The Craft Beer Conundrum: When Terminology Outruns Understanding

As enthusiasts of craft beer, we often find ourselves in situations where the conversation turns to tasting notes, brewing techniques, and other intricate details that can leave even the most seasoned drinkers scratching their heads. Recently, I attended a bottle share that underscored this phenomenon in a rather amusing way.

During the event, someone unveiled a barrel-aged sour ale, triggering my instinct to sound knowledgeable. Without fully grasping the implications, I declared my appreciation for how the “characteristic brett interacted with the oak tannins to create some beautiful phenolic compounds.” Admittedly, I was a bit lost when it came to the specific meaning of “phenolic compounds.” It seemed like a term borrowed from the wine world mixed with vague recollections from a brewing podcast I had once listened to.

What surprised me most? The nods of agreement from my fellow beer aficionados, as if I had just shared a profound insight. Emboldened by their reactions, I continued my verbal acrobatics, tossing in phrases about the beer “expressing local terroir through indigenous microflora.”

Reflecting back, I couldn’t help but chuckle at my own folly. Just recently, I had also described another beer’s “mouthfeel complexity,” when in truth, I was merely trying to articulate its rich, thick texture.

This phenomenon raises an interesting question: are we, as beer enthusiasts, sometimes just cobbling together terms and phrases we’ve heard, hoping to project a facade of expertise? It appears that many of us may share this experience, playing a sort of game of craft beer ‘mad libs,’ using vocabulary that sounds impressive but often lacks true understanding.

So, fellow beer lovers, do you ever catch yourself using jargon that feels like a stretch? Let’s embrace the awkwardness together and perhaps strive for a little more honesty in our craft beer conversations. Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to simply enjoy the brew in our hands without the need for grandiose descriptions. Cheers to that!