Craft Beer Craze Lesbian Bed Death
Lesbian bed death is the idea that lesbian couples tend to lose their sexual dynamic over time and just end up doing a lot of cuddling. This is how I would describe the state of my love for craft beer. What was once a fiery, passionate affair bordering on the edge of obsession has slowly devolved into lukewarm feelings toward my lover, craft beer.
Craft beer is taking up less and less of my resources – monitory, three dimensional, mental capacity, etc. It’s been forever and a day since I’ve attended a monthly tasting with my beer enthusiast club. I can’t even remember the last tap takeover or special release I attended at one of the many watering holes around town.
Like my blogging, beer became a chore. How was I going to get my hands on another special release? Weeknight tastings took a toll on showing up for work the next day. One $20 bottle after another was being released, filling my beer closet faster than I could drink the beer already within. When I wanted a beer with dinner that wouldn’t knock me out due to either size of the bottle or advanced alcohol levels (or sometimes both), there was nothing. Every beer I owned or longed for was a barrel-aged, special release topping double digits in alcohol content percentages. It was exhausting, not to mention terrible for my health.
I actually ran a marathon last spring. The strides I made physically have basically been lost. Sure, some of that is because I haven’t run as much as I should, but high gravity beers haven’t helped.
So, I fell out of love with craft beer.
However, like lesbian bed death, my deteriorating love affair with craft beer is actually a myth. I haven’t given up supporting craft breweries. I haven’t gone cold turkey by any means. I still buy and sample fancy beers whenever I can. The craft beer craze for me has just settled a bit.
What’s funny is that I have avoided talking about craft beer fatigue for fear of being ridiculed. For example, some members of my beer club’s Facebook group go over the edge when they can’t get their hands on certain releases. I’ve suggested now and again that it’s just beer and there will be other beers. To my dismay, I virtually found my manhood challenged. If we had membership cards, I would have been forced to turn it in. It was and is unthinkable for some beer geeks that maybe the latest and greatest beer isn’t always necessary.
Beer and Pavement 
I hate looking in the fridge and seeing only high ABV beers, when that isn’t what you want. I’ve had a few really nice low alcohol beers lately. Jester King’s Petit Prince weighed in at 2.9% but had an amazing brett flavor. Upright Four at 4.5% was full of citrus, light, dry and refreshing.
Yes! Petit Prince is nice. Haven’t had Upright Four, but I do like Founders All-Day IPA at ~4%.
I apologize if this is a repeat/echo from a comment of mine from awhile back… I think that it’s a sign of maturity and proper perspective when _any_ hobby/personal passion seems to lessen in importance and mindspace/monetary space as life and responsibilities change. So long as beer gives you pleasure without contributing to harm or concern or problems, it truly doesn’t matter whether you return to old favorites/primarily stick with easily obtainable brews or chase after the white whales. You want rarities? The ones you brew come in 5-6 gallon batches — what could be more rare than that? The folks giving you grief will likely come around as their lives change… or if they don’t, there might be problems. But don’t worry about your current state, and don’t worry if it either temporarily or permanently goes towards even less beer/less variety — there will always be something filling your life and offering meaning, and parenting and education and writing are awesome and important ways to devote your attention and energies. This seems to be a gaining in wisdom and experience, given the demands on your time, wallet, attention, and so forth.
Yeah, it’s funny, I feel I know all of this and have known it for a long time. I just forget and need to be reminded. Thanks.
ps — the same “myth” is said to happen in long-term hetero relationships, too!
For reals, but it’s a funny phrase.
One of the hardest things for me (and others, I suspect) is when some part of life–hobby, living arrangement, job, dietary choices, etc–becomes more burdensome than it’s worth. Kudos to you for not just slogging through old routines. They’re always there to fall back on if you change your mind.
I wouldn’t say that I’ve completely overcome those old routines, but I’m certainly more able to put them in perspective.
Brilliant title and great post! I think there is a very real risk with any pastime/hobby/etc that it can soon feel like a chore. I have felt undue and bizarre pressures to be a completist with lots of different things, and once that nagging guilt takes over it isn’t long before I start resenting that particular hobby and start the long road to losing interest. Makes me think of your ‘Dabbler’ post – that is the way forward.
I think beer is an interesting item as I think it is there to be drunk, not to be collected. I can find joy in all manner of beer – in the right situation I can enjoy most beers. The growth in high ABV beer doesn’t really help – while there are some scenarios where they are the perfect drink, there are times when they can feel like hard work, or at least something to be avoided on a work night.
My craft beer intake has waned a little, but I’ve found myself still drinking ‘normal’ cask beer in pubs. I guess the winter is the ideal time to hole up in a warm pub/bar with some pals and just enjoy the company, where in the summer a craft beer can work really well while just relaxing in your garden.
As I tend to lean towards IPAs/saisons and that kind of thing on the craft beer front, I think my craft beer tastes are more summer-leaning anyway. Come the winter I’m happy with a draft stout or something cask that isn’t too wacky.
Anyway, great to have you back!
Yeah, sometimes getting back to basics is the way to go. Thanks.