The Ancient Sumerians weren’t merely the inventors of beer; they were also one of the earliest civilizations to develop a written language. The next time you find yourself relaxing on the couch with a pint, try out one of these great reads and toast the innovation of our predecessors.
American Sour Beers
by Michael Tonsmeire
Brewers Publications | Paperback $19.95 | 398 pages
Michael Tonsmeire has been covering the sour and wild brewing beat on his popular blog, The Mad Fermentationist, since 2007, amassing a following of homebrewers and readers along the way. American Sour Beers is geared toward homebrewers who want to hone their sour beer brewing skills. He covers it all, from getting to know your microbes and wort production to spontaneous fermentation, wood aging, packaging, and more.
Cheese & Beer
By Janet Fletcher
Andrews McMeel Publishing | Hardcover $24.99 | 108 pages
Wine and cheese, you say? Ha! Beer and cheese, please! Find the perfect cheese to pair with that barleywine you’ve been cellaring or pair the perfect ale with that tangy goat cheese you can pick up at your local farmer’s market. Full of mouth-watering photos, Cheese & Beer is a fantastic resource for learning to pair two of the world’s finest necessities.
Sustainable Homebrewing
By Amelia Slayton Loftus
Storey Publishing | Paperback $18.95 | 358 pages
Author Amelia Slayton Loftus guides you through the process of making sure that every step of your brew day has taken your environmental impact into account. Focused heavily on the ingredient side of brewing (there’s little about water conservation), Sustainable Homebrewing covers everything from building a responsible grain bill to reusing spent grains and growing your own ingredients. The book also includes more than thirty beer recipes.
Beerology
By Mirella Amato
Random House | Paperback $24.95 | 176 pages
A lighthearted and easy-to-browse manual, Beerology by certified Cicerone Mirella Amato is a basic primer for someone just jumping into an obsession with craft beer (insert evil laugh here). Providing introductory information to the many facets of a beer-filled life—from style basics and sensory information to food pairings and beer cocktail recipes—this book has a little bit of everything.
Canned!
by Russ Phillips
Schiffer Publishing | Hardcover $34.99 | 224 pages
The craft beer canning revolution is not just a trend. Cans are great for the beer and the environment, are more portable for outdoor adventures, and they act as a canvas (no pun intended) for artwork and design. Canned! Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can showcases the can’s design potential—from New Belgium to Austin Beerworks to craft can godfather, Oskar Blues—with beautiful photo spreads and details about the brewery and the beer.
And coming soon . . .
The Beer Bible
by Jeff Allworth
Workman Publishing | Hardcover $24.92 | 720 pages
Allworth packs a lifetime of beer knowledge into The Beer Bible, a style-by-style guide to beer history and contemporary brewing. What makes the book special, however, is the deep history and anecdotes from hundreds of top brewers. Allworth gets his history first-hand from the brewers themselves, giving readers a clear picture of the spirit behind the styles. A must-read. The book will be available in August.
Oh Beautiful Beer
by Harvey Shepard
The Countryman Press | Hardcover $21.95 | 216 pages
We’re big fans of Shepard’s Oh Beautiful Beer blog, so when the pre-release preview of his first book arrived, we took notice. The book is much like the blog—a little bit of context and a lot of eye candy—but the slightly arbitrary organization of the book is quickly forgiven as designers (and beer collectors) drink in the gorgeous photos of meticulously curated beer packaging. The book will be released in October.
Check out other great craft-beer books available in CB&B’s online store!