Why are some professional craft brewers apathetic?

You might have to ask them.

 

One big difference between being a home brewer and an actual brewer is that home brewing is something you do for fun on the side. Brewers rely on brewing beer for a living. Many people who love their job can still get sick of it at times. All these guys do day-in and day-out is live beer. I'm sure they need a break once in awhile. At least they are cordial with you. Cut them some slack and enjoy the rather surface conversation.

 

Living/breathing/working anything gets old. One of life's slap in the face.

There was a great post on the Great Lakes forum a while back about Dan the head brewer at New Glarus. The gist of it was the poster brought a really old bottle of a NG beer to the brewery and shared it with Dan. Dan was all excited about it, took pictures, sat down, had a conversation, etc, etc.

Some years went by, and that same individual went back to New Glarus with another really old bottle, and tried to spark up another conversation with Dan. Dan said something to the sort of, "If I gave everyone 20 minutes, I'd never sleep."

 

Have you ever considered that the conversation you are having with them is something they have multiple times a day, for years on end?

As a business owner myself (not in beer) I'm always a bit wary of the customers who cozy up to me. Not because I don't value their support, or enjoy conversing. I do, I really do. But there is this pattern 9 times out of 10 where the folks looking for face time always seem to be the ones seeking some sort of some special accommodation, or something free, etc.

So while I'm always cordial, I try to keep things short and to the point. It's the only way for me to be fair to every one I deal with.

 

I met the head brewer of Barley's in Columbus who gave us his card and was sorry for not having a dark offering on the tap handles....the waitress must of said something which is fine by me. He came over, apologized, and was grateful we came by each year on our pilgrimage to Wooster, and offered a special brew he had. Talked a few minutes and he was more than kind and considerate, as well as informative. Depends on the day you catch them I would guess. The next year (the present one) we (the little lady and I) met the brewer of Zauber in Columbus, and he was less than talkative and pretty put-offish. Again, might be the day you catch them on. Met rock and death metal super stars the same way. Some awesome, and others rather rude. Can name an easy 10 great ones, and 10 not so good.

 

How much do you talk about your work, when not working? End of the day, dudes might be tired, and having the same conversation for hundredth time that day. Folks get tired.

 

1) Making beer
2) Servicing the public, and/or doing publicity for said beer
equals two VERY different things. Some are cut out for one or the other, a lot fewer for both.

 

Uh, I'm going to pick its a Florida thing.

 

Besides those mentioned above, maybe they're just tired.
Schlepping bags of grain up and down ladders, weighing out pounds and pounds of hops, shepherding all that boiling and not boiling water around, cleaning stuff up... that's a long day, and I bet they're at it long before most of our alarms are going off in the morning, and possible at it long after we're home for dinner.
Of course, that isn't even counting filling kegs, growlers and potentially pints, and the whole schmoozing bit.
Multiply that by not really having a day off...

 

I imagine that a good number of them are introverts. Introverts by nature tend to get drained by people and activity and if they're chilling out not working they probably aren't feeling overly social. Speaking from personal experience.

 

I think between this and the "Retailers - What kind of beer customer annoys you?" thread, I'm never going to talk to anyone at a brewery or a beer shop ever again. I'll just order/buy my beer and just drink in peace.

 

I think the interaction was more common and welcome in the past, as in... 90's and prior. It felt a lot more like a niche community then. One example of this in my mind was how some of the VERY SAME brewers were at the GABF back then vs. recent years. Night and day differences in some cases. I remember chatting with Michael Jackson when he had a short line for book autographs too, but that's another thread.

Now it's more mainstream with masses of people. About as worthwhile for a restaurant chef to talk to a patron who loves pizza. Really? You like pizza too? Ok. Uhm. Yeah.

 

For the good stories get to know the brewmaster assistants.

 

OP, Are you home brewing all grain? That crap generally sucks. Me and a buddy do 20 gal (10 in each 15 gal. brew pot) at a time. It is mostly considered 'WORK' on our days off. 3+ hours of cleaning and scrubbing. Moving heavy items, prepping other spaces. I think in general, its a labor of love that has gone on for possibly too long for many large scale brewers.. Plus they have tons of money invested so their interests are on a larger scale

 

Cue the Shaun Hill/Hill Farmstead comments. Guy is as awkward as they come but makes great beer. I'd rather he make great beer than he be a great conversationalist.

 

The good people on this very site regularly demonstrate that a brewer's momentary verbal faux pas will be punished severely.