Am I a Beer Snob?

I am not willing to drink crappy beer. Is that a crime? It almost feels like I am breaking some rule when I go out to dinner and refuse to order a beer when the beer list sucks. I will not drink Budweiser, Miller Lite , Coors, and a long list of other mass produced yellow alcoholic fizz. I would rather drink water.

My wife and I were at a restaurant recently and I asked the waitress what beers they had other than Budmillercoors. She proudly proclaimed “We have Legend Brown Ale on tap.” When I said that I wasn’t in the mood for diacetyl and that I’d just have water, she asked “diassawhat?” I told her it tastes like buttered popcorn. “Oh, that’s the diassasomething? I thought it was supposed to be that way.” Maybe the right thing to do is to support the local brewery and drink the butter bomb, but I don’t like butter in my beer and I won’t order a beer that I know has diacetyl. I love most of Legend’s other beers, especially their one-offs that they serve at the pub, but I don’t care for their brown.

The truth be told, I struggle with my weight (and I love good beer – not a good combination) so I’m not going to drink the extra calories that I know I won’t enjoy. I try to make every calorie count. If I have 600 calories budgeted for beer one night, I will choose two 300 calorie IPAs instead of 6 Michelob Ultras or Miller Lites. That’s just how I roll.

I have nothing against folks who like the mass produced lagers and I’m not trying to put them down. If you like Miller Lite, that’s great for you and your beer bill is probably quite a bit lower than mine. My wife is not a big beer drinker but when she drinks beer it is either Corona Light or Miller Lite. I have brewed a kolsch, wheat beers and pale ales with the idea of trying to convert her to my idea of good beer. So far, none of them have worked. She knows what she likes (technically she’d usually choose a cocktail or wine instead of beer).

I’ll continue to drink what I like and others will continue to drink what tastes good to them. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.