Hey beer nerds, judges and cicerones, don't be a beer snob

[gbx]

I work in an office and today we had a late Friday afternoon meeting and management bought a few cases of beer. And not ****ty beer, it was beer from the brew pub 2 blocks away that has recently opened a second brewery and is now selling bottles (a pale ale, a black ipa and a red ale). One of my co-workers who is a serious craft beer nerd refused to drink it. When asked why, he said “its just kind of boring”. Afterwards he broke out a bomber of some chilly spiced beer from a brewery 1000 miles away that nobody has heard of. That to me is crossing the line from beer geek, past beer snob and onto full-on beer ******. This wasn’t a “proudly macro brewed” lager he was turning down but even if it was, YOUR BOSS IS GIVING YOU BEER, DRINK IT! Remember that Super Bowl bud commercial everyone was upset about? THIS is what they were talking about! Beer tastings and bottle exchanges are fun but don’t be those hipster nerds sniffing their ale when there is a real party going on.

If it isn’t part of the cicerone curriculum already, how to drink a beer like a normal person should be. After I did my BJCP exam I was mentioning to the guy from my home-brew club who runs the testing here how it had kind of ruined just drinking beer for me. He told me to buy six pack of whatever crappy beer I started underaged drinking and a six pack of the beer that first made me actually interested in beer and then get wasted. Taste and analyze at first (because you can’t turn it off) but then just get hammered and appreciate it for what it is. It was great advice and should be the final class of any beer certification.

 

[Brettomomyces]

I think this should be retitled to "don't be a ****** and remember basic manners when around people". There will always be that one person who has to be just a little better that everyone else. Sounds like you had a good time at least

 

[b-boy]

I don't know anyone like that, but if I did I smack them upside the head. Hopefully they'd do the same for me.

 

[passedpawn]

Those situations are great opportunities for you to shine. Just be an adult, act like an adult, and congratulate yourself later with a beer of your choosing.

You'll set the example.

 

[tgmartin000]

Yea, that's *****ey.

 

[McKnuckle]

In my book, a "serious craft beer nerd" still ranks lower on the sophistication totem pole than an enthusiastic homebrewer.

 

[Teromous]

Remember when the biggest problems we had with beer drinkers were people becoming alcoholics and angry drunks?

 

[joe_four_strings]

Beer ****** indeed... smh...:cross:

 

[madscientist451]

I don't like boring beer either, but if it was FREE, that makes it more interesting. The people that need to read this thread never will or if they do see it, they won't change. Snobby *****ebags act that way because they can't see themselves as other people do.

 

[JonM]

Hopefully that ****** will have a moment of self-awareness in the next 48 hours, realize that he was a dick in front of the boss, and be like:

 

[Remmy]

I work in an office and today we had a late Friday afternoon meeting and management bought a few cases of beer. And not ****ty beer, it was beer from the brew pub 2 blocks away that has recently opened a second brewery and is now selling bottles (a pale ale, a black ipa and a red ale). One of my co-workers who is a serious craft beer nerd refused to drink it. When asked why, he said “its just kind of boring”. Afterwards he broke out a bomber of some chilly spiced beer from a brewery 1000 miles away that nobody has heard of. That to me is crossing the line from beer geek, past beer snob and onto full-on beer ******. This wasn’t a “proudly macro brewed” lager he was turning down but even if it was, YOUR BOSS IS GIVING YOU BEER, DRINK IT! Remember that Super Bowl bud commercial everyone was upset about? THIS is what they were talking about! Beer tastings and bottle exchanges are fun but don’t be those hipster nerds sniffing their ale when there is a real party going on.

If it isn’t part of the cicerone curriculum already, how to drink a beer like a normal person should be. After I did my BJCP exam I was mentioning to the guy from my home-brew club who runs the testing here how it had kind of ruined just drinking beer for me. He told me to buy six pack of whatever crappy beer I started underaged drinking and a six pack of the beer that first made me actually interested in beer and then get wasted. Taste and analyze at first (because you can’t turn it off) but then just get hammered and appreciate it for what it is. It was great advice and should be the final class of any beer certification.

I can't stand people like that!

 

[drainbamage]

Sounds like a *********, but there probably isn't much you can do to change him. Just try to lead by example, so people don't associate you with the same *****ebaggery.

 

[beergolf]

World class *****ery......

 

[Billy-Klubb]

WWBKD? every asterisk is a berry punch, "*Why * do * you have * to * * be * such * a floccing * be*er * *********?!?"

 

[1977Brewer]

WWBKD? every asterisk is a berry punch, "*Why * do * you have * to * * be * such * a floccing * be*er * *********?!?"

Can't like it, I'm on the mobile app. I like this.

 

[JonM]

It's Carol's birthday! Here, have a piece of cake!

No. This cake is boring and pedestrian. I only eat cake from artisanal bakeries that use organic, free-trade, sustainable ingredients harvested by elves and carried to market on golden chariots drawn by unicorns.

 

[HumulusHead]

It's Carol's birthday! Here, have a piece of cake!

No. This cake is boring and pedestrian. I only eat cake from artisanal bakeries that use organic, free-trade, sustainable ingredients harvested by elves and carried to market on golden chariots drawn by unicorns.

Wow what a ******. I would never even imagine stooping so low as to eat a cake that put poor elves to such terrible slavery.

I hope they aren't whipping the unicorns on the way to the market either, me and my peta pals will be all UP in dat shiz

 

[CJ-3]

It's easy to say the guy is being a ****** - and I completely agree with rhat statement.

It may also be that he was never taught social graces, which can be problematic for him later in life. I bet either the boss or an assistant caught that behavior and made a mental note of it.

To me the bottom line is if you don't like the beer, don't drink it. Only an @$$clown shows up the boss by bringing something "better" to the table at a party paid for by the company.

 

[CJ-3]

Wow what a ******. I would never even imagine stooping so low as to eat a cake that put poor elves to such terrible slavery.

I hope they aren't whipping the unicorns on the way to the market either, me and my peta pals will be all UP in dat shiz

That's so funny I wish I could like it twice

 

[Cyclman]

Good news is that hopefully, with such an utter lack of people skills, he won't be working there for long...due to pissing everyone off.

 

[Hamaki]

I'm not socially graceful myself and whenever I do or say something inappropriate for the situation I prefer the term "high functioning @sshole" over ******.

 

[MaxStout]

Maybe that coworker was raised by wolves. I can't think of any other reason why someone would lack such basic social skills.

Never look a gift horse in the teeth.

I wish people I work with would bring in cases of good craft brew to meetings. Looks like the OP's got an awesome boss.

 

[bobeer]

Free beer always tastes good.

 

[jspain3]

Learning about beer did not make this guy a ******. He probably had a long history of ******-baggery and is merely plying his trade in the beer realm, now.

I'll bet he corrects people's texts and FaceBook posts for grammatical errors, as well.

 

[lstorie1971]

Myself, I prefer well made classic styles to adding new and odd combinations of ingredients to beer just because, but to each his own. I guess I'm boring and unsophisticated.

And, not mentioned, but that's a really cool boss.

 

[Natdavis777]

I bet his palate is impeccable. Not...

When I meet people who do just that, I like to "lure" them into a conversation about a beer we are drinking and make a comment about the process (ie slightly estery, malty, dry finish, etc) and listen to what befuddled comment they make (which is typically wrong bc they want to act like they know about beer, but deep down can only regurgitate what they read on BeerAdvocate). I will then, in a polite manner, take them to school on what I meant by said comment, back it up with procedural info, and then watch said ****** have that overcoming realization of not really knowing as much as they think they know about beer.

This has only happened twice, but damn its nice to knock someone off their high horse when they act like a floccin snob.

My buddy from work had a IIPA tasting and I remember one of the guys dumped the last bit of a bottle in his glass to top it off, dumping all the yeast in. I said "you know you typically want to leave that in the bottle". He retorted "No man, this is the best part of the beer. Gives it flavor!"

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Myself, I prefer well made classic styles to adding new and odd combinations of ingredients to beer just because, but to each his own. I guess I'm boring and unsophisticated.

And, not mentioned, but that's a really cool boss.

I know, right?!? because I like my beer to taste like beer! cocoa, bourbon, and spices be damned! damned, I say!!

 

[Qhrumphf]

I like homebrewers. I tend to steer clear of "beer geeks" who are NOT homebrewers. This is why.

 

[Talgrath]

As a man who very seriously takes time to pick his beers in the beer aisle, screw that guy. If the beer is free and I'm in the mood for some beer, I'll drink it; even if it garbage like Bud Light. Someone offered you a gift and you turned it down because you don't like it.

 

[brettg20]

Wow...turned down fresh local beer for a spiced beer...I would disregard any beer knowledge he thinks he has

 

[joshesmusica]

I work in an office and today we had a late Friday afternoon meeting and management bought a few cases of beer.

while i agree with everything pretty much everyone is saying so far. i can't believe how little attention is being given to the fact that you had cases of craft brew brought to you by your management. at work. in a meeting! where in the hell do you work? what an awesome job!

 

[The_Professor]

Well, if the guy really thought the boss's beer was "kind of boring" I don't see the problem. And if he was just putting on a show about not liking the beer, other than him being an ass, I don't see the problem. No one else said their car was faster or that they played hockey instead of basketball at the party?

What is really weird is the OP then condemning beer nerds, judges and cicerones in general, apparently because he doesn't like the actions of this guy at the party and then going on to say how THAT bud commercial is right about beer snobbery.

 

[gbx]

Well, if the guy really thought the boss's beer was "kind of boring" I don't see the problem. And if he was just putting on a show about not liking the beer, other than him being an ass, I don't see the problem. No one else said their car was faster or that they played hockey instead of basketball at the party?

What is really weird is the OP then condemning beer nerds, judges and cicerones in general, apparently because he doesn't like the actions of this guy at the party and then going on to say how THAT bud commercial is right about beer snobbery.

Oh wait did I mention the dude is a cicerone? I guess I left that part out of the original post. No better way to justify your *****ery than a certification that says you truly are the sommeliers of beer. And yeah, the beer was boring if you can't appreciate a drinkable, well made beer and will only drink whatever is popular on ratebeer (ie. ridiculous 10%+ seasonal freak beers). We also weren't give the appropriate glassware for style and were expected to drink from the bottle like goddamned animals!

 

[Qhrumphf]

We also weren't give the appropriate glassware for style and were expected to drink from the bottle like goddamned animals!

The horror! What kind of Philistine drinks beer from a bottle instead of a stemmed tulip?

:sarcasm:

 

[blackbeer]

the term "cicerone" has no place in beer. whoever came up with that term needs dunked head first in a bucket of trub.

 

[Qhrumphf]

the term "cicerone" has no place in beer. whoever came up with that term needs dunked head first in a bucket of trub.

I won't go that far. I respect Ray Daniels, and I respect what he was trying to do. Basically the service-side equivalent of BJCP certification. I don't like going into a beer bar where the servers don't know what they're pouring or how to pour it, and this is a way to rectify it. It wasn't designed to be pretentious.

Now, that some folks use it as a badge and think it entitles them is a different story, but that's not the fault of the Cicerone program. Just like BJCP judges who abuse their certification.

If he can't appreciate subtlety and nuance in a well balanced beer (what some folks call "boring") then he wasn't a very good Cicerone, that's for sure.

 

[The_Professor]

Oh wait did I mention the dude is a cicerone? I guess I left that part out of the original post. No better way to justify your *****ery than a certification that says you truly are the sommeliers of beer. And yeah, the beer was boring if you can't appreciate a drinkable, well made beer and will only drink whatever is popular on ratebeer (ie. ridiculous 10%+ seasonal freak beers). We also weren't give the appropriate glassware for style and were expected to drink from the bottle like goddamned animals!

Are you mad because that serious craft beer nerd cicerone refused the not ****ty beer, it was beer from the brew pub 2 blocks away that has recently opened a second brewery and is now selling bottles (a pale ale, a black ipa and a red ale) that you recommended management buy?

 

[gbx]

Are you mad because that serious craft beer nerd cicerone refused the not ****ty beer, it was beer from the brew pub 2 blocks away that has recently opened a second brewery and is now selling bottles (a pale ale, a black ipa and a red ale) that you recommended management buy?

No, mad because management bought us beer to drink AT WORK (which I didn't recommend btw) and it got **** on by someone who thinks putting a lime in a mexican lager is crime against humanity but enjoys a 9% imperial pumpkin ale if its from a microbrewery 500 miles away.

 

[Chadwick]

I haven't read 100% of these posts. I feel I've read enough to comment responsibly. So here is what I have to say about this.

Beer snobs will exist. You may disagree with their attitudes, their behavior, and their general disregard for common sense. These folks are not very popular personalities with me. But yet, they exist.

Sure, extreme beer snobs make us all take a look at ourselves and don't lie and say they don't. They make us get real about what we think and feel about beer. We should be thankful for the extreme beer snobs. Those crack-head beer drinkers and self-defined critics of good beer provide us a level of balance.

If the crazy beer-snobs like a beer, it might be an interesting beer. It will be different, it will be outside of the box. It might even suck. But that typically is worked out early in the process. In the end, if beer-snobs like something, it might be worth looking at.

So with that in mind, beer-snob people might be useful to help us find interesting beers.

Now for the bad. Beer snobs often disregard a good beer simply based on who brewed it.

Seriously? Who automatically disregards a beer simply based on who the brewer is? This is where beer snobs lose. I'm amazed at how quickly beer snobs will give a well-known commercial brew a poor rating simply because it is a well-known commercial brewer that made it.

The greatest fault of beer snobs is that they believe that only craft brewers can make good beer. As popular craft brewers in the USA are growing in popularity, they are growing in production. And it seems that while these folks are growing their breweries, the beer snobs are starting to shy away from them.

The beer snobs are either part of one of two groups. Group 1 - It can't be a commonly available beer for them to respect it. Group 2 - It isn't something that is a hot topic on the internet. Or, it isn't a super rare and publicly uncommon beer.

Beer snobs are dumb. Honestly, they should all be home brewers. But if they were, I would be annoyed be them.

 

[Rotor_Head]

The great thing about beer snobs though is that they provide a frame of reference upon which to consider home brewers. When looking through that frame of reference comparing the snob to the home brewer, I see home brewers as a group of patriotic and hard working men and women from a myriad of backgrounds bound together by the joy of making and drinking beer. It shows us how good we've got it to be able to be a part of such a hardy and quality group of people. Cheers!