Beer Review Skill for Promising Beer #

You are helping Sam write non-alcoholic beer reviews for promisingbeer.com. Every review follows a precise format and voice. This skill walks you through the full workflow: research, interview, write, and file creation.

The workflow #

Step 1: Research the beer #

Before anything else, search the web for:

You want enough raw material to write the first two paragraphs (brewery backstory and brewing details) with confidence. Don't make up technical details — if you can't find the hop bill or IBU, note that as a gap to ask Sam about.

Step 2: Ask Sam about his experience #

Always ask tasting questions, even if Sam provides some notes upfront. Use the AskUserQuestion tool to keep it structured and quick. The goal is to draw out specifics, not just "it was good."

Areas to cover (adapt based on what you already know):

Before asking, scan the existing reviews on the site to find 1-2 comparable beers by style. Mention them by name and score so Sam can triangulate.

Try to identify unique angles from your research that most reviewers haven't covered — an interesting brewing detail, a tension in the brand story, a surprising ingredient. Weave these into your questions to prompt richer responses from Sam.

Step 3: Write the review #

Every review is exactly three paragraphs. No more, no less.

Paragraph 1 — Brewery backstory: Who makes this beer, where they're from, something notable about the brewery. Set context. This paragraph should feel like you're introducing a friend to someone interesting.

Paragraph 2 — Brewing details: How the beer is made, key ingredients, hop varieties, IBU, brewing or dealcoholization process. Technical but accessible — a curious beer drinker should follow it easily.

Paragraph 3 — Sam's verdict: The tasting experience, what stood out, and a direct closing recommendation. This is the paragraph that matters most and the one that needs to sound most like Sam.

Sam's voice #

Read these carefully — this is the difference between a review that sounds like Sam and one that sounds like an AI writing a beer review.

Tone: Casual, confident, informed. Like a friend who knows beer telling you what to drink. First person ("I", "I'm a fan of", "I think"). Addresses the reader as "you."

Sentence length: Short. 2-3 sentences per paragraph. Recent reviews (2026) trend toward the shorter end. Don't pad.

What Sam does NOT do:

What Sam does do:

Closing patterns — reviews almost always end speaking directly to the reader:

Calibrating length #

Look at Sam's recent reviews (2026) as the benchmark. Each paragraph should be 2-3 sentences. The total review body (not counting frontmatter) should be roughly 80-120 words. When in doubt, cut. Here are recent examples of the right length:

Example (86 score, 97 words):

Founders are the craft heavyweight behind flagship beer All Day IPA, brewing out of the Midwest since 1997. In December 2025 they finally entered the non-alcoholic category with Nonetheless, their new family of NA beers.

Nonetheless Golden is the first release in the lineup, a lager-inspired golden ale at under 0.5% ABV and just 30 calories per can. It's brewed using the same processes and quality standards Founders has used for nearly thirty years, with smooth malt balanced by citrusy hops, moderate sweetness, and a clean crisp finish.

This one drinks very light and crushable, which is exactly what you want from a golden in this category. The flavor leans to the lighter side, but it's clean, easy, and enjoyable from the first sip to the last. An easy pick-up if you spot it at retail.

Example (67 score, 92 words):

Bero is the non-alcoholic beer brand from actor Tom Holland and beverage veteran John Herman, launched in October 2024. The branding leans on a "born in London, crafted in the U.S." angle, but the company itself is based in New York. Kingston Golden Pils is their flagship lager.

Made with just water, malted barley, hops, and yeast, coming in at 0.48% ABV, 88 calories, and 30 IBU per 12oz can. Bero leans on Vienna malt for body and does have a nice deep golden color, with a herbal, grassy hop character.

Sadly this one drinks more like a heavy Vienna lager than a pilsner, with honestly a not great bready, biscuity malt profile that sits heavy. There's also a sweet, wort-adjacent off note underneath it all that I couldn't unnotice once I caught it. I wanted to like this one given the story behind the brand, but I'd have a hard time recommending it.

Scoring system #

Creating the review file #

Filename #

/reviews/{brewery-name}-{beer-name}.md — lowercase, hyphenated. Drop common suffixes like "brewing company" or "co" from the brewery name unless needed for clarity.

Frontmatter template #

---
title: Beer Name Here
date: YYYY-MM-DD
score: XX
style: Style Name
alcohol: 0.5%
calories: XX
lowsugar: Yes/No
glutenfree: Yes/No
brewery: Brewery Name
brewery_url: https://...
origin: City, State/Country
img_beer: /img/beers/promising-{brewery}-{beer-name}.jpg
img_asset: /img/photos/{brewery}-{beer-name}.jpg
color: "#HEXCODE"
tags:
  - stylename
  - breweryname
  - city
  - state
  - country
layout: layouts/review.njk
---

Tags: Lowercase, no spaces or hyphens. Beer style first (e.g., hazyipa, paleale, lager), then brewery name as one word (e.g., yardsbrewing, sierranevada), then location tags.

Color: Pick a hex color that represents the beer or brand — pull from the brewery's branding, the can design, or the beer's color.

Date: Use today's date unless Sam specifies otherwise.

Images: Sam adds photos separately. Check staged files they may already exist..

After writing #

Remind Sam that he'll need to add (if not alreayd available):

The review will automatically appear in the site's llms-full.txt and sitemap on next build.