1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (1001 (Universe)) [Hardcover]

Adrian Tierney-Jones (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: March 23, 2010 | Series: 1001 (Universe)

The world’s best beers—from Europe’s classics to the latest new-wave microbrew sensations. Finally, a book that treats beer as seriously as wine! This latest volume in the acclaimed 1001 series supplies the connoisseurs’ scoop on ferreting out the best among an ever-increasing array of available brews—from exotic foreign beers to the constantly evolving world of American microbrews and homebrews. The book focuses on the world of premium beers—from obscure labels to such traditional yet supremely local brands as Shiner (Austin, Texas), from Czech pilsners to German lagers, Belgian wheat beers, and Trappists ales, not to mention the classic British porters and Irish stouts—every type of beer is covered, making this the "go-to" volume for serious beer lovers. No mere catalogue or encyclopedia, the volume features critical tasting notes and subjective assessments that will help match the right beer to the right occasion. Is this beer light, crisp, and refreshing (good for a picnic), or dry, bitter, and appetizing? Each description includes notes on the flavor and body of the beer, explains why it tastes the way it does, and describes strength and ideal serving temperature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...how could I not include a book full of beer. It looks so fancy on the cover, with a serving tray, when in reality, it’s usually lugged around on top of shoulders and slid across a bar table. However you purchase this delightful beverage, there is a variety of ways it can be served and if anyone were to create a list of brands, I believe the 1001 book people can do it! They always choose an eclectic group of pairings and I’m sure they’ll hit it out of the ballpark again with this collection as well!" ~www.reederreads.com

About the Author

Adrian Tierney-Jones is the editor of The Brewer’s Herald and the author of The Big Book of Beer. He received the 2006 Silver Award from the British Guild of Beer Writers and his work has appeared in The Brewers Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 960 pages
• Publisher: Universe (March 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789320258
• ISBN-13: 978-0789320254
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 2.5 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Beer

More About the Author

Jay R. Brooks (March 3, 1959- ) was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and moved to Northern California in 1985. Brooks has been writing about beer for over 20 years, and is the former GM of the Celebrator Beer News and was the chain beer buyer for Beverages & more. He is currently a syndicated newspaper columnist for the Bay Area News Group with his bi-weekly column, "Brooks On Beer." He contributes to most major beer periodicals. Brooks studied brewing at U.C. Davis and has judged at the Great American Beer Festival, the Great British Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup and many other competitions, both local and international. His first book on beer was published in 1992, "The Bars of Santa Clara County: A Beer Drinker's Guide to Silicon Valley." He's also contributed to the "Oxford Companion to Beer" and "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die." He co-founded SF Beer Week, the North American Guild of Beer Writers and started the Bay Area Beer Bloggers. He also writes about beer online for a variety of websites, including his own Brookston Beer Bulletin (BrookstonBeerBulletin.com).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My work is cut out for me July 3, 2010

By E. M. Van Court TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Neatly organized into amber, blond, white, dark, and specialty; crossed referenced by country and brewery, this book offers 1001 (trusting their count, I got too thirsty checking) beers that represent excellence, innovation, and the history of beer. The introduction provides an excellent lesson on the types of beer and how they are brewed (I finally understand the real difference between ale and lager), and then goes right into my new 'to-do' list. Each beer has a page with a country of origin, the first year of production, alcohol content, a recommended serving temperature, the brewery, the URL, a bit of history or relevance of the particular beer, and a paragraph on the tasting experience of the beer.

The 'tasting notes' are well written, clear and using objective language, but raise questions. Who provided peer review? How reliable are the descriptions? Have they been independently confirmed? This is my self-appointed mission. 936 beers to go. In the current sample, I have to report that the tasting notes have stood up to careful scrutiny and extensive field testing, and I have found nothing to disagree with yet.

I enjoyed the book, and must now return to "Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter"; "A deep ruby beer with chocolate, caramel, and sweet tobacco in the aroma. The taste is tangy and gently bitter..."

Yup, that one checks good.

E.M. Van Court

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dream Come True February 16, 2011

By W. Dietrich VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I got 1001 Beers as a Christmas gift as it was on my Amazon Wish List. I have several other beer tasting suggestion books and allthough they were nice they were somewhat cheaply made. I figured this was going to be another cheap book that would be 2 or 3 beers per page with one or two lines about each beer. This could not have been further from the truth. This book is like a bible to beer fans the tasting notes are in depth and informative. The beers are oragnized and easily understood, allthough I tend to use the index to see find the ratings for my favorite beers (Stone, Laginitas and Dogfish). The pictures are excellent and there is some history about the beers that made the book an interesting read.

This is hands down the best book on beer I have ever read and I have read alot. I love beer and my travels always include stops to local stores to find beers on my bucket list. I collect pint glasses and have over 250 in my collection. I have an entire fridge dedicated to craft beers. I subscribe to both Draft Magazine and All About Beer. The reason I am saying this is that I feel I am more than qualified to judge a book about beer. With that being said 1001 is the best thing i have ever read about the subject! It is a book that I keep my nightstand and glance thru daily when I dream about finding elusive beers.

My only complaint is that 1001 beers is just too many and in my opinion some real dogs are included in this otherwise remarkable listing of beers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great guide to enjoying life and of Course Beer. October 7, 2010

By NB-

Format:Hardcover

It is often that when we think of beers we think of the best things we love about them and how they are so great(or sometimes not so great), it is also that we try to sometimes compare beers familiarily by either taste, style or region. "1001 Beers" does a spectacular job of leaving the tasting to us and instead giving us the history and story behind the beers we love so much.

This book which is organized by style has something every beer connosieur and even an everyday beer drinker would love, and does a significant amount of work to touch on the subleties past simple taste that make beer such a special thing so close to our hearts. The entry for the beers in this book are quick, concise and tell the story of the brewery in a straight-forward style which allows us to as readers the chance to read entry after entry without feeling like were beeing sold a product. Amongst the greats talked about in this book are entrys from the greats Sierra Nevada,Dogfish Head, Guineness, Fullers, Sheaperd's Neame, Lieffman's, Hoegaarden, Schneider, Paulaner, Weihenstephaner, and Chimay; But its not just these that make the book so good(they make it great none-the-less), its all of the other breweries, the small ones and their beers and stories that make the whole journey seem like a pilgrimage to the beer holy land.

Certainly there are some disapointments talked about in the book like Pabst Blue Ribbon and Budweisser, but the stories of these beers are yet integral to the whole beer culture and to its very existence as such an important commodity, culturally and economically. Although the layout of the book is lacking order, where some beers are seperated by brewery(such as Guiness is found under St. James Brewery, which is an easy example, still known to many people) on their single page and in the rear index, it dosn't do much to help those who might not know the actual brewery name for some of the odder beers,and that the beers are widely categorized without much effort to categorize and consider each beers merits to a particular style(rather than Blonde being such a large category try breaking them down more into Pale Ales, IPAs,Pilsners etc..); the country breakdown still offers a light of hope,if you happen to know where your particular beer of interest is brewed. I will also mention however that there is a particular issue with some beers being labeled as their sigle Beer name such as the fact that Aventinus isn't grouped with the Schnider beers(since its labeled poorly as Aventinus and not Schneider Aventinus), which does create another problem completly.

Overall the book makes a great refference for any lover of beer , whevether you be a crusader of Breweries or a simple loyalist to your favorite brew, this book is a great resource to discover something great. As a beer lover myself I can't say that I'm not pleased to look through this book just as I look through "Michael Jacksons's Great Beer Guide", and must say that this is just as relative a guide for todays brews of the world as the Beer Hunters guide was years ago. So sit down enjiy your brew and maybe learn something new, Cheers!!