The Art of Beer Talk: How We Sometimes Pretend to Know More Than We Do

During a recent bottle share with fellow enthusiasts, I found myself in a rather amusing predicament. As a friend unveiled a barrel-aged sour, I felt an overwhelming urge to sound knowledgeable. Without a second thought, I began to rattle off some jargon, claiming I could “truly appreciate the characteristic brett interacting with the oak tannins to create some beautiful phenolic compounds.”

Here’s the kicker: I had no real understanding of what “phenolic compounds” even were! It seems I had unwittingly fused wine-speak with fragments of information I vaguely recalled from a brewing podcast. But to my surprise, the room filled with nods of approval, as though I had just delivered the insightful wisdom of a seasoned sommelier. Emboldened by the audience’s apparent admiration, I pressed on, adding something about the beer “expressing local terroir through indigenous microflora.”

Reflecting on this experience, I realized how often we find ourselves dabbling in craft beer lexicon, describing elements like “mouthfeel complexity” when what we genuinely meant was that the beer had a rich, thick texture. It’s almost as if we’re playing a game of craft beer Mad Libs—filling in the blanks with phrases we’ve heard without fully grasping their meanings.

Does anyone else feel like they might be skating on thin ice while discussing beer? It seems we’re all guilty of echoing things we’ve picked up from others in the community, hoping to project an air of expertise. Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned here: it’s okay to admit that we don’t have all the answers. After all, the beauty of beer lies not only in its complexity but also in the camaraderie fostered over shared experiences—whether we can confidently articulate them or not. Have you found yourself in a similar situation? Let’s hear your stories!