Craft Beer Conversations: The Pretentious Rhetoric We All Use

Engaging in discussions about craft beer often brings out the passion among enthusiasts. However, it can also lead to moments of pretentiousness that are both amusing and slightly embarrassing. Recently, I experienced an event that perfectly encapsulated this phenomenon during a bottle share gathering over the weekend.

One of the beers brought to the table was a barrel-aged sour, a style that usually garners a lot of enthusiastic dialogue. Eager to impress my fellow beer aficionados, I confidently declared my “appreciation for the characteristic brett interacting with the oak tannins, resulting in exquisite phenolic compounds.” The truth, however, is that I have only a vague understanding of what phenolic compounds actually are. In hindsight, it felt as though I had merely blended wine lingo with snippets I recalled from a brewing podcast, hoping to sound knowledgeable.

The most humorous part? Everyone around me nodded as if I had just delivered an insightful analysis, encouraging me to continue. Riding the wave of approval, I took it a step further and mentioned how the beer “expresses local terroir through indigenous microflora.” If I’m being honest, though, I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant either.

Reflecting on this experience, I realized that I had recently made a similar faux pas when I described a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity” — which, in reality, simply meant it had a thick texture. It dawned on me that many craft beer conversations often sound like a game of beer-themed Mad Libs, filled with jargon that we’ve heard from others, hoping none will challenge our assertions.

Have you ever caught yourself in a similar situation? It’s fascinating how we navigate the world of craft beer, often parroting phrases and terms that sound sophisticated, yet at times, we might not truly grasp their meaning. Let’s embrace the complexity of beer, but perhaps we can also find humor in our attempts to sound knowledgeable, even when we aren’t entirely sure of what we’re saying. Share your experiences; I know I can’t be the only one!