Opinions?: "The Complete Beer Course"

Got it and about half way done. I also read the brewed awakening book and would say if you liked that you shouldn't be disappointed. Goes through the beer styles and basic history of each but only a few pages per style. I wouldn't say much of it was new information but I have done beer style books for home brew and they are much more detailed. It is also nice because it is new so compared to reading M. Jackson books where some of the brewery/pubs have closed you might have more to compare to. An easy read and glad that I have it but was hopping for more.

 

A fun read. As brewnic said he discusses a decent number of styles, including some fairly obscure ones (Kentucky Common anyone?), although the major ones get a few pages and the minor ones may only warrant a sidebar. Still, its engagingly written and current. The author is not afraid to share an opinion.

 

The book is truly a work of art. He breaks down virtually every style of beer and gives some information including a little history about that style then gives you 2 classic examples (including photos of the bottles) of that style that you should drink in order to better understand that style. Also if your area does not carry those specific beers, he gives you back-up beers to try that also represent that style. It is a hard book to read (like reading an encyclopedia) but is best read while drinking and learning the specific styles.
It is truly a masterpiece for understanding beer and a must for any one just getting into craft beers. There are nice nuggets of information and interviews of brewmasters that even experts would appreciate.
I cannot imagine the amount of time spent on creating this beast of a book. Worth every penny. One of the few book I would pay full price for. I just checked Amazon listed at $$15.78 (down from $24.95 list).

Cheers!!

 

I got this book for Christmas and couldn't put it down! I've made a point to take many of his suggestions on which beers to try from each style. I think it is very well written and I really enjoyed the history. I don't see why any
"beer geek" would dislike this book.