I don't think you are being a 'Troll' but I do think you are being rude. Those people live that way by choice. We don't. We are just trying to make best of a bad situation. I have made beers that taste very similar to barley based beers and actually taste better. Although just because a beer is not made from barley, doesn't mean it is not a beer. Africans have made beer from Sorghum for centuries. The Chinese have probably made it from Buckwheat for centuries. Even your Mister Washington I believe made it from corn? So you see calling something a beer does not mean it has to be made exclusively from barley, wheat or rye. But saying it is not a beer because it is not made from those ingredients, and saying it would not be very good is very closed minded. I only ask that if you are going to comment in this forum, that it be productive, not insulting.
At no time did I say that GF beer wasn't beer, hence the reason I typed "GF beer" every time in my post. "beer" in my mind can be made from a variety of ingredients, and the only "law" I'm aware of that dictates what beer must be made of is the German beer purity law Reinheitsgebot; but I sure don't follow that.
I wasn't saying GF beer is not beer, I was saying that I don't think a GF beer can be made to taste exactly like a barley/wheat beer. I've had GF beer (of course only what is commercially available) to me, it did not match the flavor of any barley/wheat beer I've had. I should have been more specific as well, it's not just the flavor, it's also the body, aroma, mouth feel; all aspects of drinking a beer that I refer to when i say "taste".
Example: Pepsi doesn't even taste like Pepsi anymore, corn syrup, although also a simple sugar, does not taste like cane sugar; no matter how Pepsi tweaks the formula, new Pepsi will not taste like Pepsi; personally I prefer new Pepsi over old Pepsi as I grew up with it, but it does not make them the same. Much in the same way that a GF beer has the potential to taste better than a barley/wheat beer, I don't think they will ever taste the same.
I assume when you said "those people" you meant vegans, and although many do live that way by choice, there are some that have a medical condition that makes the digestion of meat unbearable. Similarly, there are people who can process gluten, but choose not to consume it for a myriad of reasons; I don't want you to get the impression that everyone who drinks GF beer has celiac or a gluten intolerance. I personally want to dabble in GF beers for a couple reasons; firstly I do know someone with Celiac disease that started as a gluten intolerance when they were younger and progressed quickly, they loved beer before their doctor told them not to drink it anymore. Secondly, a person I work with does not consume gluten because he read some research about it's damaging effects to the human body.
Both of these people have tried GF beer and found it lacking, I figured as a homebrewer I could give them a hand by trying out a batch or two, which will hopefully not have that sorghum twang to it, or at least have it muted enough that it can be ignored.
I agree with you that a veggie burger does not taste like beef, but I don't think it is as far fetched that GF beer can taste like regular beer. Millet is a lot closer to barley than soy is to animal flesh.
Very true statement, however Pork/chicken/turkey are much closer to beef than soy is; I still haven't come across a turkey burger or pork/turkey meatloaf that tastes like beef.
I appreciate the effort MobCraftBeer is putting forth, and look forward to the results; if a GF beer can be produced that is close to the flavor of a barley/wheat beer someone with a background in food chemistry will have the best chance.
again, I wish you all luck in your brewing adventures; ignore anything you find to be unhelpful.