Sometimes it devolves like this:
Newly signed up OP: "Hi all, I just brewed a ____, and ____ happened. I tried doing ____, but nothing worked. Can anyone help?"
20 or so HBT members jump in, and some ask: "Tell us more about your process, gear, ingredients," etc.
Newly signed up OP disappears.
A few more HBTers take a WAG at the problem.
Still, not a peep from newly signed up OP.
Nothing gets resolved, so the jokes fly. Hilarity ensues.
Then comes the snark and the memes.
Then members start waxing nostalgic about other fun threads like "Please Delete," interesting people from our past like
@ismellweird, or start discussions of drywall beers.
Then Google indexes the thread. Now people from outside HBT can stumble in and be baffled.