For Hire: Beer Sommelier

Excuse me! I have detected a serious problem in the world of beer! There are virtually no "beer sommeliers". In fact, there are still people out there debating why you can't call someone who can pair beer and food a sommelier at all. HMMMMMPF! We can't just let those lousy wine snobs have all fun!! Perhaps this may be the root of the whole problem with beers diminished status- there are no fancy beer ambassadors out there to teach the willing how to enjoy good food with the appropriate beer. Although it has been reported that there may be a few people officially calling themselves beer sommeliers, (one of note in Los Angeles and the other in New York City) there seems to be a grave deficiency here.

I would argue though, that there are many dedicated beer lovers out there that already qualify for this position. For instance, the staff of the Dirty Truth, would be a good example. The owner of the Dirty Truth generously arranges for his staff to take an intensive beer tour every year. They visit breweries and beer establishments all over Europe and come back brimming with beer excitement, first hand beer knowledge and -I can only imagine- toxified livers. Every time I have visited the Dirty Truth, I have had a delightful conversation with a knowledgeable and young person. Their ages are of note here because the East Coast beer scene is conspicuously dominated by men over forty. At beer tastings, I am usually the youngest person in the room, and most often, the only female. It is refreshing to see a next generation of beer enthusiasts stepping up to set an example. One of these lovely staff members even did me the service of recommending what will now be our next beer on tap: Monschof Schwarzbier! A beer I may never have gotten to know if not for his suggestion. The other example of real world beer sommeliers that come to mind are the staff of just about any quality beer establishment in Belgium. I suppose this is just natural when quality beer is a source of a country's national pride. I still think the term "sommelier" might be a little stuffy for the beer world. But, if people need a stuffy term to get excited about beer, well, I'm on board. I'm also for hire as one, if anyone is interested!