“Nobody goes there any
more. It’s too crowded.”
That’s become one of my favorite sayings. Years before I learned that Yogi Berra said
it, I read it in Lew Bryson’s Pennsylvania
Breweries, referring to Rock Bottom.
It deftly jabs at the “over it” mindset, when people voice disdain for
something based solely on its popularity.
Too many people are into something, it’s lost its special little
niche. This used to be my little secret,
now every everyman walking in the door wants a piece. I get that mentality – being “in-the-know”
can make something esoteric feel a little more like a treasure. It takes a little more effort, more
willingness to dig & explore to uncover something really worthwhile, rather
than having the least common denominator shoved down our throats.
That attitude can also get a little tedious past a certain
age. That band you heard first blew up,
& now people both fifteen years younger AND older than you are into
them. Sure, it might suck having to
share them with twenty times more people now, but they’re good, right? And if things really work like they’re
supposed to in a capitalist meritocracy, quality should equate to popularity,
right? It’s only right & natural
that more people should be into something good.
So at the right time of our lives, we should all shed the idea that
popular is bad.
Where was I going with this?
Oh yeah – I never noticed the pumpkin beer-bashing so much as this year,
& I don’t buy it. I had a brief
exchange with another bottleshop’s twitter account, who said markets without a
particular hyper-popular pumpkin ale (not gonna say the name) are better off,
which made no sense to me, at least from a business standpoint. He went on to say that he can’t stand the
stuff, that if he wants pumpkin pie he’d prefer it on a plate, that beer should
taste like beer, etc. The standard
talking points. That’s fine, whatever,
but I feel like I’ve heard it more this year than in recent memory, from more
people, & it has a ring of “doth-protest-too-much” about it. I get the vibe that people are pushing back
against the early releases & overwhelming demand, & maybe being a
little conspicuous in their nose-turning.
Sure, pumpkin beer’s ubiquitous this time of year – just
read on the Brewers’ Associations’ website today that sales of pumpkin beer
rival those of IPA in the fall.
Pumpkin-flavored EVERYTHING is happening this time of year. Candles.
Ice cream. Apparently people lose
their heads over Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latter. They might make deodorant from cinnamon &
nutmeg now, who knows? Know why? ‘Cause it frickin’ tastes good! Those flavors are delicious & nostalgic. It makes people feel cozy & gives them
some reassurance when the days start getting shorter, cooler, & we all
shore up for our inadequate excuse for hibernation. Each sip is a shot fired in the battle
against Seasonal Affect Disorder.
So yeah, I think the hatin’ on pumpkin beers is a little
disingenuous. People love them because
they’re good; it’s fine to let your guard down & just admit that you like
what tastes good that a lot of other people like, too. It’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay.
No comments:
Post a Comment