defending snobbery

The writer of an article on RateBeer.com doesn't like the "beer snob" title, he would prefer "beer geek". Personally, I like "beer snob", maybe it's just because I have an antagonistic personality. There is a kind of snobbery that is too far, to which he defends:

Disdain for that which is cheaply-produced and of inferior quality is not snobbery. Nobody should be enthusiastic about inferior goods, and were the product in question a lifejacket, or fire extinguisher, nobody would dispute that statement... Every beer is equal until I’ve determined otherwise by means of tasting. That’s not snobbery, folks. That’s appreciation. And it is the hallmark of a lot of people who have heretofore been accused of being beer snobs.

So true. I'm going to come up with my definition of what it means to be a "beer snob" in the positive sense. Look for that soon.