Here are 10 indications that your love of good beer might be crossing the line into beer snobbery. I think I’m guilty of a couple of these myself.
Did I miss any? As always, please share below!
Author:Jim
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73 Comments on “10 Signs You Might Be a Beer Snob”
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November 4, 2010
[…] Bros do a nice job of appreciating beer without taking it too seriously; in their latest post even poking fun at a couple tendencies that I know my self and other self proclaimed enthusiast […]
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November 4, 2010
[…] Galligan, the beer guy of Beer & Whiskey Brothers, recently published a roundup of the Top 10 Signs that that you may be a beer snob. Are you? Can you identify with these […]
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November 5, 2010
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November 11, 2010
[…] saw this post on the Beer and Whiskey Brothers blog recently. It’s a pretty funny infographic on how to […]
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The Brothers
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
I guess I am not a snob after all, because the only one on this list I follow is #8. Yea for me!!!
I’m guilty of #8, too. I think it’s the lesser of all the evils listed.
You are a beer snob bro.
🙂
Nice guys. Aahhh! I’ve been guilty of 4 and 8. Thanks for developing this handy self-help poster.
Hey, maybe you should turn this into a phone app. That way when I’m at the local Olive Garden berating the waitress over the vapid craft beer selection and the sea of chilled pint glasses I can quickly check myself. ;^)
An app is a great idea. It could monitor your speech, and when it hears phrases like “this is not the proper glassware for a pilsner” it can deliver a small shock through your phone. That should keep you in line!
Another poster-worthy graphic guys. You’re the beer version of The Oatmeal. I had a good laugh at #5. You could also substitute Chimay with Lindemans.
Thanks, Billy. I kind of take both Chimay and Lidemans for granted these days, which is a bad thing.
Yep. 7 (just the suggestion part) and 8 for sure.
Funny list!
I’ve had to really hold back to NOT commit #7, Matt. It’s really hard, especially if you’re generally a helpful person.
OMG – the only one I’ve never been guilty of is #2…. I guess I am a beer snob!
You’re not alone – how do you think I came up with the list, Angela? 🙂
I didn’t think much of it at the time, but thinking back to that time we met up, it seemed like the word Reinheitsgebot was in every one of your sentences. Reinheitsgebot this and Reinheitsgebot that. You managed to use it when talking about your car, your children and your neighborhood, but strangely not the beer.
Well I put those fancy Reinheitsgebot shocks on my car, my son is named Reinheitsgebot, and I happen to live in what’s called a “Reinheitsgebot Ranch” style house. I swear it’s all coincidence, Scott!!
Does “I don’t drink Victory from a Dogfish pint” “I don’t drink Dogfish from a Flying Fish pint” or so on, count for #1???
#3a: #12: You give NASCAR beer drinkers Stella or Urquell and tell them it’s “just as good”
#11: You choose your brew by checking the Weather Channel. Example: Hefeweizens are only served when it’s 80° outside or warmer [preferably after cutting the grass]; stouts & porters are for 30-40° and overcast/rainy days
I was thinking shapes, not logos for #1, Randy, but I have to admit I like it when what’s on the glass and what’s in the glass are the same. Golden Monkey tastes best in my Golden Monkey glass, thank you very much!
Love your other examples, too! Sunny with a chance of Imperial Lagers…
I’m guilty of #6 and occasionally #4. If you’re a bartender at a craft beer bar, I expect you to at least be able to tell me what style the beer I’m ordering is. You don’t need to tell me about the clove notes in the aroma, or even how it compares to other examples of the style, but Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold is emphatically NOT “kinda like an IPA.”
#4 can be a tough one, Charles, because it’s frustrating hearing untrained/uninterested bartenders giving out bad info to their customers. I usually don’t mind when they give me the wrong info because I know a lot about beer, but they can definitely send a noob down the wrong path.
But I figure there’s no fixing them and I’ll only come off as trying to look superior, so I keep it to myself.
As for #6, I don’t know how to pronounce it. Actually, I cut and pasted it into the graphic. I’m clueless!
My girlfriend speaks some German, so she makes sure I get it right.
Nice! I’m afraid to say it, because I know I’ll get it wrong!
You totally got me on number 10, damnit! Great list… thanks for the smiles.
Yeah, I felt like I could explain how just because I do some of this stuff, I’m not a beer snob. But then I realized that I probably am.
Great list guys! I may or may not be guilty of a thing or two on this list. Maybe.
I think I’ll have to submit this as a story for our podcast again. Thanks for the discussion fodder!
Thanks, Mikey. We might podcast about it as well, if we can get our lazy asses moving again!
Great post, there’s only a couple of points there for me, guess there’s hope for me yet!
I’ve been guilty of all of these in thought if not in deed at one time or another, so “a couple” sounds pretty good to me!
I think a better title would be “10 Signs You Might be a Beer Douche”. Great list, and more proof on why being a “beer snob” isn’t a good thing. Better to be a “beer geek” and not be such a douche.
Yeah, “beer douche” certainly says it well, Mark, and it totally applies here.
I went with “snob” because it’s an easy thing for the well-meaning beer geek to accidentally slip into. Being a douche takes a bad attitude, while being a snob only takes being too serious about beer. It’s an easy thing to do if you’re really into beer. I know I’ve been guilty of some of the stuff on the list – that’s how I came up with it!
But I work at being a geek and not crossing over to snob territory – nobody likes a snob. And NOBODY likes a douche!
I can proudly say I am not a beer snob. I would never let not having the right glass get between me and a good beer. 😀
Agreed 100% – pour it in my hands if you have to!
Most large German words are concatenations of other German words, and can therefore be taken apart to figure out their pronunciation.
So repeat after me…
Rein pronounced like Rhine (like the river)
Heits pronounced like Heights
Ge (hard G, soft e, like the word “get”)
Bot pronounced like Boat (not a dinghy, not a ship)
Also, if you go to Google Translate and plug in the whole word in the German-English translator you can listen to how it is pronounced.
Alles klar?
🙂
Rhine-heights-Ga-Boat. Got it. But I’ll probably still continue to fear saying it!!
Oh, and I’ve been guilty of #7, but only the advising part, and #8…
I used to be a big #8 guy, but I’ve loosened up about it. Beer is beer, and a Bud or MGD on a sunny day can be delightful. I had Bud Light at my nephew’s wedding, and after running around all day taking pictures, it sure hit the spot.
The fact that it tasted like college was a bonus, too.
It’s amazing that they haven’t used that as a slogan yet…
“Miller Lite – tastes like college!”
Get me Don Draper on the phone!
🙂
Maybe they can use it for one of those cheesy Mad Men knock off commercials they run during the show. Of course they’d have to explain how lite beer made it way back to 1961…
I passed #1 last night!
They brought my Surly Darkness to me in a pilsner glass and I didn’t even wince 😉
Good on you Mikey! Let us know when you do your podcast about this. I enjoyed the last one.
We officially added this to our story list for the upcoming show.
We’re recording tonight and Frank usually has it posted on the website and iTunes by tomorrow morning. Thanks for listening, glad you liked it!
Nice! The fact that you didn’t complain or correct them means you passed #4, too!
Good stuff. I rarely shamelessly plug my own stuff, however in this case it is warranted. I did a series of posts (National Geographic style) about the beer douche. You can check it out here. It has some things that you may have missed. 🙂
-Lost
P.S. Facebooking and tweeting a link to your post now…great work.
-Lost
Your “Beer Douche” series is great – funny stuff.
I’m so guilty of so many of these. And I don’t really care… I like to educate other beer drinkers (in fact, I only commit number 7 when someone looks noticeably “lost” or they ask me for help, and I’ll correct a bar tender only if they seem to be confused and asking for assistance) and I like the cerebral process of drinking beer. Like others have noted, I’ve come to take some truly excellent brands of beer for granted simply because they’re easy to find now (Chimay is a great example of this) and that’s a shame. 😦
I’m happy that you’re unrepentant, Amie. There’s really nothing wrong with being a bit of a beer snob as long as your heart is in the right place, and it doesn’t really count if you’re helping someone in need. It’s the unsolicited advice that’s makes me cringe a bit.
And I take Chimay and other easy-to-get wonderful beers for granted, too.
That list is hilarious. I’m completely guilty of a few of them, especially here in the cradle of Anheuser-Busch.
Yeah, but you’re allowed if you’re in St. Louis – there’s a war to fight there for the hearts and minds!
i dont like beer end off. i think its just me but everytime i see beer , horse wee come to mind. ;-? give me anything–whisky, vodka, rum, wines, sambucca , tequila, anything but beer.
You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t stop it from breaking my heart a little bit.
I’d say stay away from urine-colored beers and look for barrel-aged stouts and porters, which have more wine and whisky like flavors, but I’m guessing you’re not looking for advice. 🙂
hahaha i tried believe me. among all my friends im the only one who does not drink beer, not even guiness. i tried acquiring the taste but i cant. does not matter what color it is. 😛
Well whatever, right? I never drank wine and didn’t understand why people got do into it. Then I discovered craft beer and realized how captivating a beverage can be. I still don’t drink wine, but I appreciate why people like it just the same.
Drink what you like and have some fun, that’s what I say. 🙂
Great list-I had to go check the cupboard to make sure I have all my glassware ready 😉
Also, Miller 64 or PBR with a splash of lemonade is THE BEST on a hot summer day!
I wasn’t a beer snob until I started reading this damn blog. Thanks a lot. Now I’m brewing my own beer and giggling at the thought of drinking a bud light. I drink more beer than whiskey, which wasn’t the case 6 months ago. Damn it, Don! More whiskey talk please! I could be opening a mediocre microbrew before too long. Jim is rubbing off on me. Little sad he hasn’t been posting more homebrew tales though.
Sorry for “ruining” you, Brandon. 🙂
Yeah…Jim tends to rub off guys! 😉
Eww.
substitute the word beer for bourbon, and its all me
Ha ha – the Bourbon snob – perfect!
A comment, long after this thread has been put to bed…but I can’t resist. I’m often guilty of #8 and when I’m not I usually regret it–especially with A.B. products. I don’t know which of the ingredients they add to their beers causes the problem, but it/they always gives me a hell of a hangover. I also don’t like the fizziness of most macrobrews–fills me up too fast. I can sit down and drink pint after pint of a good stout, but one Bud’ll have me bloated up like a road-killed raccoon in August (unpleasant analogy but it really gets the point across).
Follow-on: I don’t have this problem w/ Yuengling’s products.
Chimay is like the Budweiser of Trappist beers, you know… friggin’ mainstream, indeed.
I guess you’re guilty then, eh? 😉
Fortunately, they’re only ten signs that one *might* be a beer snob. Then again, one might not!
True – there is a little wiggle room!
When I tried to give this a rating I hit the thumbs down which is furthest from the truth. It has become a discussion point, with a lot of good natured grief mixed in!
No worries…and you’ll always find at least a little grief in everything we do! 🙂
Not drinking Bud, Miller or Coors is not snobbery–It’s just having taste buds. These 3 must be served cold so you can tell they’re not piss!
Reblogged this on Richmond Beermeister and commented:
I might just be a little guilty…
Jim, you and the “other brother” are welcome at our Gastro-pub anytime. We love good craft beers and our local customers follow almost all of these rules. We barely sell Chimay and when someone orders one…eyes roll from the regulars. http://www.fishales.com. Come on down!