Questions and Answers

In the relatively short time that this blog has been around (I haven't even reviewed half a dozen beers yet!) a few people have emailed me some questions that I thought I would answer up here in case they come up again.

Q: Why did you start this blog?

I started this blog because I kept seeing gluten free beer reviewed by people who drink regular beer. Gluten free beer has a completely different smell, taste, mouthfeel, and texture than regular beer, and most regular beer drinkers can't quite get past that. Most of the reviews I read had something to the effect of "...but, if I had to only drink gluten free beer, I might have reviewed this differently." So, as someone who hasn't had a regular beer in three years, I wanted to come with a neutral stance towards gluten free beer, and review it without the assumption that it was something second rate or secondary to regular beer.

Q: Why beer? Why not wine?

I can find thousands of blogs devoted to wines of all sort, probably just as many devoted to beer but in all my searching, I never found a blog solely devoted to gluten free beer. So, I present to you the internet's first and only gluten free beer blog! :) (please correct me if I'm wrong! I'd like to link to them!)

Q: How did you learn to review beer? Did you take a class?

I never took a class, I guess I just started doing it. Way back in 2003 I had a flegling food blog called "Cuisine Urbaine" which detailed cooking in my studio apartment and restaurant reviews in Milwaukee. This blog lasted about a year before college consumed my life and I left my studio apartment kitchen. I learned to describe and review food just by doing just that - trying to put down into words what I was eating. Subscriptions to quite a few cooking magazines and religiously reading the New York Times food section helped me hone and refine my voice and see how things were done. I started reviewing beers the same way - I drank them and then tried to describe what was going on.

If you are interested in beer reviewing classes (for the gluten eaters) there are dozens out there. I have yet to hear of a gluten free beer tasting class, but if you hear of any, let me know! I will attend and review!