Best of
Beer

2015

The Beer Bible


Jeff Alworth - 2015
    Written by an expert from the West Coast, where America’s craft beer movement got its start, The Beer Bible is the ultimate reader- and drinker-friendly guide to all the world’s beers. No other book of this depth and scope approaches the subject of beer in the same way that beer lovers do—by style, just as a perfect pub menu is organized—and gets right to the pleasure of discovery, knowledge, and connoisseurship. Divided into four major families—ales, lagers, wheat beers, and tart and wild ales—there’s everything a beer drinker wants to know about the hundreds of different authentic types of brews, from bitters, bocks, and IPAs to weisses, milk stouts, lambics, and more. Each style is a chapter unto itself, delving into origins, ingredients, description and characteristics, substyles, and tasting notes, and ending with a recommended list of the beers to know in each category. Hip infographics throughout make the explanation of beer’s flavors, brewing methods, ingredients, labeling, serving, and more as immediate as it is lively. The book is written for passionate beginners, who will love its “if you like X, try Y” feature; for intermediate beer lovers eager to go deeper; and for true geeks, who will find new information on every page. History, romance, the art of tasting, backstories and anecdotes, appropriate glassware, bitterness units, mouthfeel, and more—it’s all here. Plus a primer on pairing beer and food using the three Cs— complement, contrast, or cut. It’s the book that every beer lover will read with pleasure, and use with even more.

Modern Homebrew Recipes: Exploring Styles and Contemporary Techniques


Gordon Strong - 2015
    Homebrewing is about all that and more! As the beer scene changes, so do the beer styles we know and love. Grandmaster Beer Judge Gordon Strong takes you on a guided journey of discovery in Modern Homebrew Recipes that include the latest BJCP style changes. Following a primer on specific beer brewing techniques, recipe formulation fundamentals, and how to adapt recipes to your system, Strong shares more than 100 distinctive recipes.

Brew Better Beer: Learn (and Break!) the Rules for Making IPAs, Sours, Belgian Beers, Porters, Barleywines, Lagers, Ancient Ales, and Gluten-Free Beers


Emma Christensen - 2015
    This building-block approach allows homebrewers to become "fluent" in brewing beer and create their own signature variations. With small one-gallon batches perfect for experimentation, plus five-gallon instructions for those looking to reap full rewards from their brewing investment, this book's recipes and teaching style will appeal to both beginner weekend warriors and intermediate homebrewers. Inspired recipes such as Riding Lawnmower Pale Ale, Kombucha Sour Ale, Finnish Juniper Rye Sahti Ale, Figgy Pudding British Barleywine, and Farmer's Market Gruit will bring out the confident brewer in every do-it-yourselfer.

Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide to Tasting, Matching, and Enjoying Beer and Food


Julia Herz - 2015
    Yet unlike wine, there just aren't many in-depth resources to guide both beginners and beer geeks for pairing beer with food. Julia Herz and Gwen Conley are here to change that.As you start your journey, you'll learn all about the effects aroma, taste, preference, and personal experience can have on flavor. Just as important, you'll become a tasting Anarchist--throw out the conventional advice and figure out what works for you! Then, on to the pairing. Begin with beer styles, start with your favorite foods, or join the authors on a series of wild palate trips. From classics like barbecue ribs with American Brown Ale to unusual matches like pineapple upside-down cake with Double India Pale Ale, you'll learn why some pairings stand the test of time and you'll find plenty of new ideas as well. With complete information for planning beer dinners and cooking with beer, tips from pro brewers, and geek-out science features, Julia and Gwen will make sure you never look at beer--or food--the same way again!

Oh Beautiful Beer: The Evolution of Craft Beer and Design


Harvey Shepard - 2015
    In such a crowded market, how do you make your beer stand out from the crowd? For many of the best brewers, the secret is to have an eye-catching design, something that reflects the quality of the product within and the values of the brewer who made it.Based on the hugely popular blog, Oh Beautiful Beer collects the most innovative new labels and logos into a sumptuous full-color book. Each brewery is selected by graphic designer Harvey Shepard, who uses the designs to create a visual history of craft beer. From the Gonzo cartoons of Flying Dog to the playful geometric patterns of Evil Twin to the classic Brooklyn "B," every beer geek will want to own this love letter to the art of beer.

The Big Book of Home Brew


Michael Donaldson - 2015
    There's nothing quite like it.”—Stu McKinley, Yeastie BoysNew Zealand is a nation of proud and prolific beer drinkers. Here, at last, is the one-stop manual to brewing your own.Beer writer Michael Donaldson, author of the best-selling Beer Nation: The Art and Heart of Kiwi Beer, has prepared a comprehensive, user-friendly, entertaining, step-by-step guide to brewing beer at home, all leading you to a wholly satisfying end result.Jam-packed with advice, expertise, hints, tips, pitfalls, recipes and yarns, The Big Book of Home Brew is, quite simply, the bible for home-brewing beer in New Zealand.

The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer: An Unpretentious Guide to Craft Beer


Ashley V. Routson - 2015
    At the local grocery store, the beer aisle is as big as the cereal aisle. At the bar, it's increasingly hard to choose a beer--the IPA is stronger than the ESB, right?In this book, Ashley V. Routson (aka The Beer Wench) provides the first all-in-one guide that demystifies beer and makes learning fun. She'll quickly bring you up to speed on beer styles, the brewing process, how to taste beer like a pro, and how to pair beer with food. Unconventional tastings, delicious recipes from killer craft breweries, eye-catching photos--and, of course, plenty of beer--means there's never a dull moment.

Beer O'Clock: An Insider's Guide to History, Craft, and Culture


Jane Peyton - 2015
    Written by the United Kingdom’s 2014 Beer Sommelier of the Year, Beer O'Clock not only delves into the rich history of beer production and drinking but contains practical advice and explanations of beer styles, which ones to drink and why, food-matching suggestions, and the not-to-be-missed best beers in the world. Author Jane Peyton also details the basics of making beer, the ingredients required, and explains just what it is that makes hops so special.From the ancient worlds of Babylonia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, where brewing was considered a gift from the gods, a complete breakdown of the myriad styles available to the modern beer drinker, the flavors and aromas inherent in each, and proper beers and foods for pairing, Jane Peyton has provided a complete beer course in a pocket-sized package.So sit down, open a bottle of your favorite brew, and start reading. There’s no better accompaniment to the perfect pint.

The Beer and Food Companion


Stephen Beaumont - 2015
    Beer has been drunk with food for thousands of years yet only now is it being appreciated as the perfect companion to food. It is even better than wine for pairing with cheese, for example. Tracing the history of beer and food matching, this book educates your palate to recognise the characteristics of a flavoursome beer, with delicious recipes that allow you to cook, pair and appreciate your ale at a whole new level.Profiles of key chefs, restaurateurs, beer experts, beer sommeliers and cicerones from around the world zone in on the new and exciting world of beer and food matching, including London's Quilon, Restobieres in Brussels and Higgins Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Charts for Beer & Food and Food & Beer pairing provide at-a-glance perfect matches for easy reference when you are sourcing beer.With expert knowledge on the art of marrying flavour and cooking with beer you will quickly come to recognise the rich and rewarding combination of porter and chocolate desserts, the delicate counterbalance of a wheat beer with seafood, or the pleasing combination of a hoppy pale ale with a mild curry.