True craft beer lovers are not drunks!

It's time to address another one of my pet peeves.  I like craft beer.  Lots of people do.  Call it a hobby, pastime, or even a passion.  It's true.  I like to drink good craft beer on a regular basis.  I like to go to beercentric restaurants, pubs, and the like that have a respect for craft beer and those who enjoy it.  I like to visit local breweries so that I can see where my beer comes from and taste it at its absolute freshest.  I enjoy various beer festivals throughout the year that allow me to sample brews from near and far with people who share my interest in the craft beer culture.  What can I say, I'm a beer geek.  I'm proud of it.  I'm not a drunk.  I don't drink quality craft beer to get drunk.  If I did, I certainly couldn't call myself a true craft beer lover.  I have to believe the same of my fellow craft beer lovers.  Drinking to the point of drunkenness shows no respect for the beverage you are drinking, let alone the hard work that went into creating it.  There are plenty of people who do drink to get drunk.  You can typically see them toting their 24-pack of junk beer home on a Friday night.  Maybe they're hanging out in front of their local watering hole or liquor store, clutching a wrinkled brown paper bag containing 40 ounces of swill.  Perhaps you'll even see them at beercentric restaurants, breweries, or even beer festivals from time to time.  It happens, but I believe it to be more of the exception than the rule.  For the most part beer lovers, true craft beer lovers, enjoy and respect the beer they consume.  I can certainly say that is true of myself.  So please, those who don't share this same love of craft beer, those who don't drink beer, those who don't drink at all, if you know someone who does, if you know someone who enjoys beer, good quality craft beer, don't assume the worst.  Don't equate a craft beer drinker with a drunk.  Don't assume someone who enjoys beercentric establishments, breweries, or festivals must get drunk at those places.  Educate yourself.  Explore craft beer for yourself.  At the very least, give credit to those who do.  Now, before I fall off of my soapbox and hurt myself or an innocent bystander, I will simply step down and go back to what I was doing.  Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support.