Great Divide’s Hanna Laney Speaks Out About Beer Evangelism & Snobery

With a more educated industry, including both producers and consumers, sometimes comes an air of pretentiousness, that malodorous stench emanating from those who are too big for thy britches. Indeed, I have even found myself at the helm of this unfortunate trend, giving a round chortle to those drinking beer I have deemed as swill. For shame, self, for shame. As craft beer becomes more available on the shelf, so too rises the tension between extreme connoisseurs and those just entering the market. Looking down our collective noses, a vocal scoff at a macro drinker can do more to curtail craft beer’s growth than almost anything else. Oh, I’m sorry, newbie, I only drink sour beer aged on oak spirals from a Chardonnay barrel utilizing at least three stone fruits for flavor.

It’s true; I believe in the power of craft beer. Not in a hokey marketing jargon sort of way, but in an economic, holistic, social and damn near spiritual way. I genuinely believe that some of the ills that plague our society could begin to be solved by people sitting down for a pint at their local pub and talking about what really matters. Craft beer is more than just the means by which you reach a pleasant level of inebriation; it’s a lifestyle. How, then, can we evangelize this lifestyle in an inclusive, open way?  (Full article here)