On the spreading of beer knowledge:
I used to hate beer. I was always that annoying girl at the party who repeatedly asked if at least one person had some vodka because only people without tastebuds could drink that god awful beer. And I remember having a conversation with someone years ago where someone questioned my hatred. I just turned my nose up and said, “Urgh. It’s just disgusting. I don’t see how anyone can tolerate it. I won’t even reach for it when I’m buzzed.” And the person responded with: “You just need to get over your hump. You need to let your mouth get used to the taste and once you get over that hump, you’ll fall in love with some many different beers it’ll be unstoppable.”
At the time I didn’t believe it. But then for some odd reason, one night I chose to drink a Blue Moon. It was awful, let me tell you. I barely swallowed the first gulp. Then someone squeezed an orange into it and it became more tolerable. And then eventually I got to the point where I started craving a beer. “Oh man, today was rough. You know what sounds good right now? A BEER!” And that was it. I made it over the hump. And holy hell, the world of beer has completely changed for me. Now I can stand to give everything a one-sip test without wanting to vomit…and I actually kinda enjoy it.
I might not have a wide range of interests considering that almost everything I prefer to drink is from Belgium…but at least I’m trying. God bless the Belgians though. They make incredible beer. Why, I’m actually enjoying a Stella Artois right now!
This is very similar to my experiences. I myself started out hating beer, mostly because I started drinking at an early age and it was much easier to sneak around hard booze than beer. Eventually I started working summers at a liquor store, where I learned about Belgians—starting with Duvel. From Duvel I learned my Chimays, then the Belgian Strong Ales. Belgian Strong Ales finally taught me to love thy hops, getting me into Pale Ales, then IPAs (especially Stone), and eventually the American Strong Ales like Arrogant Bastard.
I think the biggest shift comes from when one stops drinking the macrobrews (InBevs like Stella and Lefe, Coors’ Blue Moon, Miller’s Leinenkugel, etc.) and starts seeking out lesser-known macros. For me this became favorites like Stone’s IPA and Arrogant Bastard, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Central City’s Red Racer, anything Lagunitas or 21st Amendment, and then eventually the super-rare stuff and events. When I had to ask my ex to borrow her car because I needed to buy a case of Hopslam was when I knew I was officially a weirdo.
I’ve learned that when helping normal friends develop their palate, I’ll teach them about witbeirs like Unibrau’s La Fin Du Monde, chocolatey concoctions like Oskar Blues’ Ten Fidy, and saisons like Dogfish’s Raison d’Etre. Help peak the interest, give them something accessible and their interest will grow. Alternately, use this to prove your snobbishness on a date.
