A Rant on Beer Influencers

I'm not surprised by anything in this discussion, except the lack of condescending memes. This is still the internet after all.

Suggestions:
-Old man yells at cloud
-Skinner out of touch
-The Dude stirs white russian
-popcorn (various)
-Colbert welcome to the nerd zone

Other entries are welcome.

 

I think the main difference between an "influencer" (whatever the hell that is) and someone like a Cicerone sharing beer on social media is value.

The first is someone just showing a beer they drank, with no notes, insights or interesting tidbits to go along with it. Especially in the examples given of a can between some breasts. Nice to look at but has little to no value, besides... you know.

Most Cicerones or knowledgeable beer people I know that are on places like Instagram either are just sharing beers they enjoy because... they enjoy sharing them... or they're attempting to educate people on beer in some way, through the post or as a channel to the ways they do educate (publications, YouTube, training courses, etc). Some further still do blind tastings to challenge and develop their palates; they tend to give pointers to others on a similar path. I would say that has value.

Beer feels sometimes that it's a bit unique in that space because from what I see, a lot of them are sharing beer simply for the passion, and not hyping a product they don't care about it for money and not adding any value to it like the traditional "influencer." There are probably a solid number out there but you kind of have to like beer to some degree for it to even approach authentic.

 

I don’t know if I pay attention so much to Beer Influencers as I do to a couple guys who just talk about or post beer. I’ve alluded before to the fact I don’t care for long, drawn out reviews with flavor descriptors 99% of us can’t identify.

I’m not interested in “hype” beer releases. If you’re posting about something that is impossible to obtain for the majority of beer drinkers, more than likely I’m scrolling right past.

I tend to appreciate concise reviews/details about breweries and beers. Beer Talk, so to speak. Simple, easy to understand, relatable, news and beer info that I can appreciate.

I know the “type” of person you’re referencing, and I find it best to just ignore them. They don’t do anything for me, and I don’t project any energy; positive, negative or otherwise onto their “work”. It’s just not worth my time. Cheers.

 

I always find the best beer influencer is the guy pouring the beer.

 

I prefer to do an occasional travelogue about good beer in really interesting locales. This is what happens when next May I'll be 72. I've been all over this place. I don't care about numbers, I care about spinning a tale....

 

I was expecting a statement of "the guy buying the beer".

Cheers!

 

Do you maintain a blog (or something similar) where you document your beer travels?

Cheers!

 

Handwritten in an old Grumbacher sketch book. I have many of them, it's an old habit and I love it. No blog for me. It would be a leap of faith to go all digital........But I have told stories around here that seemed to strike a note.

 

Well, maybe some day you will take that leap.

For your reading pleasure my travelogue for my two week visit to the Czech Republic (based in Prague) in 2019:

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Czech_Beers

Cheers!

 

I read it all.

 

I no idea what this about.

 

I can't think of anything that has a more direct impact on my beer selections than the BIFs I participate in.

Hear me, O Beer Influencers! You want to influence me and affect the beers that go into my fridge and eventually my mouth? Send me beer! Message me for details.

 

I neither.

 

Well.. it kind of got a bit redundant, most of what I've seen and done is really repetitive.

It's also another reason why I stopped making my own vids.

Nobody is forcing you to watch either.

 

Darwin works in the industry, is training for his advanced cicerone exam, and does great reviews. I would not classify him as an influencer. He's just a great dude that loves beer.

 

Do you have an objective definition of what "influencer" means?

Cheers!

 

Anyone who likes beer that isn’t me.

 

I don’t need an influencer to tell me Hazies are terrible.

 

Influencer tip of the day:
With the lights out, all beers look the same.

 

Early influence really counted. Michael Jackson was probably the most influential influencer of all time. He got compensated by breweries too (endorsement of Henry Weinhard Private Reserve, for example). Fred Eckhardt (early homebrew pamphlet and early regular beer-centric newspaper column) and Charlie Papazian (AHA, Beer Festival) also come to mind. Most of the recent pretenders are lost in the noise.