I don't agree with the idea that you hide it...sorry but if you hide it from the light of day like it's a cockroach, then you are perpetuating the myth that it is something to be ashamed of..actually Beer is all over the place now..it is the new black...or at least the new "wine."
The New York times does articles on beers and beer bars all the time, and review and beer food pairings.. the Canadian Broadcasting Company (never a paragon of the avant garde) has two beer experts, one in Windsor and one nationally....ANd they are on every week answering listener questions, and recommending new beers to try/
That perception of something to be ashamed of is changing as Craft beers rise in popularity, and names like Sam Adams are on tv...if you google beer food pairings you will find out how seriously popular beer is becoming...and not just to beer geeks like us...It may not seem like it in your "circle" but beer is hip right now...maybe more so than during the craft beer "revolution" of the 80's
Even Budweiser is trying to make it hip....WTF do you think Bud American Ale is all about??? .betcha it's all hoity toity on the superbowl commercials....no farting horses for that product....
Beer is being called the "New Wine" in places like the New York Times, or like this article from the Washington Post
Heady Complements - washingtonpost.com
There are articles in just about every magazine and newpapers about food and beer pairings...You can take (and teach) classes on beer and food, and even homebrewing at adult ed and community colleges now....
Sam Cagilione was featured in the New York Times.
The Mayor Protem of my city is a homebewer and was in an article about it...
It is a great time to be a home brewer, and knowledgeable about beer in general. I'm on a couple of other non beer related forums (including a dating site) where I have homebrewer in my profile, and I get a lot of food/beer pairing questions from people, especially women on the dating site...It's usually the conversation opener when a woman writes to me on the dating site.
If a 40 year old women wants to know what beers to pair with chocolate cake for a dinner party...then you know there is a shift happening...
Don't be ashamed about it, be ambassadors of it, be proud about it..be intelligent about it, teach about it..show that this is different from drinking mad dog in a brown paper bags in the alley...Show how you are responsible...not some closet lush....Teach them that there is nothing to be ashamed of...