Bottle Conditioned

Mollie and I were talking about this last night, as we have a few other times in the past: does beer need a new name?

Being a beer lover - strike that, a craft beer lover - can be incredibly frustrating. Attempting to change the public perception of what beer is proves to be an uphill battle much of the time. The accepted definition of beer as a light, watery, alcohol delivery system in a can is so entrenched in our society that it’s going to take a lot of work to pull it out the other side and redefine beer as a beverage that is rich in history, taste, variety and culture. As of now, people just don’t get it.

So - should we rename beer and start from scratch? I don’t know what we’d rename it, but sometimes I feel like we should. It’s amazing how heavy of a word “beer” is, and the amount of negative connotation attached to it. “What will you have with your steak dinner, Sir, a bottle of our finest Cabernet?” “Nope, bring me your beer list” “Oh. Right”.

What is it going to take to change this perception? Currently, many people are working hard to help beer out and give it a makeover. The craft brewers in this country and around the world are at the forefront, paving new ground and expanding the portfolio of beer worldwide. Beer writers and educators are gaining steam and wedging their (our) way into mainstream media. The cult following of craft beer is slowly peaking its head above the surface and making small waves in communities across the world. All are working hard to redefine what people think of when they hear the word “beer”. But is it going to work?

Jay Brooks has a great blog post that profiles an article written likening craft beer to wine, going as far as to call craft beers “winey beers”. Why does wine have to be the standard to which we hold beer? As long as that is in place, we’ll be fighting with the wine folks over the rightful place at the table. It simply exemplifies the notion that beer, as a concept, simply doesn’t command the respect that other beverages do, and disassociating that perception from the name is going to be one hell of a battle.

As I said, I have no idea what we’d call it. Honestly, I don’t want to rename it, but will we ever be able to change the reaction to it? Will beer one day fade away as the frat boy drink of choice and find its place at four star tables across the globe? Hopefully so - we’ve just got to keep talking about it.

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