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

[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 douchery 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 douchery 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!

 

[bjc1981]

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

You know, this is a fantastic quote. In my few years of homebrewing with friends and in group brews, home brewers are a humble bunch with great attitudes as it comes towards beer. I've only met one homebrewer that has come across as a snob (it was at a party of beer enthusiasts and he was just railing local commercial brew after local commercial brew until the point that everyone pretty much walked away). I didn't realize this until you just got me thinking about it.

 

[aangel]

Today's object lesson: don't be "that guy".

In fact, almost every social lesson worth learning is more or less "don't be that guy".

 

[GarageDweller]

I'm the one with the squinty eyes and thick beard.
Not the one with the curly mustache and round spectacles ---> :fro:

 

[passedpawn]

Today's object lesson: don't be "that guy".

In fact, almost every social lesson worth learning is more or less "don't be that guy".

Wheaton’s Law: Don't be a dick. It should be the last class you take before you graduate from high school. The world would be better for it.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

You know, this is a fantastic quote. In my few years of homebrewing with friends and in group brews, home brewers are a humble bunch with great attitudes as it comes towards beer. I've only met one homebrewer that has come across as a snob (it was at a party of beer enthusiasts and he was just railing local commercial brew after local commercial brew until the point that everyone pretty much walked away). I didn't realize this until you just got me thinking about it.

This reminds me of something...

One of my former coworkers is a homebrewer, so I cajoled him into joining our homebrew club. One day we all do a big beer tasting event as a club. Basically everyone at the event was a homebrewer, *except* my buddy's roommate, who was a consummate beer snob.

Good times. We had some amazing things, like verticals of Black Tuesday, Parabola, and even the Trader Joe's Vintage Ale.

As a joke, I had bought a 12-pack of Bud Black Crown lager, as it was new at the time and I wanted to taste it anyway. We had a quick tasting of it before we got to the good beers, and honestly the homebrewers were complimentary of Black Crown. While I haven't bought it since, it's actually a pretty tasty beer. Incidentally, it made a repeat appearance during the meal, as Black Crown lager goes much better with pulled pork and spicy cole slaw than Black Tuesday!

There was one guy at the event who refused to even taste the Black Crown... You guessed it, the non-homebrewer beer snob.

 

[JonM]

Wheaton’s Law: Don't be a dick. It should be the last class you take before you graduate from high school. The world would be better for it.

Reminds me of something written on the bathroom wall at my school: "If you don't know who the class jerk is after the first week of class, it's probably you."