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A Bar Calls Out Negativity. Something I Totally Get [Op-Ed]

The Common Table, craft beer gastropub in Dallas, Texas let their feelings about the state of craft beer and some of their clientele fly on Facebook today. It’s pretty amazing.

Now, I know that with constantly writing about beer, traveling to breweries and more, I get my share of rare beer. Luck favors the bold. On the subject of negativity however, this is pretty great.

Everytime I click post to Beer Street Journal, or send a tweet or an Instagram, I have this feeling that washes over me for few seconds. A feeling that someone is going to hate this. When I say hate, I mean, the beer, my post, my writing, my grammar, my phrasing, or a combination of all of it.

Negativity bleeds across all my timelines, from Twitter, to Facebook and everything in between. I’ve had readers tell me to kill myself on multiple occasions. I’ve had Redittors call me retarded, fat, uneducated, even called my mother a whore. (A note to those people: You aren’t going to hurt my feelings. I was nerd growing up, and got the shit kicked out of me for years. You can’t hurt me. Someone should hug you more.)

A bar calling out the negativity in craft beer is incredible. These folks understand the hatred. Yelp, Beer Advocate forums, Reddit forums, email listservs. There really is no perfect way to distribute a case of rare beer. They are basically set up to fail, but they keep doing it for the love of beer. I’ve seen people complain in places that have an amazing tap lineup, that there’s “nothing new.”

I started Beer Street Journal more than six years ago, because I wanted people to get excited about all this amazing beer being made. Maybe help the industry grow a little. It’s my life.

BSJ is news based, and very little editorial. I will say, if you are reading this. You are surrounded by some of the best, and most creative beer in the world. You won’t like every one of them. That doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Plus, if they do, and you don’t, that doesn’t make them wrong. In that glass is someone’s hard work, passion, life savings, even a kid’s college fund.

Experimenting (and tasting) is what makes craft beer fun. If it was the same thing over and over again, none of this would exist.

I say this with all sincerity. Drink. Be Awesome. Be Positive. Most of all… Be Happy.

17 thoughts on “A Bar Calls Out Negativity. Something I Totally Get [Op-Ed]

  1. Reid, thank you for writing this. I also understand that sinking anxious feeling when you click ‘post’ no matter what the content may be. The amount of negativity in the beer community is staggering and can be overwhelming. There’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism, but as we know many comments are far from productive. I’m also glad an establishment decided to speak up for themselves and the scene as well. Thank you for sharing. Cheers!

  2. Cheers. I couldn’t agree with you or the folks at The Common Table more. Keep up the great work.

  3. Mostly agree. I’ve also seen a lot of bars complain in this style, and it annoys me for one reason: they are putting up whales to make money – above and beyond their regulars. It’s not altruistic. Therefore, it’s pretty hypocritical to complain about non-regulars.

    • In regards to making money on the “Whale” beers, that is not really true. Most of the time bars will have their standard mark up on those “whales” as they would any other beer. Those beers usually cost more to make and are rare for other reasons as well, therefore having a higher price by the time distributors and bars/restaurants/liqour stores add their margins. But like every thing, there are exceptions.

  4. ur fat retarded and I hate ur beer so boring ( ps ur mothers a whore) hey just opinions go drinka real beer a budweiser

  5. Craft beer is only fun anymore because of local breweries with local charm. I can’t deal with the pretentious, entitled douchebaggery anymore.

  6. If you don’t have that moment of fear that someone is going to hate what you wrote, it’s not worth posting. Stay true to you, that’s what makes you successful

  7. Not saying these types of beer buyers people don’t exist, but the internet hate is literally everywhere. It’s a symptom of the fact that people grow huge balls when they are behind a computer screen. Doesn’t matter if it’s BA, the comments section on a tech blog, CNN.com, or anywhere else.

  8. I nearly broke an optic nerve rolling my eyes at this guy who wouldn’t shut up about ‘lacing’ while seated next to me at HopCat a few years ago. Just drink the damn thing.

  9. Sounds like The Common Table doesn’t get many limited releases and they are pissed that people aren’t lining up to drink their overpriced common beers that are available everywhere.

    You can keep your Sculpin and I’ll head to the bar with Cantillon.

    • The Common Table gets a great list of stuff all the time. I anticipate that rant was for their release of CBS this weekend. The fact that they got a keg of CBS (first served in TX I believe) should tell you all you need to know about them.

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