The Art of Pretentious Beer Talk: Confessions from a Craft Beer Enthusiast

Have you ever found yourself in a group of craft beer aficionados, nodding along to conversations filled with terminology that sounds sophisticated yet completely baffling? You’re not alone! Recently, at a bottle share event, I had an encounter that perfectly encapsulated this phenomenon.

As a barrel-aged sour was unveiled, I felt an urge to sound knowledgeable. Without fully grasping the concepts myself, I enthusiastically declared my appreciation for how “the characteristic brett interacts with the oak tannins to create some beautiful phenolic compounds.” It was in that moment I realized I was stringing together wine jargon with snippets from a brewing podcast I had half-listened to in the past.

The ironic twist? Everyone around me nodded in agreement, clearly impressed by what I was saying. Capitalizing on this moment, I dove deeper, mentioning how the beer “expresses local terroir through indigenous microflora.” Admittedly, I had no idea what most of that meant but it felt great to be part of the conversation.

Just last month, I caught myself describing a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity,” which, in truth, was simply my way of saying it tasted rich and thick. It was a classic case of beer speak gone awry.

The reality is, many of us might be concocting a sort of pretentious craft beer mad lib, relying on overheard phrases and hoping no one notices our lack of understanding. Have you ever had a similar experience where the desire to sound knowledgeable overshadowed the genuine comprehension of what you were discussing? Share your thoughts, we may all be in this together!