Pranking Beer Snobs

Yup... taste is highly influenced by expectations many of the older members know this from our younger selves.

Obligatory: Get off my lawn!

 

I'm curious if, prior to their tasting, you gave them the impression that either you really enjoyed the beer or that craft-enthusiasts in general were really enjoying the brew. Do you remember specifically what you told them about the beer they were about to sample?

There's no doubt in my mind many self-proclaimed beer connoisseurs really don't know much about beer, but I still can't help but feel that the discussion of the beer prior to the tasting greatly influenced their behavior. If that is true, it's still funny, as it could show that simply "hyping" a beer leads to people enjoying it. At the same time, it leaves this little experiment vulnerable to the possibility that they actually hated it and were just saying they liked it to "fit in" with a perceived norm.

 

Adding on to the comment about the two reactions to this.

I think most people find this funny, wish they could have participated to see how they would have done, and regardless of the out come would write the whole thing off as a great lesson learned in the power of our personal basis.

Than there are some that would be deeply offended if this was done to them,

For these people, I recommend reading the Bros. Page on Respect Beer.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/respect_beer/
Specifically the section titled: “First, Keep It Real”

 

Ouch! Anchor Steam is an awesome beer in my opinion. Flavorful and sessionable, that's my kind of brew.

 

A large component of enjoying craft beer, whether anyone wants to consciously admit to it or not, is to equate the beer with the impage/perception surrounding it (whether it be the personality of the brewer, how hard it is to get, the art on the bottle/can, how other people perceive it, etc)....

...and when you drink it, you're essentially just experiencing the liquid attached to those perceptions.

It does seem 'fake,' but by admitting that I enjoy the perception of the beer I'm drinking, I separate it from how it actually tastes.

 

Link?

 

Agreed. Yeccchhhh!

 

Very funny... i do want to try this myself on some friends, but it is really not that surprising. There has been a fair amount of attention on this blind tasting and what we are really capable of tasting. There was one study that was done very similar to what the OP did, where people were lied to about what they were given, (some got shit wine and was told it was world class, while others were given world class wine and told it was shit). Overwhelmingly, people graded the wines more in line with what they were told. So the mind is definitely taking over, making us taste what we expect to taste, not what we actually taste. Although, there is a fair amount of research out there to suggest that most people's palates are not that great. Was reading one article where they were questioning the tasting ability of seasoned, trained wine judges.

 

Well, since we're throwing in our opinions...I disagree with you and think it's a great beer.

It is probably highly regarded because it's an original, the "first" (and only, thanks to their trademark) steam beer. It's a unique style, is flavorable enough to be interesting, but very easy to drink, a quintessential quaffer. Anytime I see a California Common offering, I spring for it and see how it stacks up to Anchor Steam. Most don't come close.

 

Maybe along those same lines, the response to this prank (or whatever you call it) likely would separate out 2 kinds of craft beer people. The first group would be a bit embarrassed, have a good laugh and probably have an in deprh discussion about bias and perception. Those are likely the geeks. The second group would just give you the stink eye and not invite you to their Barrel Aged Orphan Tears Dark Lord tasting. AKA snobs.

 

It was "really good" for a malt liquor, but you have to like malt liquors! I think they hit the mark perfectly though because it was definitely a malt liquor, but it tasted better than any 40 I've ever had!

 

Classic. Did that one once with regular Narragansett.

 

I actually did a similar thing! I got a 40 of OE from my boss (long traditional gift) and took it out to a winter fire event we had with some neighbors. I told them it was a home brew that they needed to try. One asked me if it was a pilsner. One asked how I got the carbonation so good. All 5 guys enjoyed it until I told them it was OE. I think all but one stopped drinking it right away.

I think people are not critical enough of homebrews (that, and/or the people I was with weren't very good at tasting beer).

 

I don't know why this is even remotely a surprise.

Bias, both intentional or unconscious, on the part of the experiment designers, the subjects, and even on the people analyzing the data, is a well known issue with scientific investigations. It is the very reason blind or double-blind experiments exist. The preferences or expectations of the testers and the subjects WILL influence the test results. If your tester and/or subjects are part of a enthusiast group, the bias would be even more pronounced, I would think.

Anyone here who thinks they could NOT fall victim to such bias is only fooling themselves... maybe not in the specific prank the OP pulled (especially if you are already familiar with the actual beers being used), but your bias can and does influence every review you write. That's just the way humans are.

 

Unfortunately then, it is not possible to conclude that these guys couldn't tell the difference between Anchor and Bud Light as a result of their "heaping praises" on the samples.

Still a funny thing to do though, as I'm sure it got some laughs/pissed a few folks off. Those guys are likely to be much more cautious when "buying into the hype" in the future. That's a good thing!

Salute!

 

Is this behavior considered something to laud? If so, what does this say about those lauding it?
I have absolutely no interest in provoking an argument here, (to me, it seems that is what the OP accomplished), instead I wish to know what this "prank" accomplished. A single group of folks got a comeuppance? Just fun? I find it hard to believe anyone would mistake Bud Light for anything other than an average lager. All we have is the OP's word that this actually happened.
Back to my Hop Nosh, I guess...