The Craft Beer Dilemma: When Ordering an IPA Makes You a Snob

Have you ever felt the sting of judgment for opting for a craft beer instead of a mainstream lager? It seems I’m not alone in confronting this curious phenomenon.

Just last week, during a dinner outing with colleagues, I made what I thought was a straightforward choice: I ordered the house IPA. Little did I know, this decision would provoke a rather unexpected reaction from the table. The server took my order, and suddenly, it felt as though I had committed a faux pas of epic proportions. One of my coworkers looked at me with surprise, as if I had just declared my preference for an extravagant wine pairing to accompany a casual chicken sandwich.

Then came the comments, starting with a disapproving assertion that he simply “doesn’t need all those fancy flavors.” Instead, he confidently ordered a Stella Artois, proclaiming it an “imported” option that somehow placed him on a pedestal of sophistication. It was baffling—my choice of a locally brewed IPA was dismissed as snobbish while he paid a premium for what tasted like a corn-syrup-infused lager.

As the conversation unfolded, I found myself engaging in an impromptu defense of craft beer. I tried to explain the nuances of hops and the artistry behind brewing, but it seemed futile. To him, anything beyond Bud Light veered into pretentious territory. To paraphrase his sentiment, it was as if ordering a flavorful IPA equated to liking cleaning products rather than beer.

What’s truly puzzling is that many people still equate flavor with exclusivity. It’s as if enjoying a craft beer makes you a “beer snob,” while sticking to macro options garners a misplaced sense of authenticity. I genuinely wanted a beverage with complexity, yet somehow, that made me “one of those craft beer people.”

So, how does one navigate these conversations without coming across as a condescending enthusiast? It’s frustrating when you merely want to enjoy something with character but feel pressured to defend your choices against palates that view anything but a classic lager as exotic and unnecessarily complicated.

Are there others out there who face the same challenges when it comes to sharing their beer preferences? It’s time to spark a discussion on this perplexing aspect of beer culture, where ordering a locally crafted IPA can lead to unsolicited judgment. Let’s raise our glasses to flavor and individuality—cheers!