In Praise of the Beer Snob

[Recluse]

As a proud home brewer, there is nothing I like better than sharing the juices of my labors with friends. I value their honest opinion, positive or negative to allow me to improve my brews.

Except.......

My circle of beer snob friends who are either homebrewers themselves or drink only high quality or craft beers routinely enjoy my homebrews or give me constructive advice on improvement.

Others who find out I homebrew and say "I like beer" but consider Budweiser, Coors Lite etc... to be 'beer' and have barely ingested a hop in anger usually take a few sips, say something vaguely complimentary and leave the beer mostly unfinished.

Now, I have no problem with people who like the Light American Lager, as I have put away quite a few of them myself, and on a hot summer day, they are pleasant, but it is kind of a waste of homebrew when the recipient is going to compare it to Coors Lite.

Every summer I decide to brew a lightly hopped summer session ale, but somehow it always ends up a bit more hoppy and a bit more alcoholic than I planned. This summer I am going to really try to make a light ale, if for no other reason than to have something to share with my "light American lager" friends.

Anyone else out there have these kinds of experiences?

 

[Nateo]

The more I learn about brewing, the more respect I have for BMC. There are a lot of crappy (acetaldehyde, DMS) low-quality mass-produced lagers, but I defy you to identify a single brewing flaw in Budweiser. To brew millions of barrels of beer to same spec around the world takes a tremendous amount of technical skill. I don't think people who sneer at the BMC crowd really know how hard it is to brew a flawless light lager.

IMO people who say "I only drink craft beer" are way more annoying than people who only drink BMC. There's nothing inherently better about craft beer, since taste is subjective.

 

[Recluse]

The more I learn about brewing, the more respect I have for BMC. There are a lot of crappy (acetaldehyde, DMS) low-quality mass-produced lagers, but I defy you to identify a single brewing flaw in Budweiser. To brew millions of barrels of beer to same spec around the world takes a tremendous amount of technical skill. I don't think people who sneer at the BMC crowd really know how hard it is to brew a flawless light lager.

IMO people who say "I only drink craft beer" are way more annoying than people who only drink BMC. There's nothing inherently better about craft beer, since taste is subjective.

I agree with you 100%. My point was that the taste of most homebrew has more in common with craft beer, (maltier, fuller body, more hop character) and people who like craft beer will more likely enjoy homebrew.

I actually dislike a lot of 'craft beer' because the theme seems to be "HOW MANY IBU CAN WE CRAM INTO THIS!!!!???". Aside from the occasional IPA, I tend to like less hoppy beers (but with a nice hop character) and my homebrews are generally in 20-30 IBU range. This is still astronomical compared to the BMC type light lagers.

 

[Nateo]

my homebrews are generally in 25-30 IBU range. This is still astronomical compared to the light lagers.

Domestic light lagers have gotten less hoppy over the years. I've heard Budweiser, for instance, had twice as much hop flavor and bitterness in the 70's, on par with continental lagers. IIRC Budweiser today has about 12 IBUs. Boulevard makes a pilsner that is really good, and that only has 16 IBUs. FWIW the Beeradvocate score for Boulevard's Pilsner is 84. I'd wager if the same exact beer has come from AB "beer guys" would hate it.

 

[bb239605]

The more I learn about brewing, the more respect I have for BMC. There are a lot of crappy (acetaldehyde, DMS) low-quality mass-produced lagers, but I defy you to identify a single brewing flaw in Budweiser. To brew millions of barrels of beer to same spec around the world takes a tremendous amount of technical skill. I don't think people who sneer at the BMC crowd really know how hard it is to brew a flawless light lager.

IMO people who say "I only drink craft beer" are way more annoying than people who only drink BMC. There's nothing inherently better about craft beer, since taste is subjective.

Acetaldehyde (green apple like flavor/aroma) is present/detectable in Budweiser and some would consider this a flaw. Personally i don't care for it but it is not very noticeable when very cold.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

BMC is about less (Usually too much less)
"Craft" beer is usually about more (Often too much more)

Needless to say, I'm somewhere in the middle as I enjoy a good session ale.

 

[arturo7]

My name is Arturo7, and I'm a beer snob.

I do not enjoy light American lagers at all. I'll choose sobriety if there is nothing else available.

 

[Slowfro]

My name is Arturo7, and I'm a beer snob.

I do not enjoy light American lagers at all. I'll choose sobriety if there is nothing else available.

Lets not get crazy here! My fridge is packed with wonderful homebrew and craft brew, but there's always some cheap swill around. A couple of friends haven't made the full turn to drinking "good" beer yet so I try to please them and brew lighter stuff to try to help convert them. And on a 5 day fishing trip where you're on a secluded island it's way easier to transport 30-packs of aluminum cans, and much easier to clean them up! I won't turn my nose up at BMC but I won't pick them first for my team either.

Speaking of...time for a new beer! Cheers everyone!

 

[BrewKnurd]

Knowing what you like and drinking it to the exclusion of other things is not snobbery, and is really a very reasonable thing to do. Caring about what others drink And looking down on then for their choices is snobbery, and I don't see the point.

Don't be a beer snob.

 

[VABeerSnob]

Oh heck, I thought this thread was about me. Oh well.

All kidding aside, I can answer affirmatively to the question at the end of Recluse's original post. I even bought some amylase enzyme to make a light beer, and I just can't bring myself to do it. I like full-bodied beers. My friends will just have to accept that.

 

[Nateo]

knowing what you like and drinking it to the exclusion of other things is not snobbery, and is really a very reasonable thing to do. Caring about what others drink and looking down on then for their choices is snobbery, and i don't see the point.

Don't be a beer snob.

+10000

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I think there are probably more BMC drinking beer snobs out there than craft brew drinking beers snobs. I've lost count of the number of people I've spoken to that swears that only their own favourite brand of fizzy yellow stuff is the only beer really worth drinking. The power of advertising has a lot to answer for.

 

[Nateo]

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Wingnut (it's about politics, but I think it's applicable here)

Anytime anything is popular, there will be people who only like it because it's popular, and there will inevitably be contrarians who only hate it, or like the opposite because it's unpopular. Both are equally stupid, IMO.

 

[idahobrew]

BMC is about less (Usually too much less)
"Craft" beer is usually about more (Often too much more)

Needless to say, I'm somewhere in the middle as I enjoy a good session ale.

Just tried some session yesterday. Very nice.