Don’t lose your shit if someone doesn’t like craft beer: You know, not everyone has to like something just because you do. It’s great that you enjoy something and feel passionate about it – everyone should have something they like that much in their lives. But it’s not going to be craft beer for everyone.
Some people might love stamp collecting, or cheeses, or shoes or carpet tiles from fallen European Communist regimes. To each their own. But imagine how you’d feel if one of those people berated you because you didn’t share their obsession.

If you’re going to dish it out, you have to learn how to take it: Some beer geeks just love looking down their nose at ‘‘macro swill’’ and those who drink it. ‘‘Ha, you drink Corona’’, they say. ‘‘They only put the lemon in so it tastes of something.’’ Okay, that was me. I’ve said that.

Okay, so you’re quite happy to hang shit on mainstream beers (ie beers you don’t like) but when mainstream beer drinkers do the same to the beer you love, you can’t throw a hissy fit like some fat kid who’s just been told he can’t have McDonald’s for dinner. You have to take it.

Because, chances are good, you’ve been dishing it out for years.

Don’t ‘‘educate’’ people: So many people bang on about how we have to ‘‘educate’’ people about good beer. But really, no we don’t. At least not in the snooty, aggressive ‘‘do you really want to drink that rubbish?’’ way many geeks do it.

You know how to educate people? Just be seen to be drinking good beer. That’s it. Go out with a group of work colleagues, just be the guy drinking good beer while everyone drinks mainstream beer. Then, when one of them gets curious about trying something different, they’ll come to you because you’re ‘‘the guy who drinks good beer’’. See, you didn’t have to preach to people or try and persuade them, you let them come around in their own time.

Don’t leave comments on clickbait anti-beer stories: Remember that story about a week ago that made people go spakko and the company’s web editors go ‘‘Wow, look at all those hits. Lets write some more anti-craft beer stories.’’? Yeah, you know the one.

I got a great laugh out of reading comments left by very irate beer geeks. See, here was a story that essentially said beer geeks were insufferable twats. And any average person would read those comments and go ‘‘jeez, these guys are insufferable twats’’.

You see what you did? You essentially made the writer’s case for them. You didn’t change anyone’s mind, instead you confirmed their prejudice.

Don’t share those clickbait stories either: I’m as guilty of anyone at this. But I’m not doing it any more. What’s the point in me giving oxygen to a story I hate?

Keep an open mind with all beer: Yes ALL beer. There was another clickbait piece in which a bunch of people who hated craft beer, reviewed some craft beer that had been sitting around for ages. Guess what? They hated it. Coulda been fresh-as and they would have hated it.

Geeks got annoyed because this beer wasn’t being tasted seriously and the writers were prejudiced. Well, isn’t that EXACTLY how some beer geeks are when they drink mainstream beer? Yes it is. ALL beer deserves to be approached with an open mind. If you want those guys to do it, you have to do it too.

It doesn’t matter: Really, at the end of the day, so what if someone doesn’t like craft beer? Why does bother some people so much? It’s just someone’s opinion at the end of the day. You like craft beer, they don’t. Shrug your shoulders, enjoy your tasty beer and move on.