The Art of Pretension in Beer Appreciation: Confessions of a Craft Brew Enthusiast

It’s fascinating how the craft beer culture has evolved over the years. Our love for unique brews often leads to deep conversations about various flavors and characteristics. However, sometimes these discussions can become a bit… pretentious.

Take my experience at a recent bottle share, for example. As soon as a barrel-aged sour was poured, I felt an irresistible urge to sound knowledgeable. I passionately declared how I “truly appreciated the interaction of brett with oak tannins, resulting in some exquisite phenolic compounds.” The truth is, I had no clear understanding of what phenolic compounds actually entail. My statement was a hodgepodge of wine jargon and a few key phrases I had somewhat retained from a brewing podcast I listened to months ago.

The more embarrassing part? The crowd nodded as though I had just delivered a monumental insight into the world of brewing. Buoyed by a misplaced confidence, I went further, mentioning how the beer “expressed local terroir through indigenous microflora.” At that moment, I felt like an imposter pretending to be someone who truly understood the intricate science behind beer.

Reflecting on past conversations, I recall a time when I described a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity” despite the fact that my intention was simply to convey that it had a thick texture. What a tangled web of jargon I wove!

It struck me that what often happens in these settings is akin to a game of craft beer Mad Libs. We find ourselves repeating phrases we’ve heard, hoping that our audience won’t catch on to our lack of genuine understanding. Perhaps this is a sentiment shared by many in the craft beer community—immersed in a world that can sometimes feel more about impressing others than truly enjoying the brews we love.

Have you ever found yourself caught in a similar situation, trying to sound sophisticated about beer while feeling a twinge of uncertainty? If so, you’re not alone in navigating the fine line between genuine appreciation and pretentiousness in the craft beer dialogue. Let’s raise a glass to embracing both the complexity and simplicity of the brews we cherish, appreciating them in our own authentic ways!