There are thousands of adjectives available to us yet we use the same ones over and over to describe the beer we drink. But that shouldn’t be too surprising; humans are creatures of habit and we tend to overuse words that we think others will understand – even if we aren’t even sure if we are using it accurately. One adjective & phrase that’s gained popularity is crushable craft beer.
Seems like everyone is describing beer with less than 8% ABV as crushable. From Pilsner to IPA to Schwarbier, people love to talk about how easy some beers are to drink aka crush.
And while there’s nothing wrong with using the same terms repeatedly, it becomes predictable and loses meaning. How many times can we say a beer is hoppy or citrusy? In the end, these terms begin to sound like noise.
And crushable is a term I hear thrown around more and more as drinkers attempt to explain the profile of a beer. So, I’m going to breakdown how I define crushable beer and provide some additional thoughts on the popularity of this adjective.
What Is Crushable Craft Beer?
It is always fun to define a term that I know others may define differently. While we all have unique perspective, most will appreciate my crushable craft beer definition.
A Crushable Craft Beer:
- Has a low to moderate ABV
- Has a light to medium body
- Has balance in the aroma and flavor provided by hops, malt, and yeast
- Can be consumed easily and repeatedly as desired by the drinker
In the end, these are beers that you don’t have to over evaluate or dissect. They provide exactly what you want and are designed for drinking rather than discussing.
Check out my article on Impact Beer vs Drinking Beer
Crushable is very similar to Session. However, for some craft beer drinkers, the word “session” has a negative context. As if drinking something that won’t ruin your day is some how a bad idea.
And let’s admit it, crushable is a lot more fun to say than session!
Another similar term is drinkable or easy-drinking. Both of these get a decent amount of use but the craft beer community shudders every time we use them. While these terms are supposed to be positive characteristics, they sound like an underhanded compliment.
We started drinking craft beer for bolder beer with more body. So session or easy-drinking sounds like we are abandoning what made craft beer great in the first place. But there is a longing for beer that we can drink throughout an evening or event without causing severe impairment.
Yes, huge stouts and Triple IPAs are lots of fun. But more often, we want to just drink a beer that isn’t trying to steal the spotlight. We want a beer that facilitates conversation and relationship rather than a beer that becomes the conversation.
Why Are More People Using This Adjective?
Humans are funny creatures. While we are the most intelligent living things, we tend to be extremely predictable by falling into habits and patterns. And for many, the use of crushable is simply the current trend that we are repeating because we heard others say it.
Instead of thinking on our own, it is easier to recycle the same thoughts as others as long as it at least loosely applies. And there’s really nothing wrong with that but we could all do better by expanding our vocabulary and thinking for ourselves.
But I don’t think this term has become more popular just because we heard someone else say it. Instead, we are projecting what we want in our beer. The elements we tend to notice the most and talk about the most are the characteristics that we want to see in more beers.
While it is true that many IPAs have citrus flavors to them, there are also many other characteristics that we don’t mention because they aren’t our favorites or what we desire in future beers.
So, when we say a beer is crushable, not only are we saying that it is light bodied and easy to drink but we are also saying that is something we want to experience more often. It is how we tell breweries what we liked and would like to see more of.
What Crushable Shouldn’t Mean
While this term is fun and has its place, it can also have a negative context as to the type of drinking someone is engaging in. I do worry that when someone says a beer is crushable that they are saying that they intend to drink excessively.
As much as I love craft beer, overconsumption is something that must be taken seriously to prevent health issues, addiction, and other unhealthy habits. Just because we could drink a lot, doesn’t mean that we should.
Crushable shouldn’t be a reason to binge drink nor should it be a reason to justify having one too many or drinking then driving. Regardless of the ABV or ease of consumption, drinking responsibly should always be the most important factor.
Final Thoughts On Crushable Craft Beer
Are you a fan of “easy-to-drink” craft beer? If so, do you describe it as crushable?
Instead of using the same adjectives over and over, give some other terms a try: session, light bodied, low ABV, balanced, accessible, etc. I’d even think we could occasionally use “easy drinking” even thought it isn’t my favorite.
Need some more ideas on terms to describe beer? Check out this article by Draft Magazine
In the end, we can all do a better job using more words to convey our thoughts to those around us. But until then, I hope you enjoyed this crushable article on crushable craft beer. Be crushable yourself by sharing this with all your friends that enjoy crushing crushable craft beer. Cheers!
