The Craft Beer Conundrum: Pretentious Jargon and What We Really Mean

Last weekend, while attending a bottle share, I found myself in a situation that many craft beer enthusiasts can relate to: the moment when the conversation veers into territory that feels just a bit too intricate. A fellow attendee popped open a barrel-aged sour, and before I knew it, I was expounding on how I “truly appreciated the characteristic brett interacting with the oak tannins to create some beautiful phenolic compounds.”

Let’s be honest—I’m not entirely sure what phenolic compounds are. In that moment, I think I cobbled together some wine terminology with vague memories from a brewing podcast I had listened to months ago. It was sheer pretension, and yet there I was, regurgitating it as if it were gospel.

The most baffling part? The rest of the group nodded along as if I’d just delivered profound insight into the world of brewing. Riding high on what I thought was intellectual momentum, I confidently added something about the beer “expressing local terroir through indigenous microflora.”

It wasn’t until later that I took a step back and realized I had fallen into the trap of craft beer jargon. Just last month, I had been caught describing the “mouthfeel complexity” of another beer when, in reality, I simply meant that it tasted thick and satisfying. It often feels like we’re all engaged in a kind of craft beer mad libs, piecing together phrases we’ve heard from others, hoping no one will see through the facade.

Is there anyone else who feels this way? Has craft beer conversation turned into a game of verbal acrobatics where we’re more focused on impressing our peers than actually conveying what we enjoy about a brew? Let’s share our stories and perhaps even embrace the simplicity of enjoying a good beer without the need for pretentious lingo. After all, at the heart of it, beer should be about connection, enjoyment, and camaraderie—no fancy terminology required.