Beer Book Recommendations

Sounds like a fun idea.

Actually I'd start first by searching this forum for prior threads about book recommendations. Lots of great ideas already described in those threads.

Good luck in putting together a reading list.

 

Hmmm. Well I always put out Gerritt Oliver's Brewmaster's Table, but I'd think this thread

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/good-books-for-understanding-beers.5120/

is in the nature of what you are looking for.

 

The Oxford Companion to Beer is a wonderful, in-depth book if you want to nerd out about beer in a more academic way. Very informative.

 

Definitely get Charlie Papazian's "Complete Joy of Homebrewing"

 

It's too new to be in that linked thread, but "The Complete Beer Course" by Josh Bernstein is solid.

 

By far the best ,one, single book about learning about beer is Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer. Get this, you won't be disappointed!

For brewing - John Palmer's How To Brew and Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers

Beer and food pairing - Garrett Oliver's Brewmasters Table

The Oxford Companion is great as well and anything from Michael Jackson.

The Bernstein book is a waste of money.

 

Farmhouse Ales

 

But is less than useless regarding some topics.
If history of beer and beer styles is what you're after then look ar Ron Pattinson's ( patto1ro ) efforts. These are the result of a great many hours spent going through actual brewing records from the last 200 years.Unlike many authors who simply regurgitate other material and folklore , Ron actually goes to the original sourcesl.
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.co.uk/p/book-shop.html
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/andrewsblag (7 pages)

 

One of the books I have really enjoyed is "Origin And History of Beer And Brewing From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of Brewing Science And Technology" By John P. Arnold.

Here is a link to the book and the website for beer books in general.

http://www.beerbooks.com/cgi/ps4.cgi?action=enter&thispage=1298&order_id=!ORDERID!&affid=1000

 

Might need to merge some of these beer book threads...

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/favorite-beer-book.223269/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/beer-book-recommendations.76554/


Still finding "The Complete Beer Course" to be my favorite.

 

I would agree with several of the previous, as I have read most of them. I would also add:

Brewing up a Business - Sam Calagione

It was a fun read too.

 

Everything Michael Jackson ever wrote.

 

Good question.

My favorites so far, since there is a ton to learn about are:

1) Beer, Food, and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer - Peter Zien (Ale Smith Brew Master)
2) Brewmasters Table - Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewing Brewmaster)
3) American Sours on Amazon

I particularly enjoy beer/ food books just because they explain why a certain beer should/ shouldnt go with a specific food and the reasons why which usually get pretty descriptive to malt bases/types, hops and yeasts.

 

As others have stated, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and Tasting Beer are excellent books. I'd also like to throw in The Brewmaster's Bible.

 

Just picked up Randy Mosher's Mastering Homebrew and it is awesome.

 

Ultimate Beer by the late Michael Jackson. This is more of a coffee table book from 1998, so it is a blast from the past for sure, and quite outdated in regards to the current paradigm of American Craft Brewing.

Still though, I find myself looking in it fairly often to read up on different styles. Especially for understanding for tasting, pairing, and home brewing.

It was published before craft beer popularity and production exploded, so it is geared towards more classic styles. Very informative and interesting read about the old world brewing traditions, and the groundwork laid for current brewing trends and landscape.

 

Just looking for a quick survey of some of the best books on beer, especially those focussing on history, styles, cultural impact, etc - of course, I'm interested in the brewing process, but I'm looking to stray away from strictly homebrew books.

For me, Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer is king. Garrett Oliver's The Brewmaster's Table is paramount. I know about Michael Jackson's writing - haven't had the chance to snag his books yet - but what about others?

I'm currently reading The Audacity of Hops by Tom Acitelli, which isn't bad, but it's a bit dry and somewhat disjunctive in its structure. I also have Joshua Berstein's The Complete Beer Course on the coffee table to flip through every now and again...