Stop being snobs

Let's play a game, both dudes I work with but only one is a confessed beer snob.

 

I'll drink to that.

 

Holy cow. Cant agree with you anymore. I hate when people are snobbing out. See it alot here in Michigan . I have been trying to spread the love. Beer it Foward!!!!
Cheers!

 

There's two sides to every story, no one likes the guy thats a self-professed beer know-it-all, but everyone dislikes the guy that goes to a taproom/craft beer bar and orders Corona as you're missing the point of being there.

 

There have been some great points made, but if I were most of BA, I wouldn't be so quick to point the finger. Just look at the post "Top 20 Beers By Sales In US". Looks like everyone here is a beer snob, looking down on macro brews and the people who buy them.

It's just in the nature of people who have become more educated and refined to knock those who aren't, no matter the product. Just be happy that beer has come this far, to now being something people can even be snobby about in the first place.

Cheers

 

If I'm genuinely superior to everyone, am I a snob just because people feel inferior? I mean, is that really my fault? I try to dumb down to everyone else's level to fit in, but its really hard when you are truly remarkable. Living the curse of being exceptional among the unexceptional is no picnic.

 

curious if people consider turning down a beer that you don't like to drink at a party as snobby? a lot of times when i go to events where i know i won't be crazy about the beer, i will offer to drive so my wife can drink...but at times people give you a hard time because you aren't drinking the "regular" beer offered when they know you are into beer.

i've had some success getting the point across by equating it to food, but some people will give you cross looks when you say you aren't drinking the beer because you don't like that beer. equating to food has been helpful even moreso that now i am trying to try to drop a few pounds - why waste the calories on a beer i don't enjoy just so i can have a beer in my hand?

 

BYOB, especially if it is a dinner party, or something else very casual. I do this all the time if I know there will only be inferior beer where I'm going. Just bring along a personal Sixer or a 750. Boom.

 

If I turn down a beer I don't like it is because I don't like the beer. It has nothing to do with being a snob. Are Coors drinkers snobs if they come over to my house and I offer them a Surly and they turn it down? Why am I a snob when I turn down a Coors? There is nothing sacred about drinking beer. You drink what you like. I'll drink what I like. Its only beer.

 

Idk, that would seem really over the top if you ask me. I tell people on parties all the time that I don't want to drink stuff like Jägermeister because it's just icky to me (apart from the fact it will give you the worst alcohol breath). But if it's actually a house party or barbecue or something like that, I usually bring my own stuff along and offer it to others who are willing to try it.

Yeah, I don't really have that all too often anymore. I mean I still meet people who have the whole "booze is booze, either way sh** gets you drunk" attitude but they usually don't care what other people's attitudes are. Some people may be a bit more pushy when they're already quite drunk but I mean.. it's not like you have to take those people at face value.

I would like to add that the actual turnover rate from fat to alcohol in humans is something that doesn't seem to be very pronounced, akin to protein to fat conversion (the chances of which are nigh nil in humans in realistic conditions). So if anything, there'd be a few carbs (that only convert in a surplus).

 

I am friendly and open to discuss beers in a brew pub with "noobs", but usually only speak up first if for some reason the bartender is really busy and I see the "noob" is struggling with picking out a flight of sampler beers or I overhear their conversation with someone else about making another choice when the bartender is elsewhere. The pubs I drink in have excellent trained staff, they really know their stuff. Its not snobbish to recognize a noob or to describe them as that, is it? I mean, I don't tell them to their face that I think they are a noob!

Anyway, I try not to be overwhelming with data about the ingredients unless it is something really unique like a gose or sour that is being discussed,... and again, the wait staff at my favorite watering holes know their stuff well, no need for me to chime in really, I just enjoy myself and sometimes "noobs" have unique expressions for taste profiles that really crack me up so I most often just ask them to describe what they tried as a conversation starter.

 

i avoid words like inferior since i do think that your comment actually comes across as snobby. i have plenty of friends who will tell you that blue moon is way superior to any "dark beer". i think that is where the term snobby gets in there for us...that delicate balance between presenting taste as fact vs opinion.

 

Being new to the craft beer scene myself, I would love to run into someone at the beer store or a bar who knew their stuff and would be willing to educate a new guy like me. Conversely, if I went into a place that sold or specialized in craft beer and was treated like an idiot for not knowing the difference between an IPA and a DIPA, or what type of hops were native to the area, I would feel very inclined never to return to that establishment regardless of how good their selection was or how knowledgeable their staff was.

Luckily everyone I've talked to locally so far has been more than willing to help. And while most of the liquor store staff in town aren't craft beer enthusists, they do their best to help a patron with a question. I'm still waiting to run into another guy buying a FFF bomber or a 4 pack of Dirt Wolf, if not to pick his brain while we're standing in line, then just to feel like I'm not the only one in Ashland with an interest in something beyond PBR and cheap whiskey.

 

Not to hijack...Im not even sure what neckbearded means, what Im noticing more & more is guys that can barely grow a beard
shaving just their neck & cheeks.
Is this just another douchey vanity thing, errrr ?

 

I have to agree with the angle of "they're not snobs, they're just assholes." I would say most of those "snobs" are shitty about everything, not just beer. There is no reason to not be nice to someone who is trying to share an interest with you, or asking you for advice, unless you have low self confidence and the only way you can feel like you're important is to be better than someone.

Good words to live by in general, and something these elitists should learn how to do... Be cool.

 

Beer nerd-Someone who is knowledgeable of craft, loves what they drink, and will help the fellow man find his path only if asked upon. Beer Snob-Someone who looks down on what others drink to help boost their ego and attempt to make themselves less insecure....and shoves it down their face. (also known as a d-bag) Love your beer, don't hate others for drinking beer no matter what fills their pint!!

 

Beer "Snobs" are only hurting themselves. I once had one running a bottle shop tell me that SN Narwhal was'nt released until spring. Wow. True lovers of craft beer don't need to show others their passion in a condescending way.

 

Sorry but there are so many things wrong with this post. Craft beer has been growing at an explosive rate and with that comes problems that you describe. Whether we like it or not, they're here to stay, and will likely get worse as our scene continues to grow, as it surely will.

Secondly, your friends need to get over themselves. No one is going to know everything right off the bat or even in 20 years. This is a constant learning process. My mind is continually blown by what I continue to learn, be it from just drinking a beer or from homebrewing. It's OK to not know something. We were all there once before.

I could say a lot more but lastly, you're right. Snobbery sucks. Drink what you like and judge not.

 

+1. When my brother had first gotten into craft beer he was picking up a few six packs to bring over to a birthday party. He walks in and grabs a six pack of founder's porter, sea hag, and just as he was about to grab a six pack of gansett love craft honey ale (it had just come out and he wanted to try it) he heard these two guys whispering to each other about how bad it was and why the hell would anyone buy that.

They were straight out of the budweiser ad (thick black rimmed glass, ridiculous beards etc.). Meanwhile they had a shopping cart with one bottle in it and were taking ages going over a store that didn't have a selection that required much thinking if you were really familiar with beer. That said, I've run into douches like that in just about every hobby/interest I've been into.

 

Can't agree more here