News & views
Why are beer drinkers so grumpy?
Whenever I write about beer in my Guardian column - which is not that often and in a minute you’ll see why - there’s a stream of snide and sarcastic comments. Far more than I ever get for wine
Some admittedly is targeted at other contributors…
You don't know, what the fuck, you're talking about.
Completely and utterly clueless. Embarassing [sic] really.
But most involves scoffing that the idea that craft beer - and I accept that there’s a problem about the definition - could conceivably be of interest to other readers.
I love beer. I hate the craft beer idea. It's all beer. I just want a nice session bitter
Or that I think it’s of interest ...
Hell there was even a craft IPA available on the Stena ferry from Dublin to Holyhead we took last week. Can't imagine that would have been the case a few years ago
Or that anyone might not have heard of the beers I’ve written about ...
Anyone living in London who drinks craft beer, even with a passing interest, will have drank Pressure Drop/Five Points/Beavertown and indeed found them to be almost default options in most pubs/bars.
Others complain at the retailers I’ve picked out ...
Wow great news about Oddbins - they must love the free advert for them - what with only having 2 shops in England north of Watford.
And so on.
What I don’t get is why beer drinkers should be so grumpy when from a wine lover's point of view they have everything going for them
* Beer is more exciting and varied than it has ever been - and still cheaper, glass for glass, than wine
* Supermarkets in general are doing a much better job with beer than they are with wine - broadening their ranges instead of dumbing them down. There are also some terrific indies.
* Beerlovers have great places to drink their favourite drink - there are many more good pubs than wine bars
Brewers themselves seem nice affable blokes (they are still mainly male). The ones I’ve met are cheery sorts - the sort you’d be more than happy to spend an evening downing pints with.
So what’s eating the people who drink the stuff?
There seems to be a minority which doesn't want anyone else (especially, I suspect, women) to enjoy beer. Who want it to taste exactly as it did when they first started drinking it 20 or 30 years ago. But how bizarre is that? It’s as if claret and rioja drinkers all went into meltdown whenever malbec was mentioned or we all sneered at sourdough taking the place of Hovis. (Actually, the beer drinkers I'm talking about probably do.)
Hey guys! The world has moved on. Beer isn’t your exclusive province. There are new drinkers who you should be encouraging to get into beer to make sure your local brewery and pub stay viable. Why not let them without implying they’re total twats?
PS By the way M & S is currently offering 25% off its beer range in store and online which makes those beers I recommended the other day in the Guardian more affordable. Just in case you’re interested…
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