Why are beer people so outraged?

Good read. Thanks for making it available. Hopefully no cats were actually ***** in the making of this story.

 

There are some people that just love to get outraged, no matter what their interest is. Beer is no exception.

On a side note, I have a friend that won't drink beer from a craft brewery once it's been bought by one of the big boys. I do not understand his viewpoint -- as long as the beer's good, I'll drink it.

 

Yup great stuff, people have to stop beating themselves up over beer.

I was actually at a local homebrewers club meeting last night. We made some small talk, shared a bunch of beers and had a good time.

One discussion came up about a guy who actually went to Belgium and said he was "disappointed".

Seriously? you go there and CAN'T find good beer?

People are doing this all wrong..

 

I use to frequent a progressive rock forum, there were some good people and I learned a lot, but there were so many condescending, pretentious pricks, that I had I left and never returned. My point, is that no matter what subject or area of interest, you always have this type of person. I can't stand them

 

"I'm going to Nuremberg/Prague/Bamberg/Rome/Paris- where can I find some Cantillon?"

Or what craft-nerds from all over the rest of germany start to ask now: "I'm going to franconia- where can I find craft beer?"....Where there can't you find craft beer??

 

I'd suggest one key to understanding some of the apparent inconsistencies (which the article doesn't discuss) is that those inconsistent statements the author points to often come from two different people with a different outrage about something.

 

There was a local release recently that was combined with a ticketed event that allowed you to drink the beer on draft. The event ran for two hours before they normally opened, they allowed bottle sharing inside and outside of the facility, and CLEARLY claimed they were allowing 300 free tickets for the event but only had 168 bottles for sale (it was their first ever barrel aged release and only had the one barrel).

Locals, who stand in line for hours for Black Friday, were pissed because they rolled in after the event started and showed up too late to get bottles. Because they ASSUMED not that many people would show up. Instead of being mad at themselves for their mis-calculation they shit all over the brewery for allowing too many tickets.

 

Does RateBeer really "turn over" 10M page views per month?

 

pure views, that wouldn't surprise me.

Unique user views, probably not. The RateBeer community is pretty damn small. But there's probably a lot of people who just read a lot there.

 

Just like a guy I have as a friend on Untappd that scoffs at any beer that does not come in a bomber and is not "imperial" "barrel aged" "limited release".

He will check-in something like year round stuff from Ballast Point, Lagunitas or Sierra Nevada and type "Ugh I could only find THIS at the store, meh" and give it 2 or 3 out of 5 stars.

Why do I even have him on Untappd?...

 

You can always remove them...

 

Exactly. I think I have left him in my friends list because his snobbishness entertains me.

 

I have a very intelligent Treeing Walker **** Hound that does look for things to howl at. It's in his blood. It is a cross species trait. Some of the beer kooks see nothing inconsistent about playing both sides (many sides) of any issue, and being loud about it!

 

The overall downturn in civility in society could not have been kept at bay from the beer community. The internets began turning people ten keyboards tall and bulletproof in the mid '90's. Honestly, how many internet jerks do you think have actually had any physical altercation, ever? So the forum communities in all walks of life have their tough guys that can anonymously spout off whatever bellicose rant they wish, since there is relatively little fear of repercussion and virtually no accountability. Beer world is no different.

Now if responses to your article from anonymous asshats contributes to the "worst 36 hours of your life" than I'd suggest either thicker skin or a new career.

 

My guess is they have abandonment issues. Or they are an only child.

 

I find this whole thing funny considering some additional outrage points here recently: a small, coveted brewery is expanding separate of any macro buy out and people are still mad. People also seem to get upset about beer made from treated waste water.

All that said, I know I am guilty of thinking I deserve a beer because it's made in Missouri, or it's a local power house beer that I've never had. I think beer should be shared, not held for value. But, that's me trying to get my hands on beers I've never tried before. Good read!

 

Nice read, OP. Personally though, the best quote in the piece is: “Those classic regional beers, people will get up in arms about. It’s heartwarming in a way, before it gets insane and violent, which usually takes about two tweets,” he says. “Then suddenly someone’s threatening to **** my cat.”

 

Good article. Guess I am glad my kids are grown and my deviant behaviour doesn't cause me to miss their events . I try to temper my actions with wisdom when it comes to beer. Just got back from an extended weekend in Napa (I volunteered to DD for the 11 with us), and the only thing on my find list was Pliny the Elder. My wife knew this and said lets just go to the brewery, but told her this isn't my trip, if I can't score it after hours, then it wasn't meant to be. Luckily everyone was wiped out after the first day, so me and my daughters found a tavern that had it, and got to pay one of my daughters back for scoring me a Heady. I have come to the realization that not everything needs to be available everywhere. Adds to the mystic and fun when you do casually score something unique. Also most whales that I have had, I can find something locally that tends to float my boat good enough.

 

There's also a "smartest guy in the room" complex that tends to happen online more than elsewhere. Usually in the form of being arbitrarily contrary. Some people seem to feel the need to be "above" everything. If people are outraged, these people say "it's just beer". If people say "it's just beer", these people will outline their passion in detail to prove how much more complicated/justified beer enthusiasm is, and to highlight how out of touch you are. I'm not sure where this comes from, but it seems to manifest online in every community, not just beer. I guess it's ego-stroking. Some people call them trolls, I call them assholes...because I'm so above them.