Book Recommendation?

I've not read that one, but Michael Jackson is one of the most respected beer writers ever, so I'm sure it's very good.

I highly recommend Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

 

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. Tons of great information there.

 

As a rule, any book by MJ is a good source. The Beer Companion is probably my favorite. It is dated and in desperate need of an update (though this is not going to happen with his input so long as he remains deceased). But it is still an excellent read.

This is a great first book. You will refer to it for many years. Many people do not recognize that it was MJ that created the concept of beer styles. Everybody has been refering to his guidelines for the past 30+ years. I will go so far as to say that if you were to buy only one general reader beer book this is it.
Welcome to beer.

 

I came to post exactly this. The book is excellent. I feel like it made me such a more knowledgeable beer-drinker.

 

For a historical look at beer in the US, check outAmbitious Brew: The Story of American Beer by Maureen Ogle.

 

I would suggest the Oxford Companion to Beer. A lot of the other books out there, while excellent in their time, are sort of outdated already--ie, they have no reference to some of newer styles, were written before AmBev took over and ruined so many of the major european and british brewers, etc. This one's the most up to date and comprehensive, and it's written encyclopedia style so it's made for browsing.

 

not on the same level as these recommendations but the Stone Brewomg Co. book has decent info/history on beers and is enjoyable to read

its also on kindle if that helps

 

I really enjoyed the Naked Pint: http://www.thenakedpint.com/Home.html

I felt it was a quick, breezy read that touched on food pairings, homebrewing, styles, history, and included a nice list of exemplary beers that are true to various styles. Maybe not the most comprehensive book, but it really got me to appreciate a lot more than I did at the time on different aspects of craft culture.

Probably nothing new for the more sophisticated craft brew fans, but a good book for the beginners out there.

 

Tough Shit by Kevin Smith

 

Another Mosher book: Radical Brewing.
Also: The Brewmasters Table by Garrett Oliver

 

"1001 BEERS You Must Taste Before You Die"
Very enjoyable! Some of the beers chosen are questionable...That said, it's still a great reference tool and will be fun to flip through for years to come.

 

It's very much a mixed bag. Some articles - mostly the techinical ones - are pretty good. The British style articles (with a couple of notable exceptions, for example Pete Brown's IPA article) vary between poor and dreadful. The ones on Scotland are truly appalling, some containing not a single mistake-free sentence.

The problem is that, unless you already know the facts, it's impossible to work out which articles are reliable and which aren't.

 

Well, if you already know the facts, you should probably be writing books rather than slamming them on the internet. I certainly would have quite a difficult time finding an error in every sentence of the Scotland articles, especially since some of them only say things like "scottish ale is a traditional, top fermented beer that is brewed to greatly varying strengths" and "Scotland and Newcastle Brewery is an international brewer operating in more than 50 countries." But then I'm not much familiar with Scotland or its beers. I would have to say that I did not detect any errors in the articles on U.S. brewers or beers I am familiar with, some of which I would think I know fairly well. It's a shame that Garret Oliver, whom so many of us respect, could not meet your standards with regard to the the UK brewers.

 

Another great book(s) if you really want to get technical is How to Brew by John Palmer or The Joy of Brewing by Charlie Papazian.

 

I was actually a contributor to the book. And was used as a reference.

Here's my critique of the shilling system article:

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/10/classic-horst.html

And here's a wiki group listing errors in the book (including ones in articles on American breweries):

http://ocbeercommentary.wikispaces.com/

Scotland and Newcastle Brewery? Surely that should be Scottish & Newcastle (Scottish Courage, really). It hasn't existed for several years, anyway.

 

I see what you mean. This is beyond unfortunate. Errors in a work of this kind tend to be repeated by those (like me!) unlikely to know better. Hope they clear things up for the next edition, assuming there will be one.

 

your contributions to the book are appreciated, as are your posts and knowledge in general. however, to be respected as an acedemic which may not even be your intention, your attack of Horst, in general, is borderline ad hominem. if you want to destroy the data in the referenced article, it is best to never mention the author by name and rather stick to the specific facts, as in "the author claims xyz, however..." instead, you launch a tirade against Horst from the start. you lose credibility before you have even started.

remember that other authorities who have proven bona fides have accepted Mr. Dornsbusch's opinion. why did they print his research? are they misguided and you are the one and true authority?
give me a reason to doubt and i will listen. say that he is an "ace fantasist" and you have already dug yourself into a hole.
Cheers.