It’s all about the craft beer this week. Our great nation has seen a craft beer boom over the past few years with more than 2,700 craft breweries currently operating across the US. Now we even have an entire week dedicated to celebrating craft deliciousness! Starting this past Monday, all of our beer enthusiasts celebrated American Craft Beer week with one another, thanking the beer gods that Budweiser is no longer the only option on draft (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).
For those of us that love a good craft brew every now and then, you may sometimes feel lost in conversation with hardcore folks who have an entire cellar full of growlers with clever, pun intended names. In honor of the week’s festivities OC Weekly brought to our attention 5 buzz words craft brew lovers use frequently in their beer talk. Getting to know this lingo will only make you look like that much more of a pro this weekend when you’re sipping on a craft brew, so listen up!
Whalez: A limited release craft beer that is extremely difficult to find. Craft beer fanatics seek out “Whalez” in a search similar to Captain Ahab’s search for the great Moby Dick, which is where the term originated.
Shelf Turd: A beer on the opposite spectrum of a whale is considered to be a shelf turd. If a brew is readily available at every liquor store on the block, craft beer snobs will tend to turn their noses up at it, referring to the peasant’s drink of choice as a “Shelf Turd”
Ticks: Similar to a check mark, “ticking” refers to the action taken when one of the whalez on a craft beer lovers list is finally obtained. We can only assume how rewarding it must feel to tick a beer you’ve been tracking down for months off your list!
Cellaring: This term must sounds familiar to all you winos out there. Believe it or not craft beer lovers will also let their rare brews age for a few months before cracking them open to enjoy. Cellaring beer is definitely for those who have a great deal of patience; because we know we would just be too excited to wait.
Tonez: Fruity, hoppy, sour, and floral are all adjectives we frequently use to describe the favor of our beer, and in the world of craft brewing they are also referred to as “tonez.” Much like the “note” and ”hints” of different flavors we detect in our wine, craft beer lovers like to set themselves apart from the rest by calling out all the hoppy or citrus tonez they’re digging in a new brew.