The Craft of Beer: Navigating the Jargon Jungle

Craft beer enthusiasts often revel in the complexity and artistry of their favorite brews. However, amidst the joyous clinking of glasses and sharing of bottles, a curious phenomenon can arise: the use of pretentious jargon that leaves even the speaker pondering their own understanding.

Recently, during a bottle share gathering, I found myself in a situation that mirrored this sentiment. As the host uncorked a barrel-aged sour, I felt compelled to contribute to the conversation. Without a second thought, I proclaimed my appreciation for how the “brett was interacting with the oak tannins to create some exquisite phenolic compounds.” The irony? I was completely in the dark about what phenolic compounds actually are. In fact, I think I just mashed up terminology I’d heard in passing, perhaps during a wine tasting or a brewing podcast, and hoped it sounded intelligent.

What happened next was both amusing and alarming. My fellow attendees nodded in agreement, as if I had just shared a revelation about the nature of beer itself. Fueled by their encouraging responses, I confidently added that the beer “expresses local terroir through indigenous microflora.” Alas, I wasn’t entirely sure what I meant—another blend of borrowed phrases that I’d hoped would resonate.

Just last month, I found myself waxing poetic about a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity,” when, in fact, all I really meant was that it tasted thick. It was as if I was engaged in a game of craft beer Mad Libs, spewing out colorful descriptors that sounded great but lacked substance.

This experience leads me to wonder: are we all just repeating what we’ve heard, banking on the idea that nobody will call our bluff? If you’re involved in the craft beer scene, do you sometimes feel like you’re playing a sophisticated version of charades, using grand vocabulary to describe something that, at its core, is simply enjoyable?

As we savor our brews and explore the enchanting world of craft beer, perhaps it’s time to reflect on our conversations. Authenticity can sometimes brew up a much richer experience than the fanciest terminology. Cheers to good beer and honest discussions!