Beer Nut: Craft beer lovers are better informed than ever - MassLive.com

I’ve been writing this column since before there was Facebook or Twitter, and before there was even such a thing as an iPhone.

In the beer world, there were the long-standing websites RateBeer and Beer Advocate, but not much else back in 2003. Untappd didn’t start until 2010.

What I’m saying is that the ways in which we communicate — about anything but specifically craft beer — has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Back in the old days (like, say, the 1980s and early ‘90s), beer lovers mostly relied on magazines such as All About Beer, which featured eminent beer mavens such as Michael Jackson and Fred Eckhardt. But mostly, beer discussions were held at bars over a few pints. Old-school.

This limited things somewhat, of course. It almost seemed that even a workable beer acumen was some arcane cluster of knowledge that took forever to acquire. Of course that idea is ridiculous, but there were plenty of so-called experts out there to make some folks feel like they weren’t worthy. (I’m not talking about the more specialized knowledge of being a brewer or a certified beer judge here. I’m talking an everyday grasp of beer flavors and styles.)

But as the internet grew, beer newbies increasingly had a plethora of knowledge at their very fingertips and could chat intelligently about their hobby. This was a good thing, but it took a while for the true reach of the craft beer world to be nearly universal.

But I believe as we enter the 2020s, we have reached a point where craft beer general knowledge is reaching historic levels of ubiquity. While it’s not as pervasive as, say, coffee or pizza, craft beer has a solid foothold in American food culture.

Beer drinkers are more informed, ask better questions and experiment more than they used to, from what I’ve been seeing and hearing. More and more venues also provide informative beer menus, even places that are not specifically brewpubs or dedicated beer bars. And of course, there are numerous beer blogs (some more reliable than others) for people to learn from.

I still think one of the best ways to learn about beer is a good old sit-down discussion in person at a bar. And despite the pervasiveness of the online world, I still hear and see these real-life chats occurring with a delightful frequency.

Craft beer sales may have leveled off over the past few years, but that was to be expected after a decade-plus of what were often double-digit increases over the previous years. But craft beer isn’t going out of style. The ever-growing world of craft beer knowledge is still expanding and more available to everyone.

Cheers.

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Beer Nut: Craft beer lovers are better informed than ever - MassLive.com
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