Beer & Brewery Pronunciation

I can't give in...not by the hair on my chinny chinny chin. Abacus it is.

 

The guys from Firestone insist on calling it Abacus and suggested drinkers do the same.

 

dude, it's FIGH-ear-stone. Get with it, jeez!

 

You're definitely right, but I just wanted to give approximations for English native speakers.

Trying to explain the Belgian w, g, ui, and ij sounds are especially difficult for English native speakers to get right.

 

The first one I learned was WHOGARDEN (Hoegaarden). I thought it was HOEGARDEN. I think this was my first encounter with a beer snob who corrected me.

 

Farmhouse ale

 

Since this thread is still going strong, Pliny is my biggest beer mispronunciation annoyance. Even people at the brewery get it wrong. It's "Plinny" not "Pli-ney."

 

I went into a beer store and asked for Unibroue Terrible a while back. I asked for Terrible in the American pronunciation. What I got was the condescending little shit saying to me "you mean LE terribley?" I said (even though I think HIS pronunciation was wrong) "well...I don't call Germany Deutschland because I'm not German." They can focus on the pronunciation, I'll focus on the beer and having a good time. This weekend I'll be going up north to enjoy the Hill Farmstead anniversary...I'm going to pronounce it "Hillshire Farms" (like my wife does) all weekend, and that Terrible guy can eat shit.

 

It's beer, man. Enjoy it. Love it. Mispronounce it and laugh about it.

 

I asked a Frenchman visiting from France to pronounce the word as it was written on one of their bottles which I showed him. (I just pointed to the word to hear what he said)
It was OO-knee-bru. The OO as in boo (to scare someone) and the French R comes from the throat.
I spent 3 months in Mexico traveling the whole country with a backpack. You learn quickly the way you pronounce their words and the selection of words carry as much or more meaning than what you think you are saying. There are polite, familiar (formal and informal), and criollo words/pronunciations you need to get right.
When you pronounce your words in criollo to the rank and file citizen it can be taken as condescending.

 

One I can think of off the top of my noggin is the Ommegang brewery, which is pronounced "owe-meh-gang". Took a tour ( highly recommend it" ) and tasting, I still can't believe it was like $12 for both for two people! Even though I'm not a fan of the Belgian style, they make some good brew.

 

You are correct. I remember when there was thread on BA after Double IPA's first came out. "That new style Double IPA" was the thread title, IIRC. Whatever, IIPA is the shorthand way of writing Double IPA. Amazing there is a group of folks, or at least two, who thinks saying Deepa means something.

 

I wanted to punch the Schlafly rep the day that Knoxville started carrying them. Me, my friends, and a bar owner I went to all called it Schla-Fly for the longest time. Sorry. It makes sense. That's how it looks, that's how we pronounced it. Then the brewery came to our humble city and I went to a bar and ordered one. He let me know quick that it is Sch-Laugh-Lee. Then he rolled his eyes. Thanks bro.

 

http://www.hsbeer.com/beer/big-dipa/

Next time he does that show him this link. Pretty self-explanatory. It has someone looking at a constellation of stars, (maybe the big dipper?) on the beer bottle and it's called "The Big DIPA". So, tell him to go play in the street. You're right.

 

This is just my guess, but wouldn't you pronounce DIPA like "Dee-Eye-Pee-Aye". Just like professional sports leagues, National Football League (NFL) is pronounced "En-Eff-El"
I don't think its meant to be like an acronym like NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) said like "Nate-Oh".

That is just my guess. Anyone else agree or disagree?

 

From my Latin lessons at school I would rhyme Pliny with shiny. But his real name was Plinius which suggests the i is short as in miniskirt So both pronunciations have some validity.

A brewery (and castle , see my avatar) often pronounced incorrectly is Belvoir. This is pronounced "Beaver" , like many place names it isn't pronounced as it is spelt.

As Jeremy Clarkson said about a Porsche , if you can't be bothered to pronounce the name correctly you shouldn't drive one

 

LAH-GOO-NEE-TAHS, not Langolitas, not Lagoontas, not langahrmmlmts... Christ, there is a pronunciation key PRINTED ON THE LABEL! Same with Uinta!

 

Totally depends.. once you really get into

Vy- ehn - shteh - fa - nuh

 

There used to be a web site that had Belgian beer pronunciations in Wallone, Flemish and American English. I would post it, but it hasn't worked for a few years now.