The Art of Pretentious Beer Talk: Have You Ever Been There?

Craft beer culture is rich and vibrant, filled with passionate enthusiasts eager to share their experiences. However, if you’ve ever found yourself amidst a group of beer aficionados, you may have encountered a moment where you proclaimed something profoundly sophisticated about a brew, only to later realize you had little understanding of what you were saying.

I recently attended a bottle share where the atmosphere was charged with excitement, and someone popped open a barrel-aged sour. Caught up in the ambiance, I found myself confidently stating how I “truly appreciated the characteristic brett interacting with the oak tannins to create some beautiful phenolic compounds.” The catch? I had no real grasp of what phenolic compounds were—I had simply blended wine jargon with snippets I’d picked up from various brewing podcasts.

To my surprise, everyone around me nodded in agreement as if I had unveiled some deep truth about the beer. It was in that moment—I took a leap and added something even more ambitious: discussing how the beer “expressed local terroir through indigenous microflora.”

Reflecting on my brewing vocabulary, I recall a previous occasion where I described a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity,” when what I truly meant was that it felt thick and hearty. It appears I had unknowingly dived into the craft beer version of a mad lib, stringing together terms I’ve heard yet not fully understood.

A thought occurred to me: Are we all just mimicking phrases we’ve encountered in hopes of sounding knowledgeable? It certainly seems that way at times. I can’t be the only one who feels this way, right? Have you found yourself in a similar situation where you’ve confidently, yet blindly, discussed the nuances of beer? Share your experiences! It appears that in our pursuit of craft beer enlightenment, we often wade into the waters of pretension, unsure where exactly to tread.