How do you educate people about hops?

Yeah, perhaps a little more diplomacy would help get the point across. If you are going to teach someone, it is best not to insult them first. Perhaps buying something might have gained you some "brownie points".

 

I like to make a game of it, I walk around the store and load up a flatbed cart with all the IPA/DIPAs I feel are past their prime, then I roll it up to the counter and ask them to get the manager. When the manager comes I tell them I would have bought everything on this cart if it hadn't fallen off....and I proceed to push the cart over.

 

I don't don't consider it my job to educate people about beer. If the beer is past the "best buy" date, I simply don't buy it. Not like that was the only beer available that day.

 

Only choice is to buy or not buy, no sense bothering a regular employee. It's up to the retailer what they want to stock and for how long and for what price. I imagine their main concern should be not moving that six-pack faster. They probably should not be carrying it.

 

That sir is hilarious, well done!

 

How do you "educate" self-professed beer advocates about the beauty of subtler styles?

 

I've considered asking for a discount a few times for beer well past it's prime (Mikkeller Single Hop Series for example, all of these are nearly 1 year old at the only that carries them) but then I figure "What the hell?" and pay full price for a few. I find them to be solid, although obviously more malty than I would (assume) they were originally. No loss in my book, no time wasted trying to get a discount on something I wouldn't in all likelihood get anyway.

EDIT: To answer your question OP, I would say that employees that enjoy craft beer already know about hop fade or will understand it if explained. The others (who will benefit from the info, if they work in a craft store) probably don't really care and just to do their jobs and punch out. Either way, IMO asking for a discount should be done politely and with the understanding that if they can't offer it and you are bothered by that fact, you can take your dollars elsewhere, go home and enjoy a beer. This last part, I find, is key to just staying cool and not letting things irritate me.

 

A graph of the correlation of most beer geeks ignorance about lagers to my personal level of frustration would be off the charts...

 

It was very funny, and I know it was a joke, Because no 1 would listen anyway.

 

I think its great you feel the passion for good beer, but taking it out on some one who "works" at the store, is not going to go well for either of you. Even managers who read BA, may disagree with your point of view. It up to you to make the right choices. I am one of those who likes DFH 90 older. Of course I am not a hop head.

 

Yep, AND distributors.

 

I are not a perfesshonal edumacator, it not my job to teech any1 about anyting.

 

I mentioned in a local thread about a shop that consistently has old IPA/DIPAs on the shelf (yes I know I normally don't care about an IPA being 2-3 months old) but this place had 6+ month old stuff on the shelf. The proprietor of the place wrote in the thread to let them and their people know when I come across the stuff....and even then I didn't see it as my place to pull the clerk aside and point out all the old stuff to them.

If they want me to police their inventory put me on the payroll part time. Otherwise I'll just keep passing the old stuff by.

 

You remind me of the driver of the truck that created the photo op in the picture used as my avatar, "Not my job."

 

How do i get this across to people? I don't. I don't feel I have a duty to educate anybody about anything just because I'm a member of this website. I guess I feel like being a polite and humble person is more important than educating someone that didn't ask to be educated.

 

I one time got a discount on a coors cause the mountains were not blue

 

just be glad you know are educated enough to know not to buy it.

 

Don't feel bad, people that have jobs at these places are very loyal and frankly many are thin skinned. You did right by voting with your feet. I catch hell for being too honest myself.

 

Heh...that's basically every day on BA for some of us!