confessions of a fraggin beer snob

[Homercidal]

If someone offers you a Bud Light, and you refuse, that may indicate that you believe your tastes are above theirs? Would that be considered rude?

Likewise, if you had a guest over and offered them a beer, would you say, "I'm sorry I don't have any sht beer on hand, would you care for some homebrew, or a Bell's two hearted?"

Where I live, it's kind of hard to find great beer readily available. Most people around here drink the basic BMC. They think that everyone will be perfectly happy to drink whatever beer is available.

 

[dontman]

This might be an age thing. When I was younger and went to a party or social event nearly everyone drank alcohol. Now when I go the ratio is reversed. A lot of people I know don't drink or drink only rarely. So that if someone offers you a beer and you say "no thanks" it really is no big deal at all.

If someone walks into my house and I offer them a beer and they refuse I have never in my life thought 'oh, they must be snobs, I am so offended.' What kind of pansy assed emo must someone be to be offended by someting so trivial.

On a similar note, most of my friends and family know that I am a professional coffee roaster and auction buyer. In other words I make a living being snobbish about coffee. Sorry to offend you but if you bust out the old percolator and can'o'preground coffee I am going to politely refuse.

But like someone else here said. Having a discriminating palate does not make you a snob. It is judging people harshly for their tastes (regardless of what they are) that makes one a snob.

 

[marubozo]

On my golf league my partner always insists on buying a 6-pack of bud light to split at the course. I don't really enjoy it, but hell, the guy is offering to buy me some beer and I'd honestly feel like a real douchenozzle if I said no thanks, drink all 6 yourself.

At the same time, if I drop by someone's house and they offer something like bud or busch it's a lot easier to just say no thanks since they probably just keep it on hand and didn't specifically buy it for you.

 

[ChshreCat]

I think it depends more on how it's handled. If someone says "Want a beer?" and you say "No thanks" that's a lot different from saying "What kind? Bud Light? Do you have anything better?" No?".

If they say "Want a beer?" then you need to say yes or no and take whatever they give you. That's just being polite. Someone extends hospitality and you either accept it or politely refuse but getting picky at that point would be rude.

I think that recapping a beer you've opened and putting it back in their fridge was quite a bit overboard. I might have called out "anyone need a fresh beer?" and hope that whoever says "yes" would want a Bud Light. If I didn't get an answer, I'd have drank it myself.

 

[dontman]

Agreed on all counts Cheshire. My first inclination is always to decline when offered a beer at a stranger's house, especially if they're offering options. I like most root beer, lemonade, and water, better than BMC. I can always change my mind later if I decide on second thought (once I see a beer I like) that I do want one.

In the golf scenario, I would really have to tell my friend that I did not like Bud light, OR, I would beat him to the punch and buy a six that I did like.

 

[arturo7]

I think it depends more on how it's handled. If someone says "Want a beer?" and you say "No thanks" that's a lot different from saying "What kind? Bud Light? Do you have anything better?" No?".

If they say "Want a beer?" then you need to say yes or no and take whatever they give you. That's just being polite. Someone extends hospitality and you either accept it or politely refuse but getting picky at that point would be rude.

I think that recapping a beer you've opened and putting it back in their fridge was quite a bit overboard. I might have called out "anyone need a fresh beer?" and hope that whoever says "yes" would want a Bud Light. If I didn't get an answer, I'd have drank it myself.

If someone says, "Want a beer?" I would reply, "What do you have?" If they say, "Bud Light." I would reply "No, thank you." Saying "Do you have anything better," is what gives beer lovers a bad name.

As for the recapping, screaming out "who needs a beer" is not always option.

 

[marubozo]

In the golf scenario, I would really have to tell my friend that I did not like Bud light, OR, I would beat him to the punch and buy a six that I did like.

I did that once, I got there early and grabbed a sixer of heineken cans (only options at the course are bud light, miller light, mike's hard lemonade and heineken). He was dumbfounded at the turn of events and was confused as to why I chose to pay a few dollars more for this "fancy" beer

But every other week he gets to the course way before me and already has the cart ready to go and the cooler full of beer. Yeah, I could just turn it down or break it to him that I don't like BL, but it isn't worth the trouble. It's cold enough that you can down it in a few big gulps without tasting much.

 

[MeatyPortion]

Now if it had been Blatz then you should have drunk it.

 

[Arkador]

If someone says, "Wants a beer?" I would reply, "What do you have?" If they say, "Bud Light." I would reply "No, thank you." Saying "Do you have anything better," is what gives beer lovers a bad name.

As for the recapping, screaming out "who needs a beer" is not always option.

my line is "I am alergic to rice, so Bud is out for me..." Weither it has rice in it or not, a BMC drinker won't know.

I'll drink most other domestic beers if a friend offers me one, but i do draw the line at bud.

 

[arturo7]

I did that once, I got there early and grabbed a sixer of heineken cans (only options at the course are bud light, miller light, mike's hard lemonade and heineken). He was dumbfounded at the turn of events and was confused as to why I chose to pay a few dollars more for this "fancy" beer

But every other week he gets to the course way before me and already has the cart ready to go and the cooler full of beer. Yeah, I could just turn it down or break it to him that I don't like BL, but it isn't worth the trouble. It's cold enough that you can down it in a few big gulps without tasting much.

Sounds like you don't mind drinking BL. Nothing wrong with that. I don't like it and don't drink it.

 

[david_42]

I've got a neighbor who drinks whatever is cheap. If we are cutting firewood and he offers me one, most of the time I'll drink it. He knows I homebrew and buy craft beers, but nothing I make would be safe to drink while using a chainsaw.

"I only drink Bud Light" and "I only drink IPAs" aren't in any way different. The are both snob reactions.

 

[arturo7]

my line is "I am alergic to rice, so Bud is out for me..." Weither it has rice in it or not, a BMC drinker won't know.

Why do you feel compelled to lie about it?

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

8 times out of 10 if it is BMC or nothing I have nothing. It is never alienating to turn down a beer. If someone is forcing you to drink any kind of alcohol, you should really start looking closer at the situation. I just do not like american style lagers. They taste horrible to me. I have them every once in a while but I just really don't like the flavor. I normally opt for water or juice or something if BMC is the only thing going.

Plus, I'm not really worried about not consuming enough alcohol. If I have a day without beer because I am stuck in a BMC wasteland I just don't loose any sleep.

 

[arturo7]

"I only drink Bud Light" and "I only drink IPAs" aren't in any way different. The are both snob reactions.

Why is it snobbery to prefer one beer or type of beer to the exclusion of overs?

 

[arturo7]

Plus, I'm not really worried about not consuming enough alcohol.

Amen to that.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Why is it snobbery to prefer one beer or type of beer to the exclusion of overs?

It is all about intent. Generally, when I turn down a beer I say, "No thank you, I'll just have a soda."

The snob would say, "Uck! BMC! How can you drink that shat! No way, I'll just have water, its better than that swill."

The first case, is polite and seems you just want a soda. If pushed I just say, I don't care for American style lagers, then make a funny comment along the lines of to each their own. There is nothing snobbish about not liking something.

It is only snobbery if you are a dick about it.

 

[wildwest450]

It is only snobbery if you are a dick about it.

Or if you open a beer then recap it and put back in the fridge.

To each his own, I can't stand most wheat beers.

 

[arturo7]

Or if you open a beer then recap it and put back in the fridge.

thus the confession

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

lol........

 

[Tonedef131]

Why is it snobbery to prefer one beer or type of beer to the exclusion of overs?

It's arrogance coupled to ignorance, unfortunately you find it a lot in the craft beer world. When I see guys turn up their nose at anything less than 30IBUs or with less than 5% abv I get very depressed. I personally like all beer styles, but I can understand if there is certain ones that others do not. But to say you only like one style, or to exclude an entire range of styles you are only limiting yourself and looking like a child.

Beer has always been the common mans beverage, and I am very intolerant of people trying to bring pretension to it. Beer should be available to and enjoyed by everyone. There is a reason beer has such a broad range of flavors and so many distinct styles, it has adapted to the tastes of everyone over time. Anyone who says they don't like beer has simply not experienced it enough yet.

That said I did start out drinking craft beer, I never drank any of the American Macros until a couple years ago and still do not understand the hatred for them (politics aside, I do understand that). Coors Original is a really nice beer, and I drink it often. I can see them not being your favorite style, as they don't offer many things that other beers do but it is still ridiculous to exclude the entire style because you don't like Natty Lite.

 

[marubozo]

Sounds like you don't mind drinking BL. Nothing wrong with that. I don't like it and don't drink it.

It's not that I like drinking it or would choose it over any other options, I just like being gracious and polite when someone goes out of their way to buy me something.

Just like when my grandmother buys me some tube socks for Christmas. I hate them and won't wear them, but I don't throw the bag of socks in her face and say "**** you grandma, I don't like these kinds of socks!@$%" I just say thanks and take them home with me where they might get worn on a rare occasion or turned into rags.

 

[delarob]

Or, you could fall in to the catagory that gets heartburn from swill. Bud, Coors, Busch... 1 can and it tears me a new one. Maybe it's the rice, I dunno. I had one guy says, "I have Tums" and still offered me a Coors. Dude, if I have to take an antacid to drink it, do you really think I want it that bad?

Most level headed beer drinkers have no problem and understand.

 

[Homercidal]

Or if you open a beer then recap it and put back in the fridge.

Is there something wrong with that??

 

[dontman]

I did that once, I got there early and grabbed a sixer of heineken cans (only options at the course are bud light, miller light, mike's hard lemonade and heineken). He was dumbfounded at the turn of events and was confused as to why I chose to pay a few dollars more for this "fancy" beer

But every other week he gets to the course way before me and already has the cart ready to go and the cooler full of beer. Yeah, I could just turn it down or break it to him that I don't like BL, but it isn't worth the trouble. It's cold enough that you can down it in a few big gulps without tasting much.

The golf course is, strangely for me, a place where I can drink almost any beer. Last week, someone handed me an icy Amstel Light at the turn and it tasted pretty darn good.

 

[wildwest450]

Is there something wrong with that??

reread the op.

 

[arturo7]

It's not that I like drinking it or would choose it over any other options, I just like being gracious and polite when someone goes out of their way to buy me something.

Just like when my grandmother buys me some tube socks for Christmas. I hate them and won't wear them, but I don't throw the bag of socks in her face and say "**** you grandma, I don't like these kinds of socks!@$%" I just say thanks and take them home with me where they might get worn on a rare occasion or turned into rags.

I understand what you are saying but I don't think the tube sock analogy applies. The tube socks are thrown in your drawer and you never have to wear them. The Bud Light you are going to dump down you gullet.

I guess there are two things at play here: A) how much does a guy hate Bud Light and B) how much a guy is worried about offending somebody if he says "no thank you"

Some people would rather drink BL than risk offending someone.

As I see it, if someone is offended when I turn down their Bud Light, the problem is theirs not mine.

 

[dontman]

I think the more appropriate analogy would be if your Grandmother offered you a glass of X'mas eggnog and you said "no thanks Nanners, I'm really not a fan of whiskey, but I would love one of them there Ruinations you have in your fridge."

 

[Gremlyn]

I went to an ale house tonight, they don't serve BMC. My kind of place! The bar tender was definitely a beer snob. Apparently I had the audacity to ask why they didn't have Stone on tap (99% of the good beer places in San Diego that I have visited have Stone), and got the response 'There is a lot of beer we don't have on tap', followed by a list of some very good beers they did not have on tap. Snobby point taken without offense! Stone isn't a requirement, I was just a little surprised. Not that there wasn't enough awesomeness anyway.

Oh, they had Alesmith's Speedway Stout, served it with a little piece of dark chocolate. SO GOOD.