Do you drink beer books?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021.

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  1. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No, not a magic trick. I know a lot of people here try to drink as many of the top 250 rated beers from this website as they can, and being a living list only adds to the challenge and accomplishment. As an Australian, the chances of me getting my hands on the vast majority of those beers is slim, so to sate my obsessive compulsiveness I read books about beer and then try to find and drink as many of those beers as possible. Books that I'm talking about are the listicle types that list beers by style or country or some other formula and have a brief description of most or even just the key ones. They include:
    • 1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die
    • The Beer Bible
    • Complete Beer Course
    • Beers of the World
    • The Ultimate Book of Beers
    • Great Beers
    • World Atlas of Beer
    • Little Book of Craft Beers
    • Keg, Bottle, Can.
    I come across much the same problem as trying to access the top 250 beers, but as many of these books have a heavy focus on European beers and classic beers from many countries and styles, they're a bit easier to track down. The other good thing is that they're not all imperial stouts, imperial IPAs or hazies as per the top 250 list! :stuck_out_tongue:

    Even so, I'm still only at 113 out of 1001 in the 1001 Beers book, and no more than about 14% of the way through the thousands of beers contained in all of the books. I use the Untappd wishlist function to track and tick off the beers. Plus if it's not on Untappd, did I really drink it?

    So is it just me, or are there other beers geeks on here who also need to find a life? :wink: If you are trying to drink a book, how far have you gotten?

    And of course, if you have any suggestions for other books I should add to my pile, please let me know!

    Cheers
     
    #1 AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021
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  2. beer_beer

    beer_beer Pooh-Bah (2,306) Feb 13, 2018 Finland
    Society Pooh-Bah

    As I haven't found any books about NA beers, exactly this unfortunately isn't an option for me. Interesting take anyway. My current goal is to gradually try all NA beers offered by my three to four favorite online stores. Lists are fun, they help you organize the hobby.
     
    #2 beer_beer, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
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  3. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Don't know where I'd be without lists. I could probably list the possibilities, though!

    I drank a few NA beers while I was recovering from my cancer treatment. I found many of them had a dusty, hay-like character, but they'd all traveled from Europe and my taste is damaged from the treatment so I don't condemn them based on my limited exposure to them.

    Good luck with your quest!

    Cheers
     
    #3 AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021
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  4. guinness77

    guinness77 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,554) Jan 6, 2014 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    I haven’t read many beer books to be honest but a friend of mine had Michael Jackson's Beer Companion and Ultimate Beer after they both originally came out. He and another friend of mine worked in a pretty decent store too and we would sit in his basement and read that book religiously. I wasn’t even 21 yet, but they both were and we would try anything in the store that we could (and, that was fresh). Late 90’s, a pretty fun time in my life. I would drink a 40 one night, then it could be Corsendonk the next. Paulaner Salvator one night, and a 12-pack of Busch the next.
     
    #4 guinness77, Jan 9, 2021
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  5. SierraNevallagash

    SierraNevallagash Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2018 Maine
    Trader

    Tried to drink a book once - got stuck on the pages. A little dry for my taste. Nice inky appearance though. Just wish it had a stronger backbone. Nose was a bit off, with some funky foot notes. But my glasses were dirty too, which didn't help. Complexity was alright, with nice chapters of flavours. Does take some time to open, but the finish is worth it.

    Read any good beers lately?
     
    #5 SierraNevallagash, Jan 9, 2021
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  6. Houser

    Houser Pooh-Bah (1,736) Sep 10, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Punny!
     
    #6 Houser, Jan 9, 2021
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  7. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Sounds like you've bitten off more than you can chew (drink). You'll likely frustrate yourself by never coming close to your goal.

    How about a goal that is more reachable, such as a beer from all 431 breweries in Australia that are listed in the BA database? https://www.beeradvocate.com/place/...=&city=&s_id=&c_id=AU&submit=Search&brewery=Y. It's likely that you'll have to do a lot of traveling to access those places that don't bottle/can/distribute their beers, so you'll get to see a lot of your country and support your local breweries in these difficult times.
     
    #7 PapaGoose03, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
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  8. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,701) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    It's been a while, but I'm certain I tried. at some point It was some dry and weird beer to boot, probably English..
     
    #8 rgordon, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
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  9. dlcarst

    dlcarst Zealot (733) Aug 21, 2015 Missouri
    Trader

    I have several of the books you listed. They're a fun read and usually reflect my love of the diversity of beer. But to try them all would be impossible without hundreds of trades. So many aren't distributed within 1000 miles of me (or in the US at all) and so many don't even exist any more just a few years after the book was published. But when I do come across a beer from these books I haven't tried I will pick one up.
     
    #9 dlcarst, Jan 9, 2021
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  10. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    That's a great review. Like any good joke here, it's more real than imagined though:

    "Rogue White Whale Ale, brewed with Moby Dick, just released in bottles"

    :slight_smile:
     
    #10 zid, Jan 9, 2021
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  11. DoctorZombies

    DoctorZombies Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,827) Feb 1, 2015 Florida
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    A new, thoughtful, non-negative original post for a change - thank you! Lists are fun, as are pursuing goals to try different beers...imo, it expands your beer experience and keeps the hobby aspect vibrant. Good on you, and Cheers!
     
    #11 DoctorZombies, Jan 9, 2021
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  12. Insomniac

    Insomniac Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2019 Canada (ON)

    I go through the 1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die book a few times a year a tick off in pencil the ones I have had in the intervening period. I don't have a count on how many that is but might do that while watching football today and report back to the thread. As for the Beers Of Fame here, without cross referencing with my database, I believe it is 129 of the 250 in the current iteration of the list. I'm not a ticker generally, but find knocking off those more renowned beers to be a very enjoyable part of the hobby.
     
    #12 Insomniac, Jan 9, 2021
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  13. cryptichead

    cryptichead Grand Pooh-Bah (4,897) Jul 3, 2014 Illinois
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    When I got into craft beer a number of years ago, I did drink my way through a good chunk of the Beer Bible.

    It was a great way to get to know all the different styles with readily available beers.
     
    #13 cryptichead, Jan 9, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
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  14. jamesloc

    jamesloc Aspirant (285) Aug 8, 2018 New York
    Trader

    Math>reading
     
    #14 jamesloc, Jan 9, 2021
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  15. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You needed to read the barrel-aged version...
     
    #15 AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021
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  16. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You're right, and I'm well aware that I'll never come close to drinking even half the beers in the books, but the journey will be just as much fun as the destination!

    That is something I'll do my best to knock over once I'm retired. As for supporting local breweries, that's also high on my priorities.

    Most of them aren't distributed within 5000 miles of me! But as noted above, trying to track them down is half the fun!

    Cheers
     
    #16 AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021
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  17. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    100% agree about making the hobby interesting. It's a harmless (but expensive!) way to keep me engaged and no animals, children or teetotalers were harmed in the pursuit of this goal! :slight_smile:

    Cheers
     
    #17 AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021
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  18. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I don't consider myself a ticker either - I'm certainly not the guy who will drink 30 small pours in a night and then tick off those 30 beers, but if I've drunk a beer, I like to record that fact to see how my progress towards a goal has moved. Or does that make me a ticker after all? Now I'm confused! :crazy_face:

    Agreed! Plus, it was one of the better beer books I've read.

    Cheers
     
    #18 AzfromOz, Jan 9, 2021
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  19. bret27

    bret27 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,064) Mar 10, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I believe you’re a tickéur.
    that’s the barrel-aged version.
     
    #19 bret27, Jan 10, 2021
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  20. AzfromOz

    AzfromOz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,225) Aug 22, 2020 Australia
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I was thinking about this post while drinking a nice local pale ale and it occurred to me that it wouldn't actually be that difficult. Beer distribution in Australia is not as limited or subject to arcane and local laws as in other places such as the USA. Fact is, if I want a beer from Perth on the other side of the continent, all I need do is order it and it will be delivered to me. If the brewery is prepared to ship, and I'm prepared to pay the cost, I could drink most breweries in this wide, brown land without ever leaving my couch. That would be no fun, but it's doable.

    Cheers
     
    #20 AzfromOz, Jan 10, 2021
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