Is Craft Beer Cringe Right Now?

People can drink whatever they want and I don't judge, but you'll have to pry my double barrel aged 15% ABV imperial stout from my dead carcass.

 

This X 1,000. Been saying this for years.

 

Did a very quick skim through the article..

I don't think I've actually used the term 'craft' in a while. I think I just tell people 'I like what I think is good beer.' That said, I've never turned down a free beer regardless of what it is.

But i can say....i care 0% about tik tok

everybody love everybody

 

She's quoting early 20-somethings who still think Chipotle is authentic or spicy wondering why people are passionate about a thing and why they would want to drink something that tastes like stomach acid.

First, I don't remember liking craft beer at that young of an age either. I know some who did, but, there's a reason they gravitate towards artificially flavored static electricity--and frankly I don't really care what they think about anything.

Second, no, no you should not waste your time on something that tastes like stomach acid. Of course not. But if you even begin to consider the possibility that there is a spectrum of flavor and that would be on the bad side of the spectrum, then you've already apparently become too serious about beverages according to the people she's writing about.

Really, the article seems like she's trying to make a trend of craft beer being cringe, instead of reporting on an actual trend, perhaps because some dudebro who just so happened to be into craft beer annoyed her one too many times in real life.

IMO people who think drinking is solely for the purpose of "having fun" tend to more often than not: 1. encourage or engage in toxic behavior and 2. have poor taste.

 

I don’t like the word “hate” - at ALL - but that is a word I think of when I hear the term “craft beer.” It’s just beer.

And I love beer like few others. But it’s just beer.

Now let me resume chasing my next whale. TIA.

 

Cringe? I really don't think so.

Expensive? Definitely. Almost to the point of being cost-prohibitive for many.

 

Why is it our job to tell Gen z it's okay to enjoy beer?.

 

This might be an unpopular opinion but I blame the HazeCraze and proliferation of pastry stouts for this. Once those 2 styles caught on they got to be far TOO ubiquitous IMO. Most of the mid grade haze & pastry brewers beers really DO taste like the same acidic or sugary shit over and over again despite swapping out the hops or candy bar ingredients for different ones because guess what - that's what they actually do! Shit got lazy and quality dropped. Even the good ones get lost in the sheer quantity of complete trash that's everywhere right now and I'm not afraid to admit I have by and large moved on despite still loving beer.

There are brewers who literally only do these 2 things. Most of these beers are laughable trash that costs way too much for a quickly diminishing experience. Don't feel like we as beer drinkers need to change because younger folks are savvy enough consumers to have more quickly figured out they are being swindled than the rest of us fanatics are.

 

Sabtos is spot on with his assessment.
.

Exactly. “Oh my god, this guy who couldn’t stop talking an about cheese tried to make me eat this moldy cheese and it tasted like a fart. I’m so triggered! I blame the patriarchy.

Bingo. It’s like they are trying to make the twitter level brain farts of a teenager become reputable journalism.

 

Having skimmed the article and most posts here, my take is this: First, yes, let’s ditch the term “craft” beer, as some regions already did years ago (along with “microbrew”). It’s just beer. And anyone who consumes beer for pleasure and also is “serious” about it is missing the point. While we’re at it, fuck all these TikTok kids—you think I’m going to give two shits what some illiterate prepubescent snotnose has to say? Now please, remove yourself from my lawn.

 

So, smelling a beer and taking pics and talking about the finer points of beer in general while in public pisses of the newest generation of drinkers?

I'm-a-gunna piss me off some young-uns!

 

Let's be honest, it makes sense for Gen-Z to find going to breweries cringe, they have mostly appealed to millennials (and older generations) and have been hugely popular for the last 10-12 years. Craft beer is no longer something new to get into, it is something lame old people like.

Many have the same old tired aesthetic and marketing. Most of the branding is tired and played out and does not appeal to younger or more diverse crowds.

 

In order to replace the term "craft", you'll have to come up with a good alternative. I don't think "non-macro" cuts it. It's a little snooty, but not worse than the nomenclature describing and defining wineries and wines. The term "craft" covers a lot of territory and has poorly defined boundaries. That makes suitably unclassy, at least for me.

 

This:

... and this:

 

I'd be careful about not caring what gen-z thinks. They're the next wave of consumers and if you don't care about them, there's a strong chance whatever you like is going to die out.

 

Or maybe we lost beer drinkers to bourbon because of the cringy beer drinkers.

 

If we could read, we'd be very offended

 

I looked at the article and will comment on one opinion:
"Breweries who make a balance of what brewers and consumers want to drink sans judgment or snark, and who are more invested in creating an engaging third place: not cringe."
A brewer who makes a balance between his and consumers preferences may not be "cringe". But he might not be in business very long. 20 years ago I would go to my local brewer for growlers of my favorite ale. When that variety stopped appearing, I asked the brewer/owner if it was coming back. He said it was a favorite of his, but it didn't sell well enough to continue brewing it. Brewing is not like writing software. Every beer takes significant money and effort, and unsold beer is an invitation to failure. With software, once you have the product, another copy sold costs almost nothing.

 

Shrug