The eye of the ale storm

When Malcolm Gluck's post calling beer drinkers unsexy sadsacks and lousy lovers was first drawn to my attention earlier this month, my immediate reaction was indignant apoplexy.

Then I realised I was sitting with my wellingtoned feet covered in spent malt from the first phase of the day's brewing, purple faced with anger and shouting obscenities ... unsexy, um, yeah – tick! And yes, I'm also messy ... but that's where any resemblance (I hope) to Malcolm's sweeping generalisation about the great British beer-lover ends. The last time I checked the business end of things I don't qualify as a lousy husband either - in fact, I'm not even a lousy wife yet.

And I would like to think the positive feedback I've had on my beer writing over the years – and that of colleagues like Pete Brown, Roger Protz and Jeff Evans - goes to disprove Malcolm's further assertion that beer drinkers cannot pass a witty remark.

As a trusted drinks writer, you should ensure you are always relevant to your audience and, as beer is still the most popular drink in the world, and yes, Malcolm, drunk with spicy foods, to denigrate or ignore ales, lagers and lambic beers is to miss valuable reference points for your audience and, in doing so, fail in your role as communicator.

Which is why I invited Malcolm down to my beer tasting business in Borough Market tomorrow – which he's gamely accepted - to do a beer and spicy food tasting and see if I can't change his mind, even a tiny bit, about beer and its suitability to partner food things with a little zing.

Seeing as he upset quite a few people on the blog here, the people on Word of Mouth thought it might be nice to give some of you a chance to reply - and to come along. So if you're free at lunchtime tomorrow, email us at food.blog@guardian.co.uk and we'll get back to a number of people with details.

To be honest, I'm doing this for another reason too; because I'm a bit tired of this odd snobbery so many wine writers have about beer.

They seem to think it's necessary to hoard their wine knowledge, jealously guarding it behind walls of hyperbole and jargon, making the rest of us feel inferior and lost, whereas most beer writers know that their subject is an honest drink that deserves an honest explanation – but, despite Malcolm's assertion, that doesn't make us unintelligent or shallow but transparent and accessible, which is surely the point?

I find inexpressible joy (and, if we're continuing the honesty vibe, occasional horror) in discovering the gigantic array of flavours beers have to offer and take great care in conveying them to people by using language that, I hope, will paint a clear picture of a brew's attributes or flaws.

So if I can just convey a tiny part of that ethos to Malcolm during our time together or get him to feel passionate about even one beer, and likewise for those of you who are kind enough to attend, then I hope to have made his life, and that of others, just that little bit richer.

Here's my planned menu, and I've an idea of some of the beers I'll be matching with - but let's pool our knowledge - if anyone's got a better idea, let's be hearing it below.

THE MENU

Smoked teriyaki mackerel on a salad of carrot and wasabi remoulade

Paired with Dr Okell's IPA

Beef rendang

Paired with Hopback Thaiphoon

Cardamom and bitter chocolate chilli pots

Paired with Thornbridge Bracia

If you can make it to Borough Market for noon tomorrow and want to join in with the demonstration of beer and food matching (and hopefully witness Malcolm find something to complement the flavour of his hat) email food.blog@guardian.co.uk.