You might have cenosillicaphobia if you’ve ever looked into your empty beer glass and experienced an odd feeling of melancholy or even mild panic. However, don’t worry. Your doctor is unable to diagnose this “condition.” In actuality, it’s a lighthearted, humorous term that’s popular among beer enthusiasts.
The Greek words cenosillicaphobia (kenos, which means “empty,” silica, which means “glass,” and, of course, phobia, which means “fear”) are pieced together. Put differently, it’s the “fear of an empty glass,” especially one that holds beer. In pubs, breweries, and beer forums around the world, the term has become a lighthearted inside joke despite not being scientific.
No psychologist will prescribe it to you, but many beer drinkers can identify with the sentiment. What could be more disheartening on a night out than to look down and see that the last drop has been consumed? Because who wouldn’t want a T-shirt announcing their “fear” of an empty pint? Some breweries have even adopted the phrase, using it in marketing campaigns and on oddball merchandise.
In actuality, cenosillicaphobia is more about the pleasure of maintaining good times than it is about fear. The phrase encapsulates that universal feeling of wishing the glass never ran dry, regardless of whether you’re a craft beer enthusiast or just enjoy a casual lager with friends.
Thus, you can knowingly smile the next time you place an order for a refill and attribute it to your “cenosillicaphobia.”
