DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODCUING: KATIE PIZZUTO

AUTHOR OF: GONZO GASTRONOMY

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Katie Pizzuto
Twitter handle: @gonzogastronomy
Name of blog: Gonzo Gastronomy
Current location: New Jersey

Background “Snapshot”

1.      Where did you grow up?

In the Dirty Jerz. My family is Cuban, and they migrated to the US when my parents were each in their early teens. I’m the first generation born here.

2.      What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

I played a little of everything…baseball, basketball, cheerleading (ugh), but wound up in track and field in high school. Spent all four years throwing javelin and shot put. Needless to say, do NOT piss me off if I have a sharp object in my hand for both my accuracy and distance are still excellent.

3.      How old were you when you had your first beer?

My guess is “in vitro,” and I probably started to taste beer when I was about 10, but my first complete beer was most likely purchased with an illegal ID and chugged down in the woods with my best friend when we were in our teens.

4.      If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

I’m sure my “first beer” story is as inconsequential as most people’s…crappy Budweiser or such, which you’d sooner forget than recall. But my first GOOD memory of beer was sharing a couple of Beck’s with an old bandmate of mine and realizing not every brew needed to be swallowed with your nose pinched.

5.      Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

I went to college at Pace University and studied Literature and Communications…got a minor in Commercial Art as well because I’m, well…an overachiever. I gave up on track and field when I started college, choosing to engage in more social sports like jello wrestling. When I realized the competition just didn’t cut it, I retired. By that time I had stopped playing in the band I was in, but continued making “beautiful music” with the man who would eventually become my husband…poor thing.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1.      What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

In 1990, my second year in college, I began working for the Wine Enthusiast magazine, so it was the year I began to fall in love with wine. But it was also the year I tried Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for the first time, and fell in love with craft brewing. At that point, Sierra was becoming the huge success it is now, and that beautifully balanced, hoppy explosion in my mouth (given to me by a future brother-in-law who tended bar) lit a fire of curiosity and intrigue in me that’s never been put out.

2.      Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

I’d have to say that as a wine lover, discovering the world of Lambics was a second epiphany for me. As you make your way through the world of craft brews, you tend to develop certain expectations of what a beer should be, but Lambics throw those expectations completely out the window. They basically flip all other brews the bird, and exist as a unique drinking experience. Trying my first true Lambic (not some artificially flavored crap) was an eye opener, and as a wine lover, its character totally drew me in.

Beer Blog Background

1.      How long have you been writing your beer blog?

I have a beer blog? Oh, right. Though not exclusively about beer, my blog has been up for about a year and half now.

2.      What inspired you to start writing your blog?

Unlike a lot of food/wine/beer bloggers out there who do it because of their passion, my first passion was actually writing. I’m a writer before I’m a cork dork. But I let most of my writing go because I pursued a career in graphic design after I graduated college, eons ago. So a couple of years ago I decided to start writing again, and the desire was obviously to write about what I most love: food, wine, beer and spirits…and the voices in my head.

3.      Why did you choose the name of your blog?

Hunter S. Thompson, a writer whose work I love, coined the term “gonzo journalism” as a style of journalism that’s written subjectively. It pisses on the “polished” edited style favored by the media, and strives for the gritty factor. It supposes that journalism can be truthful without striving for objectivity, and given that discussing gastronomy is seldom about objectivity either, I kinda dig that.

4.      What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

Beauty, talent, fame, money, refinement, top skill and brain…oh, wait, that’s a Squirrel Nut Zippers song. Umm, the truth is I’m in the middle of writing a book based on the blog, and trying to find a publisher. If I can do that, and continue drawing the coolest readers on the planet, it’s all good.

5.      What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

Is this a serious question? Free beer, of course…wait, no….free GOOD beer! Seriously, when you’re able to get your hands on rarities that are limited-production brews or such, because they are sent to you for review, there’s no better feeling. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating…sex is usually a better feeling, but free good beer is right up there.

6.      What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Can’t do just three (much like with beer, I guess): Beer & Whiskey Brothers, Simply Beer, The Beer Advocate and Brew Dog’s blog. Oh, and who am I kidding…Drink With the Wench.

Beer Talk

1.      What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

Flemish Reds, Imperial Stouts and IPAs.

2.      What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Dogfish Head, Cantillon, and Three Floyds

3.      If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

Ugh, a tough one to answer. The counter-culture anarchist in me would wanna go work with Brew Dog (that, and I love Scottish brogues) but the historically-intrigued nerd in me would choose Girardin. Something to be said for watching a wild-yeast brew being made that is utterly spiritual.

4.      Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

Yes, I am. Haven’t been for a while, but starting up again because my son (who’s about to turn 12) is dying to make an IPA with me. I’m just thrilled he even knows what the hell an IPA is. I haven’t been daring enough to make anything “unique and interesting” yet, just straight-forward ales, but you’ll probably find it pretty cool that my first batch was called Whistling Wench. My husband lovingly refers to me as his wench, and at the time I was brewing this ale I was reading a book called A Whistling Woman is Up to No Good, about rebellious women in history. So I put the two thoughts together.

5.      Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

No, but let’s just say I’m certifiable.

6.      What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

Easy…stout and chocolate. I make these amazing dark chocolate stout truffles that would blow your mind.

The Personal Side

1.      What is your current day job?

Been a graphic artist for nearly 20 years, but was laid off back in November because of our lovely, thriving economy so I’ve been freelancing my ass off ever since. Design work, anyone?!

2.      If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

Without question I’d want to be a published author…that’s the first half. I’ve wanted to be that all my life, and now it’s actually a reasonable goal. The second half would be owning this weird sort of store I have dreamed up in my crazy little head, where I carry nothing but uber-small production wine, craft beers and spirits…the stuff geeks soak their shorts over…and selling them alongside vintage vinyl. Hey, you asked!

3.      Are you married? Children?

Yup on both counts. Married with one amazing kid, though I usually claim my husband as a second child.

4.      Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

I’m a total music geek…have a CD collection that’s probably nearing 1,000 now, plus still have all my vinyl. I play, too: keys, guitar and latin percussion. Also a book lover…usually read 2 or 3 at once. Other than that, give me a grill and a drink, and I’m a happy woman.

Off The Beaten Path

1.      If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why?

A Lambic because most people can’t decide whether they love me and are intrigued by me, or they want to run as far away from me as possible.

2.      You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

Hey, how did you get a hold of my criminal record? LOL, seriously, though, you should see some of the shit I’ve smuggled in. I would have to say I’d choose the beer my son and I brew, so I could take a piece of him with me.

3.      If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

I’d make a saison, refreshing and inviting, brewed with cracked pink peppercorns for that indescribable feminine BITE.

4.      If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Superpower? Easy…a high metabolism.

5.      What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

I’m an accident waiting to happen, yet oddly enough the crazy things I’ve done I come away unscathed from, and the everyday crap gets me in trouble. Case in point: we’ve got a big hot tub in the backyard, and sometimes, if we have friends over, we’ll hang out in the tub and have a couple of drinks. There are 2 wooden steps leading up to the tub, and as you know, when wood gets wet, it gets slippery.

After a couple of trips getting in and out to go to the bathroom, etc, “slippery” was an understatement. So I come out, put one foot on the step and the other over the edge of the tub to get in, when the planted foot gives way, and I slip and fall backwards, onto a now-empty bottle of beer. Because I’m accident prone, I’ve developed a high tolerance for pain, so I had no idea that the subtle “ouch” feeling on my lower back was a nice, open wound.

I was seen at the emergency room quickly because my friend was a police officer, but my only concern as I was laying on my belly, getting stitched up by the surgeon was, “Hey doc, can you PLEASE do your best to salvage my tattoo?! I don’t want a scar that makes it look like a discombobulated mess, OK? 12 stitches later the man…the artist…had done me proud.

6.      What are your thoughts on bacon?

I make a chocolate fluffernutter cupcake (marshmallow fluff filling, peanut butter icing) that has bacon pieces on top that were caramelized in chocolate stout, so I guess my thoughts on bacon are: Thank you, sir, may I have another.

SPECIAL THANKS TP KATIE FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!