The "Fake" Expert.

When I tell many people that I'm into beer... they don't quite get it. In New England, they assume I'm talking about Sam Adams and Harpoon, the local Wachusett, and occasionally Dogfish Head. Though I do enjoy beers by all of those breweries, When I tell them that I drive almost 4 hours to get my growlers filled at Hill Farmstead and pick up Heady Topper by the case, they are completely baffled.

The majority of people who are into beer don't see Sam Adams, Harpoon, Blue Moon, Shock Top, etc. as gateways, they view them as what "better beer" really is. Though those beers are "better" than adjunct lagers, they don't quite understand how much better it can get.

They haven't had their "aha!!!!" moment. and they probably never will. Are they fake experts? no. They are not fake. are they experts? no. they have a limited base to compare to, and they are really just ignorant of the plethora of styles/breweries/beers that are out there.

If I ever have something different, special, or rare around them, I'll always offer a try. That's beer advocacy. Sometimes they fall in love and leave the "gateway beers" behind. Other times they enjoy it, but stick to what they are comfortable with. Very rarely is someone completely grossed out, but that's always fun too.

 

Yup

 

The homebrew community has their share of know-it-alls. I've been one for 25 years. A homebrewer, that is.

 

ok, I may not have known that only Jason and Todd were only reviewing, but the fact that they us share our opinions, in my opinion, it has helped communicating which are the better beers. All I'm saying is we have the opportunity to learn from each other and enjoy reading others' reviews. I hope others are doing the same.

 

There are other cues someone who doesn't know a ton about beer can take into consideration when browsing the craft section besides quantitative ratings. Breweries often have short descriptions of what a beer tastes like on the label; one can hold up a bottle to the light and get a rough idea of how light or dark the beer is (yes, those in the know are aware that this isn't always a meaningful distinction); ABV is generally listed, so one can get an idea of how strong the beer is, etc. Not to mention, when I was getting into craft, one of the first purchases I made was from a brewery about an hour from here, which I bought simply because of that fact. I had never seen a bottled beer from so close before; it seemed cool to be able to drink something so local.

And even if they do just randomly pick something off the shelf, if it happens not to be Pliny, etc., what's the real harm? It's not like those beers are merely jewels surrounded by swill. A random beer purchase these days, given the number of quality craft breweries that are currently available, is almost guaranteed to be pretty decent, if not pretty damn good.

The general point here is that I don't think that there's some necessary concern for every to-be craft drinker to find (what may be deemed) the best beers in the world right off the bat. A lot of people probably don't get hooked on craft by having a beer that is deemed as such. I know I didn't; the first craft beer I had was Saranac's IIPA, which is rated an 82 on here (very low for a DIPA), and I still kept coming back for more.

 

I agree, BA and Ratebeer are great starter guides, but I think that hype can throw off the overall points, and people are not trained to review. Many good beers are passed over by BAs simply because there is no hype behind them. We need to have guys to beer as Robert Parker is to wine.

 

Don't sweat it - There are people that decide to go after every post started no matter what. In fact these people are a lot like the person you describe in your OP.
I thought the story was good and I have met many a person like the one you describe.
You can either do battle or concede
It can be rather fun to mess with them sometimes

 

didn't you start a thread complaining about people's opinions of bramble? perhaps the irony escapes you...

 

I absolutley did not - Reading comprehension is not your strong suit.
I simply asked a question and nothing more.

 

you should have kicked that guy in the nutts yo

 

lol, great spin.

iirc you referred to various people as having " damaged palates " for not liking the beer. but i totally understand how i could have read that the wrong way.

 

Now you're lying - My Op did not say that but I see how you are on all these threads - everyone can just do a lookup to see who has the more sarcatis posts - no competition - you win hands down.

 

it's too bad the thread got deleted. you definitely wrote that in response to the guy who posted a picture of cough syrup. anyway, i'm dropping it.

that's because your posts/threads are deleted for trolling.

 

As I said - I did not post that in the OP - I asked a simple question and you bludgeoned me for it.
After many beers maybe I said something to that effect but tone never transmits across the internet. All light hearted fun. Same as the cough syrup picture. I thought it was hilarious.

I always say if you don’t like the thread, don’t post and it will go away.
Not a difficult concept.

+ I dont live on the computer - I walk away for 4-5 hours and come back to a shit-storm.
Not fun.

 

he is in extended vacationland, I think if you google his blog he has a post about it.

 

I love leading on people who pretend to know a lot about subjects in which I'm versed. It's fun seeing how deep are the holes of pretend knowledge some people can dig.

I let my Scottish friend go on for ten minutes describing how bock beer is made when the kettles and fermenters are cleaned. I even ushered him through a description of his having observed it done back in Bonny Scotland.

 

For future reference please seek advice from me, as I am the beer expert!!!

To the OP; sounds a little like you're wining about this dude, from just encountering him the 'one' time. If you have regular interactions with him, and he is 'always' strong in his opinions then maybe you have a reason to complain. Even still, the guy has every right to his opinions, whether he be right or wrong.

And the fact that 'you' tested him by 'your' questions, proves in your eyes, 'you in fact' were the expert. Sounds like you were a little threatened and/or irritated by the man disagreeing with you. How do you know he wasn't answering you 'wrong' to prove most BA'ers are arrogant pushy know-it-alls (in his opinion)? Because by you testing him by questioning him, that's exactly what you were acting like.

my nickels worth.

Prost!!

 

I am always uncomfortable with discussions on the level of expertise regarding beer. Especially here on BA. Most folks who have been participating members of this community for 2+ years are "experts" when compared to the average consumer. However, when compared to the folks that work in the industry or some of the real historians in this community....they are still novices. (I know I am)
Think about how your non beer-geek friends would describe your knowledge on the subject, then compare that to how you would describe your own "expertise" compared to folks here on the site. I'd say those are two drastically different answers. I know they are for me.

We've all encountered the fake expert, the d-bag and the flat out misinformed. But these people exist inside and outside of the beer world.

 

I rarely discuss beer with anyone outside BA, IMO it's like politics or religion, it's personal preference and can just be frustrating. So I rarely bother, but that's why I like this site.

 

When the hell did this guy ever claim to be an expert in anything other than his own opinion? He likes to roll the dice more often than he probably should. Fuck him.