The rise of the beer snob

[troglodytes]

Who can argue with that?

I stand corrected. That's badass!

 

[SEndorf]

There's a hint of truth throughout, covered heavily with the snarkyness, but what the heck, it's all good fun.

+1 Hint of truth indeed...Taking potshots at some of the craft beer antics is nothing new - and has been easy fodder for snarky writers for some time now.
Beer snobbery has been discussed at length and takes many forms.... I've seen a guy overreach to impress by taking a grandiose gulp, then loudly announcing the grain/hop bill to a group of people that could give a sh*t.
Some need to put down anyone who prefers bud, miller, etc.
There are countless examples whether we want to realize it or not.
However simply having a discerning palate because of our hobby does not a snob make.... It's interacting badly with others that creates the hob-snobbery..

 

[ryanryates]

Stereotypes? Because beer snobs all look like this, right?

 

[scootchu]

Like any other hobby, if you can call beer drinking a hobby, you will get the know-it-alls and and the know nothings. I see it everywhere. Stereo/Audio snobs and know it alls that talk down to people, Car snobs that barely drive their vehicle, but know it's the best because either they paid through the nose or the salesman told them so.

Then there are the no nothings who sometimes blissfully coast through life happy as a clam because after all, ignorance is bliss. Sometimes they can be lumped into the snob category, but the true snob doesn't acknowledge them as an equal, but other no nothings see them as genius.

I prefer to ride the middle, I like beer, but not all beer. I can't choke down a Miller Lite without something to cover it's taste. I'll wrap it in a used baby diaper sometimes just to not offend the serving host.

I like to try new beers when out to eat. Here's my scale: Me not like, Me like, Me love. I don't try to pick it apart. So, last night I was having sex with Penelope Cruz and wow her aroma was awesome, but I found her finish a little bitter. Can I just be thankful to God for letting me try.

If I love a beer I never want to see the bottom of the glass. Beer makes me feel good in more ways than one. It's fun to brew and try to create something that tastes good and can make you feel good.

For some reason, while reading the article I kept getting the image of a beer hipster in my head. I also thought while reading it, I like to brew beer and drink beer, I am a beer lover, I am a beer lover. Thank God I don't like Vodka, then a whole new can of worms is opened over top shelf brands. it all tastes like kerosene to me unless it's mixed into a bloody Mary.

Bah that's I feel about the article.

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Stereotypes? Because beer snobs all look like this, right?

No, but I chuckle every time I see bearded dudes in flannel drinking craft beer. I can't help it.

 

[pretzelb]

Some need to put down anyone who prefers bud, miller, etc.

I see this in this forum and consider it the first stage of being a snob. I consider this forum to be one of the most friendly but even here you can see it. I think most consider it cute behavior but the fact is you are looking down on someone who doesn't share the same taste preference in beer.

 

[Jasper18]

Is it ok or not beer snobbish to look down on a beer instead of the people who drink them?

 

[HopHeavy]

I have never met a beer snob I didn't like... as long as they brought beer.

 

[mattdee1]

Last week I took out a can of beer that I'd never tried before, poured it, had a few sips, and it was... OK. Not bad, not the best. But I'd had a long day at work, I only wanted to have one beer, and I wanted it to count. So, I dumped the beer and grabbed a different one that was indeed more enjoyable.

Ultimate *********: achievement unlocked!

Seriously though, to me, a "snob" is somebody who places "image" at equal or greater importance to the actual taste/quality of the beer. They won't be seen drinking -- or heard openly praising -- a beer unless it has some kind of "elite aura" surrounding it.

But there is also that person who is just curious and enthusiastic about exploring different beer brands and styles, rather than drinking the same fizzy, low-flavor stuff, 12 at a time, for years on end. I don't see why it is fair to apply a pejorative term like "snob" to somebody like that; in fact, to do so is to achieve nothing but sign-post one's ignorance and closed-mindedness.

 

[SEndorf]

LOL... I had this situation two weeks ago at a gathering. The host was a friend of a friend. He said, "I understand you brew beer but I'm sorry, all I have is Miller Lite." (He had been reading too many articles like the one posted and felt the need to apologize).
I told him I would love a Miller Lite.

It's not a matter of "choking one down"... they really have no flavor.

Or should I have gone into an oratory about his poor taste in disgusting pond swill and given him the breadth of my 'vast knowledge'?
What's the point of making someone feel bad.

 

[Devon]

Stereotypes? Because beer snobs all look like this, right?

That's pretty much the reason I avoid wearing plaid shirts. I already have a beard and glasses, I don't want to push it too far.

 

[DromJohn]

From the 60's to the mid-00's, I announced myself as a beer snob. I sought the best bars; talked bars and stores into buying cases by guaranteeing sales and was snooty about lite/light beers (I'll have water without ice).
While I still do all these things, I no long call myself a beer snob. I have been surpassed. And when I have been surpassed in Macon, Georgia, then the times have changed.

 

[pretzelb]

No, but I chuckle every time I see bearded dudes in flannel drinking craft beer. I can't help it.

I hate to admit it but the wife and I are on a roll lately identifying which bearded guy works in a brewery. I know it's a stereotype but we keep getting it right.

 

[user 125772]

LOL, reminds me of something that happened a couple days ago ....was sitting in the sauna after a workout with several men and one says , "did yall hear that they renamed Budweiser to America?" . A couple of them remarked on it as being a marketing ploy, etc., and when they looked at me , I said " I don't care what they call it, it still tastes like pi$$ to me, Do yall like that kind or beer? ". Then one of the older guys says " they payed my salary for 35 years, so yah, I do like it ."

:smack:
oops
I recon I was branded as a beer snob right there.

 

[MaryB]

My parents lived on the lake outside Darwin! Lake Washington!

Who can argue with that?

 

[b-boy]

I see a lot of beer snobbery at beer events. It's starting to seem like a wine crowd to me. A lot of sniffing, swirling, eyeballing, and mouth swishing going on. Plus, they have the need to constantly rinse their tasting glass between samples. Mostly guys with long beards, short hair, glasses, ear spacers, and neck tattoos.

To each his own.

In a few years, they will have moved on to something else.

We'll still be here talking about beer.

 

[jjeffers09]

I am glad I don't care what this dude thinks, that's part of being confident in what I like, what I don't like, and no a beer is not just a beer. Is a burger a burger? a taco a taco? a steak a steak? Is Chicken Parm just any old Chicken Parm? The list is endless and there is a real dedication to craft in beer. And yes dedication to a craft means any number of strong opinions. There is more change coming from the US markets. Finally people thrive on quality not market control. Should McDonalds be the source of the only meal in the world? Breakfast Lunch and dinner? Nope, I will 'Snob' it up. Day after Day I will go for quality.

 

[SEndorf]

My parents lived on the lake outside Darwin! Lake Washington!

Beautiful area!
The famous Darwin "ball of twine" is a great motorcycle day trip.
That is.... if you're into that kind of corny stuff like I am.
Just livin' life in the fast lane....

 

[pretzelb]

I am glad I don't care what this dude thinks, that's part of being confident in what I like, what I don't like, and no a beer is not just a beer. Is a burger a burger? a taco a taco? a steak a steak? Is Chicken Parm just any old Chicken Parm? The list is endless and there is a real dedication to craft in beer. And yes dedication to a craft means any number of strong opinions. There is more change coming from the US markets. Finally people thrive on quality not market control. Should McDonalds be the source of the only meal in the world? Breakfast Lunch and dinner? Nope, I will 'Snob' it up. Day after Day I will go for quality.

Where I disagree is when people turn their nose down at McDonald's after trying a gourmet burger they deem to be higher quality. I probably have McDonald's once a year so it isn't what I prefer, but I appreciate it for what it is. And I won't trash someone who likes McDonald's over my favorite gourmet burger.

They key is attitude. If you look down on something because you think it's mass produced and you look down on those enjoy it even with other options, then it's hard to come up with a more accurate term than snob.

I could be called a coffee snob because I buy my beans green and roast them at home at least twice a week to keep them fresh. The taste difference is astronomical IMHO. But when visiting others I will gladly drink instant coffee if I need to and I won't glare at host giving it to me thinking they have no taste or that they are some kind of mindless slave to marketing.

 

[Homercidal]

Who can argue with that?

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKeHQpT5wVE[/ame]

 

[GHBWNY]

I went out to dinner last Friday night at a local cafe. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and with it, a Labatt's Blue (Pilsener). Enjoyed it. Thoroughly.

 

[SEndorf]

OMG... That's funny! Thanks for posting Homercidal. I had no idea Weird Al did that.
That about sums up me and Minnesota. The only item omitted in that clip is Minnesota "hotdish"....
And we're not even off topic! See part at about 3:30

 

[b-boy]

Who can argue with that?

Donated by the Francis A. Johnson Trust.

Translation: All of his relatives sitting around trying to figure out how to get rid of that damn ball of twine that the crazy old coot spent 30 years putting together.

 

[MaryB]

That twine ball was built by thousands of people. You can still bring twine and add to it on some days.

Minnesota hotdish, good stuff! lol

 

[Natdavis777]

I had some friends (one a HB, one not) tell me they spit out some beer at one of the last brewfests we were at. Dont remember the reasons and dont care. I bluntly told them I wouldnt have done that. In my opinion it is uncouth. So its not a over the top hoppy IIPA (which I feel most people put judgement on, hop-forward beers). Get over it. Ive had my fair share of lack of hops beers that were proclaimed as much, but still drank it. Maybe talked with the brewers, got the recipe/water profile/etc and used it as a learning experience. I pass this info to my buddy I have gotten into brewing for notes.

I feel it gets one dimensional when people (not HB) overly judge beer bc 99% of the time its a hoppy beer they are trying to critique. I see it all the time at breweries and fests. Give them a malty beer and cat has their tongue.

Im not snob and appreciate all beer, but the greatest satisfaction is putting someone in their place (ie "This stout has subtle roasted/coffee notes yet retains a great amount of hop flavor, though not typical to style....") Well, it's a Black IPA so.... (true story)

 

[shortyz]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWBV7yKWhWE[/ame]


so many amazing lines. "baby dick belgian white"

i am so brewing that next.

 

[ImNoExpert]

so many amazing lines. "baby dick belgian white"

i am so brewing that next.

Pint glass please?

 

[Lefou]

I don't know anyone who would make a show of spitting out a beer they didn't like.

Taste is subjective. One man's trash is another's treasure, but I've been known to pour some very sub-par commercial beers tried out of curiosity down the sink and never buy the brand again - EVER.
When you find something you like, you stick with it and maybe even try to duplicate it on your own.

Life's too short to drink lousy beer, but you never know it's bad unless you try it and allow for a few mistakes.

 

[Lefou]

Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's good. It just means a lot of people admit drinking it.

Before I knew what it was, I decided to give the Dogfishhead brand a try. I don't like hoppy bitters, but that's what I ended up buying simply because I wasn't informed enough to purchase the right style. My taste runs to malty wheat beers with mild hops simply because I like the German styles.

Will I drink an American IPA? Probably not willingly, but I'm not going to tell everyone else how their beer should taste or even how to drink it.

'Taint right or polite.

 

[specharka]

HBT is the living proof that there is no snobbery amongst homebrewers. I've never seen a community so passionate, open and friendly. We all started somewhere and needed help and advice at one point.

Actually I'm sure this guy is not a homebrewer and is the snob himself. When people actually brew they understand the complexity of brewing a Helles, a Kolsch or any other German beer and not just IPAs.