The Art of Pretentious Beer Talk: Have You Ever Been There?

When it comes to the world of craft beer, there’s an undeniable allure in the language we use to describe our favorite brews. Last weekend, while attending a bottle share event, I found myself in a rather amusing predicament—one that I suspect many beer enthusiasts can relate to.

As someone opened a barrel-aged sour, I instinctively dove into a detailed explanation of how I “truly appreciated the characteristic Brett interacting with oak tannins to create some exquisite phenolic compounds.” But truth be told, I had no real grasp on what “phenolic compounds” meant. It felt like I had taken a few wine terminology terms and mixed them with some vague recollections from a brewing podcast I had listened to.

What made that moment even more ironic? The collective nods of understanding from fellow attendees who likely didn’t know what I was talking about either. To maintain my newfound pretentiousness, I even threw in a comment about the beer “expressing local terroir through indigenous microflora.” Talk about doubling down on the charade!

Just last month, in another bout of questionable beer jargon, I described a beer’s “mouthfeel complexity,” when all I really intended to convey was its thick consistency. In retrospect, my comments were a jumble of crafted yet incomprehensible phrases—like playing mad libs with craft beer language.

It makes one wonder: Are we all just echoing phrases we’ve picked up from others, desperately hoping not to be challenged? I can’t be the only one who occasionally feels out of their depth when discussing the intricacies of beer. So, what about you? Have you ever found yourself caught in a similar pretentious moment during a craft beer conversation? Let’s share our hilarious and sometimes embarrassing experiences in the comments!