I feel like this is reading into it a bit much. I'm not that into beer, but I really like hoppy IPA's and always have. Even in high school / college, if the only option was cheap beer, I just wouldn't drink it because I didn't enjoy it. I preferred microbrew beers, and found that I didn't really like belgians/red ales/porters/etc. But I loved my first sip of a fresh Lagunitas IPA. I noticed that not all batches were the same with them. Sometimes it would have a lovely crispness and fruitiness, and sometimes that wasn't there. Isn't it possible that people just like hoppy beers? They seem to have quite a range of flavors and aromas they can offer in and of themselves.
I mean, I like coffee too and picked up that habit right quick in high school. I didn't do it because I was trying to be "manly", I did it because it was the only way I could pay attention to classes, and I rapidly came to like it. Coffee is bitter. So are grapefruits, and brussel sprouts and a lot of things that some people just enjoy.
Not everyone has to agree, and it doesn't need to get labeled as some kind of weird virtue signaling.
I do like the "mentrification" word though! Although it sounds like we differ in what I consider the "fun" in a hobby.
I don't think the person you're replying to is making a blanket statement that anyone who drinks IPA's don't drink them because they like them but because of the image.
I think they're just trying to convey that there is a decent sized subset of beer drinkers who seem to drink IPA's for a reason much different from yours.
Sure, I didn't mean to imply that all people who like hoppy beers do this. (I like IPAs too sometimes.) Just that some do, and they are loud and vocal enough that they influence the entire scene in ways that are a negative for others.
I mean, I like coffee too and picked up that habit right quick in high school. I didn't do it because I was trying to be "manly", I did it because it was the only way I could pay attention to classes, and I rapidly came to like it. Coffee is bitter. So are grapefruits, and brussel sprouts and a lot of things that some people just enjoy.
Not everyone has to agree, and it doesn't need to get labeled as some kind of weird virtue signaling.
I do like the "mentrification" word though! Although it sounds like we differ in what I consider the "fun" in a hobby.