Great Beer Guide

by Michael Jackson

Book Overview

This user's guide to beer explains everything you need to know about beer - from beer drinking etiquette to correct ways to pour and appreciate different beers. Author Michael Jackson's eloquent... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789451565
• ISBN13: 9780789451569
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.4" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant Guide.

Michael Jackson begins the book with a guide to the ingredients of beer and the types of beer and how they are brewed. That is very informative if you are a beer lover. He neglects the Westvleteren 12 but that is perhaps because it is near impossible to find in the United States. Under each beer is a wonderful description of the taste plus a picture of the glass and the suggested serving temperature. The serving temperature and the type of glass are critical. Enjoy this brilliant mans book. By the way he really knows his history.

What we needed!

Michael Jackson has sacrificed his liver so that others might know what beers are around! This book covers just about every major beer there is. The only complaint I have is that I cannot taste them all. It covers the history of beer, different types of beers, different beer making techniques (you will be amazed!), in short - it covers everything about beer! It has chapters on different beers, and different regions. Obviously, the chapters on Belgium, the UK, and Chech Republic are "must reads". In a very nice and generous touch, he also tells us about US microbreweries, that produces surprisingly potable products. We now live in Alaska, end enjoy the some of the local produce from the Alaska and Silver Gulch breweries. The book is a little bit to big to bring on the travel, but I think he has also written a pocket guide.

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I'm not sure anyone in the world has sampled more brews than Michael Jackson. No, not that Michael Jackson. This one is (from what I've been able to discern) the pre-eminent beer critic in the world."Great Beer Guide" covers several hundred beers from all over the world but avoids the "x number of stars" format and, in fact, doesn't offer a numerical rating at all. It's assumed that if the beer was good enough to make it into this guide that it qualifies at the top of it's class, whether it be a pilsner, lager, or ale, or even one of the exotics like a lambic or barleywine. The biggest draw of this book for me was the layout. Each of the 500+ pages is occupied by a single beer, which is pictured in both it's bottle incarnation and also as a draft, giving you not just an idea of what the beer looks like but also the official glassware it's intended to be served in. Some of the more unusual glassware includes a beer from Oregon that is served in a pint glass with a half-log as it's base!In addition to the pictures the text also tells you what type of beer it is, where it's from, the alcohol content by both volume and gravity, and finally a description of the beer itself (again, there is no effort made to play favorites, but if the description sounds up your alley it would be more than worth your time to track the beer down).Alas, many of the beers listed in the book have limited distribution, so depending on where you live you'll probably only have access to a reasonably small percentage of these brews. Nonetheless, I was able to track down quite a few by special order that the local liquor stores would probably have never stocked of their own accord. And who knows? If you find yourself doing a lot of travelling you might just manage to cross all of these off your list sooner or later. But I doubt it.

Just what us beer lovers needed

A wonderful collection of beer information. The layout is unlike any other I have seen, devoting a full page for each of 500 world class beers. This book is very informative and includes a full picture of every single beer in both a bottle and a full glass! It goes beyond the rating guides and even gives the ideal serving temperature for each brew. Also, keep in mind that all of these beers would receive 3 to 4 stars in his rating guide, so there is really no need to list ratings...

bottles and glasses

M. Jackson has easily done it again. Another informative guide of beer. What sets this apart from beer guides that this shows the what the bottle looks like. All noted are high-quality brews. Gives point of origin (regionally of US or what country). Specific gravity (abw & abv), style and serving temperature. Has a nice synopsis of beer ( & company). Easy read and type style. To those connoisseurs, the type (pictoral) of glass to serve these brews. The end pages shows how to pour 4 basic styles of beer. General beertasting concepts. Types of beer when to drink (socially respectful and for self), briefly noted. Short Lexicon. Useful Addresses and websites. Excellent addition to any 'craftbeer' lover.