What Are You Drinking?

Recently I was sitting at Kite and Key by myself having just gotten out of work and wanting a quick beer at a nearby spot. I believe I was drinking some kind of blueberry sour (apologies for not remembering the name or anything though I remember enjoying it) when the gentleman sitting next to me asked me what I was drinking. My very first instinct was to kind of side glance at his beer. He was drinking a Bud Lite bottle so who knows why he wanted to know the name of my beer when most likely it would mean absolutely nothing to him. My very second instinct was to tell him that my beer was good and my very third instinct was to ask if he wanted to try a sip. After giving me that sort of half frown and gentle nod that conveys mild understanding but not really, the guy politely declined and continued on with his Bud, leaving me back with my sour and thoughts.

It then occurred to me that it may have been slightly off-putting or even straight up weird of me to offer my beer to a complete stranger, even though I almost always do this without even thinking about it. I've also noticed that most strangers do not reciprocate the offer. However, when we change the scenario around a little and the offer is made not between strangers but between friends the whole exchange becomes fairly normal, if not expected (especially with me). Example: While recently out with an old co-ex-bar employee (again at Kite and Key) we both ordered different beers and both instantly tried them, then swapped so we could try the other one. We didn't even think about it, as if like what else would you do after two beers are placed in front of you? So it would appear that friendship level has a direct impact on how likely another person is to try your beer and allow you to try his, but I want to know at exactly what point in a relationship the offer becomes acceptable or even standard, and what factors determine the likelihood of someone wanting to sample my beer. Also, are there ever instances in which someone goes ahead and tries my beer but is reluctant to allow me to try his? I personally have never experienced this and I have to say I think I'd be slightly offended if I had. But maybe someone out there has done such a thing.

There are other factors at play here as well, namely how much interest/knowledge your friend has in the realm of 'craft' beers. Maybe Bud Lite guy not wanting to try my beer had nothing to do with his germ phobia but more to do with his disinterest in trying a blueberry sour.

But what about a solid friendship with someone who really isn't all that interested in craft beer but is presumably very interested in me? Example: if my boyfriend and I order two different craft beers at a bar he pretty much expects me at this point to try his beer as soon as I've tried mine, sometimes before he's even had a chance to try it (although I usually try to wait until he's made the first move). It has become such a standard of hanging out with me that there now seems to be this unspoken agreement that he needs to try his beer immediately upon being served lest I become impatient and reach across the table to start drinking it myself. My boyfriend is the type of guy who tries a beer and says, 'It's good,' or 'Gross,' and that's pretty much the end of it. He doesn't need to go into further detail nor will he be likely to remember the name of the beer a week later. I, on the other hand, will rave about a beer that I really like or make horrendous pretend-vomit sounds for a solid 45 seconds for a beer that I really hate. I will then commit the beer's name and brewery name to memory and possibly rave or make vomit noises about it again a week later. Then I will remember to order it or joke about ordering it (but then make a vomit noise) next time I see it at a bar. Then I will write in a blog about it. Then maybe a month or so later I will have moved onto the next beer and I think you get the point here.

So the questions I want to explore here are: Is my beer-offering habit definitely a weird one? Exactly how weird is it?