beer. I enjoy drinking it! I love hanging out with a few buddies over a few pints, solving the world's problems (and forgetting the solutions by the next morning, of course!)

Beer is a vehicle to enjoyment and camaraderie. We should drink good beer, because it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable than drinking crappy beer. But at the end of the day, it's just beer.
 
cry me a river. but only if it's a river of Dubbel. I'm starting to think you guys aren't taking beer serious enough. if you are not over criticizing every beer you drink & correcting every stranger you've never met with the copious amounts of beer trivia, then you're beering wrong. you all fail!
 
bwarbiany said:
Some people take beer WAY too seriously.

I mean, I LOVE beer. I brew beer, because it's fun, I can, and I enjoy the satisfaction of creating a quality product.

But there's another reason I brew beer. I enjoy drinking it! I love hanging out with a few buddies over a few pints, solving the world's problems (and forgetting the solutions by the next morning, of course!)

Beer is a vehicle to enjoyment and camaraderie. We should drink good beer, because it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable than drinking crappy beer. But at the end of the day, it's just beer.
Click to expand...

This^ I've loved craft beer for a long time. Been brewing for going on six years. But yes, many people are just down right obnoxious about beer. Many people I run into know I brew and have many taps in the basement. So, they insist on asking me if I've tried this or if I like that. Did I stand in line at the liquor store 40 miles from my house to get a certain brew? 9 times out of 10 the answer is no. I love beer. I love MY beer too. But it doesn't consume my life. But this happens with every hobby. I'm a laid back guy, so I treat my hobby in a laid back way. Some people are anal and/or competitive.....and so they bring that "talent" to the hobby they love. Do I have to hang out with these people and cater to their passions...no. But if I owned a business....then hell yeah. :mug:
 
bwarbiany said:
Some people take beer WAY too seriously.

I mean, I LOVE beer. I brew beer, because it's fun, I can, and I enjoy the satisfaction of creating a quality product.

But there's another reason I brew beer. I enjoy drinking it! I love hanging out with a few buddies over a few pints, solving the world's problems (and forgetting the solutions by the next morning, of course!)

Beer is a vehicle to enjoyment and camaraderie. We should drink good beer, because it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable than drinking crappy beer. But at the end of the day, it's just beer.
Click to expand...

This. Even in college, kids pull things like bashing Budweiser as 'total **** maaaaan, I'm not drinking that crap', and these are the partiers who drink in quantity. Like, c'mon, we're in college, it's cheap beer, and Budweiser isn't even that bad. I enjoy craft brews, nano brews, homebrews, and everything in between, and they are a thousand times better, but Budweiser is not a NASTY beer. It's completely agreeable, and if I'm not feeling like dropping a lot of money, it's one of my go-tos.
 
brandonman said:
This. Even in college, kids pull things like bashing Budweiser as 'total **** maaaaan, I'm not drinking that crap', and these are the partiers who drink in quantity. Like, c'mon, we're in college, it's cheap beer, and Budweiser isn't even that bad. I enjoy craft brews, nano brews, homebrews, and everything in between, and they are a thousand times better, but Budweiser is not a NASTY beer. It's completely agreeable, and if I'm not feeling like dropping a lot of money, it's one of my go-tos.
Click to expand...

personal taste is a helluva thing, cowboy and/or girl. I personally think it's nasty & I won't drink that swill. but this quickly turns into the argument we've all seen a million times on here.


people: let the BMC vs. craft thing slide with the reason of personal taste.
 
brandonman said:
This. Even in college, kids pull things like bashing Budweiser as 'total **** maaaaan, I'm not drinking that crap', and these are the partiers who drink in quantity. Like, c'mon, we're in college, it's cheap beer, and Budweiser isn't even that bad. I enjoy craft brews, nano brews, homebrews, and everything in between, and they are a thousand times better, but Budweiser is not a NASTY beer. It's completely agreeable, and if I'm not feeling like dropping a lot of money, it's one of my go-tos.
Click to expand...

A while back, my homebrew club had a bottle share. We had some amazing stuff... Verticals of Black Tuesday and Parabola, of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale, even a bottle of Cantillon.

It was just after Budweiser Black Crown lager came out. As a lark, I brought a 12-pack, expecting (correctly) that none of us had yet tried it.

The homebrewers pretty much all liked it. It's not Parabola, but it's a refreshing amber lager. Only one guy (non-homebrewer and a beer snob) wouldn't even try it.

Halfway through the bottle share, we took a lunch break. The host made some great pulled pork, spicy cole slaw, and a few other sides. One of the first questions from one of the club guys was "hey, where'd that Black Crown go?"

Funny, though we all loved the bottle share beers, Black Crown goes a lot better with pulled pork than Black Tuesday!
 
Billy-Klubb said:
personal taste is a helluva thing, cowboy and/or girl. I personally think it's nasty & I won't drink that swill. but this quickly turns into the argument we've all seen a million times on here.


people: let the BMC vs. craft thing slide with the reason of personal taste.
Click to expand...

You know, you kind of do have a point here. By bashing people who bash, we end up starting a chain of people who are holier-than-thou thinking "Your'e too good for this???" or "You're just too pleb for this".

To each their own with beers. Whatever gets you the buzz you're looking for, and gets you the flavor you're looking for. :mug:
 
Homebrewing is a great hobby. Matter of fact, it's the best hobby I've ever picked up in my life. I love the beer I make, and I love to share it. Beer makes me happy. It makes us all happy.
Like all pastimes or hobbies, you get out what you put into it. I meet people on all levels of the homebrewing spectrum. Sometimes I'm grateful for a total brew geek who knows almost everything there is about brewing. My beer would be a colossal failure if it wasn't for them. Sometimes it's nice just to have a buddy who barely knows anything but is willing to help you wash and cap bottles. Its all good. And it's all about having a homebrew with good friends.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Conman13 said:
I agree with you about the Ratebeer folks. I've had friends come in to town who I take to the good breweries around the area, and they spend the entire time looking things up on ratebeer.com and taking notes on their phones. It's ridiculous because they don't focus on the moment and the beer in front of them as much as they do their expectations based on what they read online.

BTW Your black belgian tripel sounds amazing, i might have to attempt something like that.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Here's the recipe:

60% pils
20% vienna
15% sucrose
4% carafa iii dehusked
2% aromatic

French saison yeast, all bittering hops

35 IBU
1.072 OG

It's pretty killer.

Re-reading this post, I didn't mean to come off as too negative. It's just tough to have people come in who don't even want to talk or really be friendly at all.
 
Conman13 said:
I agree with you about the Ratebeer folks. I've had friends come in to town who I take to the good breweries around the area, and they spend the entire time looking things up on ratebeer.com and taking notes on their phones. It's ridiculous because they don't focus on the moment and the beer in front of them as much as they do their expectations based on what they read online.

BTW Your black belgian tripel sounds amazing, i might have to attempt something like that.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Here's the recipe:

60% pils
20% vienna
15% sucrose
4% carafa iii dehusked
2% aromatic

French saison yeast, all bittering hops

35 IBU
1.072 OG

It's pretty killer.

Re-reading this post, I didn't mean to come off as too negative. It's just tough to have people come in who don't even want to talk or really be friendly at all.
 
rexbanner said:
I remember ages ago I was talking to a rep from Sam Adams and she told me that they don't like to hire people who homebrew because they tend to be "a little too eccentric and lacking in social skills."
Click to expand...

I have a different experience. At a Homebrew Seminar that takes place every May in West Michigan, we had a Sam Adams rep give talks about their newest beers a few years in a row. This was probably 3-4 years ago.

This guy said that as a BBC employee you were required to homebrew a beer in your first 2 years of employment. He didn't start out as a homebrewer, but when his anniversary was drawing near he had to brew something and submit it to the SA homebrew competition.

For the record he said he brewed an Olive Beer (Because he liked eating olives when he drank beer.)
 
As a sometime what you call a rate beer guy I absolutely try to do the tasting thing when I start my beer if I can take the time. I think fully tasting a beer taking in the aroma, smell, visual, etc. can make your whole appreciation of a beer.

Any community has jerks any community has annoying people. Just happens.

From me talking to brewers, some brewers are very open about what they do, others are closed off. That cna be annoying as a consumer/homebrewer.
 
hoppyhoppyhippo said:
As a sometime what you call a rate beer guy I absolutely try to do the tasting thing when I start my beer if I can take the time. I think fully tasting a beer taking in the aroma, smell, visual, etc. can make your whole appreciation of a beer.

Any community has jerks any community has annoying people. Just happens.

From me talking to brewers, some brewers are very open about what they do, others are closed off. That cna be annoying as a consumer/homebrewer.
Click to expand...

I want to expand on that a little bit. I've noticed from most of the brewers I've talked to in person change their attitude when they find out they're talking to a homebrewer. the arrogance starts to come out and they start to hush up about the beers "secrets". almost as though us lowly homebrewers want to steal all their secrets & open a brewery/tap room right across the street. we're not trying to steal your recipes, most of us are interested in making better beer. if we're asking about your process, chances are we're giving you a compliment. that's all.
 
I've seen it a few ways. I've talked to brewers who're happy to talk about everything and anything, they don't care if you have a clue what they're doing, because they just want to talk and share their passion. Conversely I was talking to these brewers who I was curious as to what method they used to infuse peaches into an IPA and they acted like I asked for their banking info and social security. I was at a beer fest so odds that I would have remembered were small anyway, but the kicker is I went to a much larger brewery who's brewer was there, and he talked with me about all kinds of thing. Hell think about it, how many breweries have posted recipe's to their beer. Ommegang posted their grain bill for 3 Philosophers in Brew like a Monk. It's not lost anything sales why I'm sure.
 
I've seen all kinds. I've seen the stand-offish brewery owner, the happy to meet you brewmaster, the very congenial people at the brewery who LOVE to talk about brewing and show you all their equipment and discuss the whys and hows of brewing.

I think a lot of their attitude depends on the attitude of the homebrewer they are talking to. Some of us can seem pretty elitist.
 
Homercidal said:
I've seen all kinds. I've seen the stand-offish brewery owner, the happy to meet you brewmaster, the very congenial people at the brewery who LOVE to talk about brewing and show you all their equipment and discuss the whys and hows of brewing.

I think a lot of their attitude depends on the attitude of the homebrewer they are talking to. Some of us can seem pretty elitist.
Click to expand...

pretty sure I've not walked into a conversation with an elitist frame of mind. I tend to heed my signature. but I get what you're saying. perhaps they've had too many run-ins with arrogant home brewers and it left a bad taste.
 
Well Im one of those people that like to take a pic of a beer they maybe haven't had on tap and write notes on it. I do it for my own personal gain and learning. I do have bad social skills now but I blame that on not drinking and driving and having a family that I need to be there for. Also I don't smoke and am not about to start that up again just to be more social. I think a lot of homebrewers kind of take their beer seriously, because we want to seriously make great beer and maybe even be able to share great beer. And I like knowing when I make and above average beer myself, I also want to drink some of the best beers Ive ever had because there are so many good ones out there.

I agree with the op on the beer rating sites. I rate them myself,again for my own personal gain and reference. I do notice that they are all over the place and really its a matter of preference and opinion. I do notice that if its big and black or big and hoppy it has the best ratings though. And they rate light lagers like they are terrible. There are good premium lagers out there, Ive had some great cheap premium lagers that surprised me. Or anything session or light seems to have lower ratings. Im sorry to the op that if these people bother you. That's probably the reason I stay at home personally so Im not one of the people at your bar because I rarely go to bars anymore because its uhhm like illegal to drink and drive maybe? I don't take that chance anymore. So how is one suppose to go out and enjoy themselves, a dd has never been realistic in my days. Busses and taxis were a joke and you would get public intox if you tried walking home. Im just glad Im done with all that. On with the homebrew and craft beer at home.
 
I'm sure you never homebrewed or were serious about your beer.

Guess you just tripped and fell into your nano?

Love or hate the nerds and rate beer guys but guess who will be lining up out the door if you hit it big with one brew.
 
Billy-Klubb said:
I want to expand on that a little bit. I've noticed from most of the brewers I've talked to in person change their attitude when they find out they're talking to a homebrewer. the arrogance starts to come out and they start to hush up about the beers "secrets". almost as though us lowly homebrewers want to steal all their secrets & open a brewery/tap room right across the street. we're not trying to steal your recipes, most of us are interested in making better beer. if we're asking about your process, chances are we're giving you a compliment. that's all.
Click to expand...

This ain't me. I hand-write people recipes all the time and I'll share anything I do. I already did it in this thread. I love talking about beer.

thatjonguy said:
I'm sure you never homebrewed or were serious about your beer.

Guess you just tripped and fell into your nano?

Love or hate the nerds and rate beer guys but guess who will be lining up out the door if you hit it big with one brew.
Click to expand...

Yep, you're right. I worked really hard, and I learned as much as I could from others. That's why I will still always respond to any emails or messages asking for advice.
 
rexbanner said:
This ain't me. I hand-write people recipes all the time and I'll share anything I do. I already did it in this thread. I love talking about beer.



Yep, you're right. I worked really hard, and I learned as much as I could from others. That's why I will still always respond to any emails or messages asking for advice.
Click to expand...

good to know! I know the guys over at Crow Peak are like that as well.:mug:
 
I'm on untappd for the badges. :tank:

*no, but seriously*

I don't think that spending 30 seconds checking-in to a beer on untappd and then leaving the phone alone to enjoy the friends and the beer itself constitutes being a "beer nerd", a "know it all".

Moderation is key I believe.
 
rexbanner said:
Then we have the untappd and ratebeer folks. People who order a flight and immediately get out their phone or notebook. To each their own, but when I go to a bar I'd like to drink a ****ing beer, not work on a homework assignment. I've never written a beer review in my life or picked a beer because it got good reviews from some random stranger on the internet. In fact, I find the entire beer review thing to be inherently flawed. Heavier styles will almost always receive higher ratings. Some of you might be saying "I use untappd to keep track for myself!" Ha, I doubt that's the only reason, but fine. Others might be saying "Well I get enjoyment out of it" and think I'm a dick and need to lighten up. Fair enough. I just felt like getting this off my chest. I am very nice to my customers but it can be tough bartending so many hours. Sometimes I do it for 12 hours straight.

If you take beer too seriously, it would seem to me that it gets less fun. I can certainly tell you that it gets less fun for the people around you.
Click to expand...

I'm one of those guys. I use untapped. In the past, I used to keep a beer review blog. (I'm lazy and untapped is fun and simple- so I've migrated there.)

If you aren't aware, untapped has a check-in feature. Every time I post about a beer, the bar I'm drinking in gets free publicity. In fact, I use that location function to see what other customers at that bar enjoyed. It helps me choose where to drink and what to try.

Look, I don't hold it against you if you aren't into beer reviewing. That's fine with me. I get that the vast majority of drinkers- even the majority of serious beer lovers- aren't into beer blogging. Enjoy beer you way. I won't say a word about it.

Just let me enjoy beer my way without complaining about guys like me. Part of the reason we do it is to let others know where to find the good beer. In other words, we're trying to help you make more money.
 
I have talked to many brewery owners/brewers who are not big fans of ratebeer. It seems coincidental that the ones that don't like it are the ones who have mediocre ratings. Beeradvocate magazine did a great article a couple months back about brewers needing to grow thicker skin when it comes to less flattering reviews. With the explosive growth of craft breweries, these ratings websites are going to make or break many businesses.
 
BigJack said:
Being in the minority isn't the same as being abnormal.
Click to expand...

I'll 2nd that!

old pic3.jpg
 
CrystalShip said:
With the explosive growth of craft breweries, these ratings websites are going to make or break many businesses.
Click to expand...

Actually, not really.

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/devils-backbone-vienna-lager/95540/

Number one selling beer in my state last summer, over BMC.

It's a very nice beer, but being a nice, easy-drinking lager the beer snob crowd will never give it a lot of love. But still, it sells like crazy.

From the outside looking in, it might seem like internet beer reviewers have a lot of power, but most people do not look up beers on the internet when buying them. If ratebeer really carried so much power, no one would make session ales, and everything would be an imperial barrel-aged whatever.
 

Similar threads

dmtaylor
Peeves regarding homebrew forums
Replies
23
Views
1K
GoodTruble
G
P
What happened to IPA?
2
Replies
49
Views
3K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
GratefulBear
  • Poll
Corny Keg Showdown
Replies
30
Views
3K
mashdar
mashdar
seatazzz
Hiatuses.
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
mac_1103
mac_1103
M
Kegerator advice? Each one seems to have negatives.
Replies
26
Views
1K
Yesfan
Yesfan

Latest posts

Back
Top