Blessed are the Beer Dorks

Jay Hinman has a good essay posted on the subject of beer geekdom:

Let’s give the fanatic his due, though. It is he (and even sometimes she) that is helping bring incredible beers into the restaurants of America. It is he who has glorified the ultra-hopped India Pale Ale, and helped prod brewers nationwide to new tongue-scorching heights. It is he who has helped move craft beer acceptance into the near-mainstream, just as the punk rocker propelled his hallowed bands out of the local, scene-based ghetto and into mass acceptance.

To me, beer geeks are the "mavens" described in Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point. The disproportionate effort they put into researching and processing information about the subject which they are passionate about has positive externalities for society as a whole. If we didn't do it, who would?