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Ms. MacLean:

My name is Greg Clow, and I am an amateur beer & food writer based in Toronto.

While catching up on some online reading this morning, I came across a post on Jack Curtin’s website featuring your recent article comparing beer and wine. Having read some of your writing in the past, I expected a well thought out and accessable piece with a bit of humour.

Instead, I found a poorly executed attempt at “humour” that did nothing but disappoint me. Your supposedly “tongue in cheek” suggestion that beer drinkers are typically six-pack pounding yokels who like to fight at hockey games, ogle girls, and fart comes across as heavy-handed, mean-spirited, and frankly, snobbish.

Your introduction suggested that you intended to write a well meaning and good natured attempt at starting some collegial debate. Instead, you spew mean spirited insults at beer and beer drinkers, while championing the wonders of wine.

As someone who is a admittedly a wine neophyte, I’m doing what I can learn more, and I’ve even started doing a bit of writing about it. As with beer, I’m learning that there are wines that I like and wines that I don’t like, that certain wines pair well with certain foods, and so on.

As part of this learning, I’ve been looking towards wine writers and experts to help guide me, keeping an eye open for those who also have a respect for beer (not to mention spirits), as that shows me that they have a mind and a palate that are as open as I’m hoping mine can be.

I guess I’ll be scratching you off of that list.

Greg Clow

It’s so obvious that she wrote this specifically to stir up “controversy”. I half suspect that she probably knows full well that beer deserves more respect than she gives it in this poorly written and poorly researched screed.

Replying to her would be a complete waste of time, IMO.

Too bad, too, as I had a fair bit of respect for her before this. I don’t know much about wine, but I’ve read a bit of her stuff and enjoyed it. I won’t be bothering in the future.

That’s why her screed is so disappointing. It’s like she hit the off switch on her brain.

A pal of mine’s an opera singer. He’s from a posh, high-falutin family – his uncle’s one of the most prolific London architects ever, his parents are leadng medical consultants, he’s got Law Lords, actors, music stars in his family. All lovely people and very talented to boot.

Recently I went to see the friend at a pub-opera (I wrote an account of this unlikely coupling on my blog
here).

I happened to sit next to the parents of the friend. Now they’re real gastronomes, you better believe it.

His mum said “hello, lovely to see you, Benjamin tells me you’re doing a bit of beer writing these days. But why don’t you write about wine?”

I couldn’t think of a reply.

We have the same problems with perceptions of beer over here, but I don’t let them get me down. It’s so easy to challenge most people’s prejudices, and a lot of fun doing it. I’ve converted lots of people, and I bet you all have too, many more folks than myself I’d bet.

I agree with Lew that this article was “writing by numbers”, but it’s clearly intended to provoke a response. In fact, it’s written in a way that so obviously invites riposte, it’s almost generous!

And therein lies the inherent trouble between our 2 factions. Has Natalie expressed such disdain for beer in the past? Has she recently been harassed by “beer advocates” (as she seems delighted to use tauntingly in her essay).

Maybe it is all TIC, but Stan and Lew are right, heavy handed and tired, and shouldn’t be fuel for controversy – just for the sake of.

I’m guilty: I’ve done this too, in favor of beer (http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=919), but I don’t think I was quite as…cliched.

On our side of the pond this sounds way too familiar. It is frustrating because she is a very good writer – I own her book – and would likely do an excellent job were she to take beer as seriously as wine.

Yeah. Pretentiousness.

Her article goes so far beyond ignorance that it’s embarrassing to her and more learned wine lovers.

S.

She’s clearly just trying to provoke an equally tongue-in-cheek, yet strident, response. Go for it, guys! Stand up for American beer!