Beer is for Everyone! (of Drinking Age)
By Em Sauter, One Peace Books
Ask any professional beer judge and (s)he will tell you the job is hard. Taste buds wear out, and it’s difficult to find new ways to describe similar beers and styles. I’ve long been a fan of Sauter’s Pints and Panels comics because she knows how to bring new descriptions—both in flavor and in place—to a beer review. In addition to being drawn in Sauter’s signature style, it also takes time to share stories of each beer, moving beyond just aroma and taste. Read even one review, and you’ll learn something new about what’s in the glass. Plus, it’s not often you find talking moose, dancing hops, a few monks, and a lemonhead all in the same book.
Miracle Brew: Hops, Barley, Water, Yeast and the Nature of Beer
By Pete Brown, Chelsea Green Publishing
There’s a reason Pete Brown is largely regarded as the finest writer about beer in this day and age. In his latest book, he takes on the four main ingredients of beer—water, malt, hops, and yeast—and explores them in ways that bring these flavors and resources to life in a way that feels new and engaging. Proof that processes need not be boring and descriptions bland, Brown weaves personal tales around history and today’s brewing landscape, and even the most knowledgeable of drinkers will end this tome with new knowledge and appreciation.
The Seven Moods of Craft Beer: 350 Great Craft Beers from Around the World
By Adrian Tierney-Jones, Eight Books
We know how beer tastes, but how does it make you feel? If there is a right situation for every beer—be it after mowing the lawn, impressing at a bottle share, or for quiet nights by the fire—shouldn’t there be ones for personal reflection? Tierney-Jones, a prolific and insightful author and drinker, has collected a fine assortment of beers from around the world and not only tells us about the sensory aspects, but also tells us when we might best enjoy that bottle or can. If you’re feeling social, adventurous, poetic, bucolic, imaginative, gastronomic, or contemplative, there’s beer in here to soothe your soul.
Beeronomics: How Beer Explains the World
By Johan Swinnen and Devin Briski, Oxford University Press
It’s easy to get lost in beer flavors and trends, but the biggest thing that fuels this golden age of beer is money. Passion is great, but a steady stream of cash keeps the tasting-room lights on and the brewhouse running. For non-economists, this book will take a while to read through and digest. It’s not unlike entering the Matrix. Each lesson taught—from how a foreign company took over the largest of the American breweries to how television advertising changed the game sales-wise and ultimately created the gulf between big and small—will leave you with a deeper appreciation of all that’s happening behind the scenes to sell you beer.