The problem with Beer Advocate and RateBeer

There are folks that question the attitude of others (and, by my mentioning them, this writer) that some of the beer-rating websites, specifically BeerAdvocate.com, have been getting, shall we say, some negative attention of late.

Here's my spin on things, short, sweet, and to the point.

In any aggregation of like-minded folks, there are always a few folks that are going to carry on in exaggerated fashion, garner an undue amount of attention (typically negative in nature), and by extension cast the rest of the group or community in an undeservedly negative fashion.

At a sports stadium, it may be the guy with the "JOHN 3:16" sign, or the pack that painted their bodies in the team colors spelling out the team name and taking their shirts off in 20-degree weather to show the world and TV cameras, or the thugs that riot with supporters of the "wrong" team.

At a science fiction convention, it may be the chorus that insists on singing multiple songs in Klingon or Sindarin, or the heavyset, bearded, bespectacled guy that dresses as Sailor Moon (warning: the image at the link is not for the faint of heart).

With Christians, it's the Westboro Baptist "Church" and folks willing to shoot abortion doctors.  With Muslims, it's al-Qaeda and the Taliban.  With politics, the extremes of the Occupy Wall Street arnachists and the idiots still insisting Obama isn't an American citizen.

And among the real-ale and beer geek community, it's the Real Ale Tw*ts.

Unfortunately for the Beer Advocate and RateBeer communities, the "discussion" at said sites is becoming increasingly dominated by a certain category of beer geek/snob, around which fewer seem interested in hanging about.  It's as if a friendly beer bar with a fine selection of craft beers ended up being dominated, night after night, by a crowd of d*ucheb*gs.  The beer and food may be terrific, but the atmosphere isn't conducive to the craft or its enjoyment.  And, sadly, some misguided folks are guaranteed to walk into the "wrong" beer bar, see this audacious display, and go somewhere else to slurp Red Bulls and vodkas or Natty Boh or tequila shots instead.  And if someone goes to the manager and says "You know, those guys are a little too boisterous/physical/drunk", what should the manager's reaction be?

There's a reason I--and many others--have pretty well avoided going to BeerAdvocate and RateBeer (and even my old sentimental favorite from over a decade ago, Pubcrawler.com) except on a "need-to-know" basis.