Move over grinder geeks and aperitif aficionados – beer has graduated corporate glasses as the craft brew business continues to boom, bringing a connoisseur following with it.
On Saturday, the KROQ Beer Festival took over Santa Anita Park to entertain hundreds of anxious attendees with over 20 booths sheltered in white tarps, each serving a unique imported beer with an alcohol content exceeding seven-percent.
According to the Brewers Association, there are more than 3,418 craft breweries operating in the U.S., the highest count since the 1880’s. An estimated 108,440 jobs opened in the industry when the trend began to boom in 2012.
Beer enthusiasts voiced their opinion on the ever-growing beer culture.
Covina resident Emilio Carrillo, 22, has attended over eight beer festivals, ranking KROQ’s Beer Festival near the top.
“I just like the weather and the fact you can come to a park and enjoy each other’s company,” Carrillo said. “Oh, and the beer as well.”
Most took advantage of the $5 beers, including Aaron Galeana who welcomed the day with a double-fist, a brew in each hand.
“I’m not an alcoholic, but I do enjoy the social drinking experience,” said Galeana, a stout-fan partial to brews from lesser-known beer companies.
With a hobby dependent upon social acceptance, stout hounds flirt a fine line between the occasional outing and a trip to rehab.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has divvied rye-malt revelers into three categories based on behavioral patterns: the social drinker, the problem drinker and the high-functioning alcoholic.
James Espinoza from Arcadia, 37, defended the lager front from negative connotations associated with beer buffs.
“I do not know if there is a stigma attached to beer drinkers,” the Belgian Ales fan said. “I think that stigma started with wine connaisseurs and now that craft beer has taken storm, people have been attaching that stigma to beer connaisseurs.”
Many attendees at the festival were in agreement that wine and liquor have a positive stigma attached to their name. Wine is seen as classy while liquor is seen as a sophisticated drink.
Reigning from Alhambra, Sal Parra, 31, argued that since the process of making beer and other types of drinks are the same, beer should not be seen as a classless choice.
“I can see how some people might see that. When you go out wine tasting, it is a little more fancier,” Parra said. “In order to make a good beer, it takes the same process as making wine. People often think beer is easy to make while wine is difficult, but both are the same as far as the process, timing and natural ingredients.
Nina, 28, and Robert Orejel, 28, from Whittier concluded that the negative stigma may be due to people not being able to drink moderately and responsibly.
“I think the negative stigma comes from people who cannot control their beer. I know that I can engage in a social drink and not become a fool,” Nina said, as her seemingly inebriated fiancée broke into a ballad. “If you can control your liquor, you can enjoy your liquor and break the stigma. Know that you have a limit, so you can get to your buzz point and enjoy the flight.”
Nina enjoys raspberry ale while Robert’s favorite beer is any kind he can drink.
Horse-betting and taste-testing brought Arcadia local Adam Perez, 28, to the racetrack’s festivities. Perez said he believes that tolerance is key and that the negative image that beer holds is due to how often people drink beer.
“I drink on the weekends only, unless there is a family or special event,” Perez said. “I do not believe beer is bad unless you are drinking it every day. Drinking socially is okay, but it is all about moderation.”