The Art of Pretension: When Beer Talk Goes Over Our Heads

Have you ever found yourself in a beer-tasting scenario, trying to sound sophisticated, and ended up spouting off some technical jargon that left you wondering what you just said? It can be a humorous and slightly embarrassing experience.

Just last weekend, during an intimate bottle share, someone introduced a unique barrel-aged sour. Feeling the pressure to contribute meaningfully, I confidently proclaimed that I “truly appreciated the characteristic brett interacting with the oak tannins to create some beautiful phenolic compounds.” Little did I know, I was venturing into territory I didn’t fully grasp. What on earth are phenolic compounds, anyhow? It seemed like a brilliant combination of wine terminology and fragmented memories from a brewing podcast, all mixed together for effect.

To my surprise, the group nodded in agreement, as if I had just dropped a nugget of wisdom. Riding the wave of their enthusiasm, I threw in an even more elaborate thought about the beer “expressing local terroir through indigenous microflora.” If I was trying to impress, it might have worked—though I was merely stringing together phrases that sounded intelligent, rather than sharing real insight.

Reflecting on my experience, I recalled encountering the term “mouthfeel complexity” last month while sipping another brew. In reality, I was simply trying to define a thickness that I wasn’t quite prepared to dive deeper into.

Let’s be honest: sometimes it feels like we’re all engaged in an elaborate game of craft beer Mad Libs. We repeat catchy phrases we’ve overheard, hoping to blend in and avoid being called out as impostors. So, does anyone else share this feeling of juggling pretentiousness in the craft beer world? Remember, it’s okay to admit that we’re still learning. After all, the joy of beer is often found in its enjoyment, not merely in the language we use to describe it.