"Ummm, I've never done this before."
'Why don't you start with your name and tell us why you're here?"
"O...Ok. My name is Jeff"
(group) "Hello Jeff."
"I am here because, well, I'll just say it, I didn't like a beer the (beer geek) world seems to love - The Rodenbach Grand Cru.
(murmurs and odd gasps through the crowd)
(Jeff continues) "One day I'll tell my grand kids tales of how I anxiously waited for months for signs that the Grand Cru would surface. Rumours floated around about possible sightings in far away places like Woodstock and Ottawa. LCBO stores were called. Other beer lovers stole whatever cases they could find. And then, as if by fate, there it was, on the shelf of a tiny lcbo in the Ukranian Demonstration Village. I brought it home. I waited. I had visions of aging the extra bottle I received, but one was for a special almost end of the week Thursday night garabage reality tv night viewing, where I would let go of the cares of the week sipping on a legendary beer. It started off well enough, the colour was a fantastic ruby read and the sour aroma hit me before the cap was all the way off. This was going to be an intriguing beer."
"But then, something funny happened. Instead of becoming more complex and revealing more intricate flavours, the beer just got more sour. The sourness dominated all else. It is at this point I should mention that while I do not have the sophisticated tastes and experiences of some, I have had, and quite enjoyed this style of beer before (see my rating of Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne on ratebeer). That beer achieved a balance which made it wonderful. This beer I felt did not."
"Jeff, that is very brave of you to say. We here at BERAB (Beer Enthusiasts Rejecting Acclaimed Beer) want you to know that you are not alone. While in this case we all think you're insane and that your tastebuds and opinion are blatantly wrong, we all have come together for support because from time to time, for whatever reason, you are not going to like a beer that everyone else likes. And that....
"But wait, there's more..."
"And that is ok."
" That's great to hear. You guys have made me feel so welcome. And right after I had the Grand Cru, I tried the Weltenburger Bock and it was fantastic. I mean really really good. And everyone seems to like that, so I'm ok, right?
"That's right, you are just fine"
"Actually, I'm not done. About half way through the Grand Cru, I realized I simply could not drink any more so I dumped it down the sink. One of the first times I've ever done that, but it's ok because I'm with such an understanding group."
"Get out."
