Customer Reviews

Eyewitness Companions: Beer (EYEWITNESS COMPANION GUIDES)

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This is yet another volume in the current "Eyewitness Companions" series. Interested in the world of beer? This represents a nice introduction. As Michael Jackson, the author, says: "Like wine, beer is grown--it is an agricultural product, perhaps the first known to civilization."

The book begins with an introductory section, featuring a short history of beer. Back when humans were hunter-gatherers, when grain, water, and yeast interacted, this (Page 15) ". . .made people feel 'blissful.'"

The next section is called "From Grain to Glass." This part features the basic ingredients of beer, water, grain, and hops (among others)--plus yeast. Following this, "Beer Styles." Yummy! The reader finds out about Belgian wild beers, wheat beers (a nice variation!), porters and stouts, ales, and lagers. Next, "Enjoying Beer." One interesting discussion is on beer-hunting, finding really tasty, distinctive beers rather than the generic bland stuff most often drunk. As Jackson says (Page 62) ". . .ask for a beer, and the chances are you will get an insipid brew. . . ." So, one most "beer hunt" to find interesting varieties. The book also exp0lores the linkage of food and beer (just as some wines go better with certain foods, so, too, with beer!). For example (Page 68),"Try a Munich-style dark lager with sausage or pastrami. . . ."

Finally, the heart of the book. An enumeration of beers by country and region. This is not exhaustive. Unless I missed these, two beers I have enjoyed in Paris and Geneva are not represented--Cardinal and Kronenbourg. Beers are listed and described for some of the following: Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, British Isles, other European countries, the United States, Canada, Japan, and so on. For the most part, not much time is spent on any single beer. The tradeoff? Many more beers are described. So, one sacrifices depth with breadth.

In the end, this is a lot of fun! There are problems, such as some major beers not being covered (I may have missed it, but I did not see St. Pauli Girl) and very brief descriptions of different beers. But if you're interested in a look at the world of beer, this is a fine jumping off point.

Beer by Michael Jackson is another entry into the aesthitically pleasing DK publishing series. They are traditionally know for their travel books but lately have been publishing more general subject reference books of varying quality. These puppies are starting to fill my bookshelf and I love not having to go to the internet to look things up and being able to take these with me or just reference something quick.

Beer is written with a little more personality then some of the other books and quick read of the intro chapter will reveal the authors life long love affair with the drink.

The book is divided up into an informational section and a geographic section. The information section contains the history, process, types and directions for serving beer. This makes up a little under a third of the book and goes into just enough detail to inform but not bore.

The geographic section is divided up by country and goes into the types history of beer and companies that produce locally. In the non-USA countries, Jackson goes into most of the larger name beers as well as many of more mid-size and smaller microbrews. Germany is divided up into numerous sections and each company he includes will tell you about their seasonals as well as the alcohol content. The USA section is divided up into regions and sticks to the higher quality beers so Coors, Budweiser (USA), etc are omitted. I think Jackson understandably dislikes lagers as Tecate and Corona (actually a pilsner I believe) were omitted from the Mexico section.

This book would be useful for a beer aficionados going traveling abroad or within the US. People who like seasonal beers (by Sam Adams) of high quality beers but can't keep their products straight could also use this book.

Bottom Line: Sure to become a college frat boy staple across America!

here is a book that attempts to give you a crash course in beer brewing technique and history as well as give prime examples of beers produced all over the world. in a book the size of a large Mr Goodbar. but just as the good bar, this book left me fully satisfied. concise and sweet without spending too much time in a single world area or aspect of brewing. the sections on how to fully enjoy a new beer and the various brews of the world are most impressive and has blasted other books i bought on those subjects out of the water. jackson is the man, everyone knows it, this is the chance to buy a slice of his wisdom to tantilize your taste for more of his writings. i know it did for me.

I have to confess I really enjoy the Eyewitness Companion books -- they are handy, fact filled, and beautifully illustrated -- in this case, a picture can be worth more than a thousand words.

Pictures for beer -- what do they add?

With book in hand, you'll see they add a great deal -- the colors of the different types are especially helpful. We are lucky enough to have a retailer nearby in North Haledon that stocks over 250 different beers. This book was a great guide to the beers on offer.

The substance of the book is excellent, with very good descriptions of various types and styles. And the authors obviously love beer -- there's a warmth here that I find in the best travel books in the series.

Robert C. Ross 2007 2008

We recently had a beer tasting party and used this wonderful book to hightlight our tasting of many different beers from around the world. The index makes finding the beers easy and quick. The tasting notes are concise and very descriptive. This book is perfect for anyone wishing to explore the amazing and innumerable nuances of beers!

This Eyewitness Companion to beer gives an overview of how beer is brewed, the different styles of beer (there are plenty) and a rundown of important brewers and their best products. The list of brewers and their products is by no means complete but does touch on the more important brewers, including U. S. craft brewers. The product list is subjective: some of the beers that they like don't appeal to me and some of my favorites were not listed.

Nevertheless, I found the book enjoyable and, although I've been enjoying beer for more years than most of you have been alive, I learned some new information that has enhanceed my enjoyment of the "cool ones."

Recommended.

Well I have to say, for me this was simply a fun book to brows through and pick up bits and pieces of information. It is certainly not the beginning nor the end of beer books, but like all of the Eyewitness books, it is a class act and you really cannot help but learn while reading.

I am not a big beer drinker and am certainly not a beer gourmet, aficionado, or expert in any way. I like beer but when I drink it I do so very selectively and indulge in relatively small amounts; usually no more than two glasses at a time. Now that being said, I am adventuresome in my beer drinking and am constantly trying any new brand that I come in contact with, both foreign and domestic. For the life of me I cannot even pronounce the names of some of the brews I have tasted over the years. This is sort of a pity because when I have found a special drink that I like, I cannot remember the name of the thing. This work, on a limited scale, can help me solve some of that problem.

The format used in this work is pretty typical Eyewitness. We have a good short history of beer, an overview of the brewing process which includes methods from different countries and regions and different grains and additives used now and through the ages. This was all quite interesting as I now know why I am tasting what I am tasting.

The book then goes on to give a short review, country by country, region by region of some of the known, and in some cases least known brands of beer in the world. Of course, like any such work, not every product of every country you are familiar with will be addressed here. As has been pointed out by other reviewers, some great beer brands have been excluded or one reason or another. Now this may upset those of you who are true followers of this delightful drink, but for me it did not matter much. I learned of some brews I have never heard of nor seen and now have high hopes of crossing paths with them in the future.

The author has used lively and descriptive prose and I actually found myself thirsty for the taste of some of the products he was describing. Think of this book as a small travel book, a tour guide to stick in your tucker bag when you next hit the road. It is sort of like a bird identification field guide, except in this case it is beer you want to spot, try, and then record; at least in your taste memory.

As I said, this is a fun little book to read and flip through. I did learn much, but then again I did not know much to begin with, so that is probably not the best endorsement found here. I would just love to be knowledgeable enough to pontificate on this subject and dazzle you with my vast knowledge of the subject, but I fear I really don't know enough to pull that off....yet.

Bottom line: I enjoyed it and feel most others interested in the subject will also. This is a worthwhile read and a definite book to take with you on your travels as it at least will give you a starting point.

We all know him as the king of modern music. Headliner with dozens of record breaking songs to his credit. he paved the way into a modern era of POP music.

But little was known of his secret life as a master brewmeister. In his travels around the globe he picked up the art of beer brewing from the legends of Germany, Poland, Czech, and Milwaukee.

Commited to his passion he expounded upon their formulas. His pejorative phase in brewmastering can be applied to his devotion to the pure art of the craft. He demonstrated a capacity for fresh permutations in age old recipes.

Michael Jackson, a solemn man when it came to his dearest passion. He never promoted himself in this regard.

Here we have a fantastic book by a legend in the field of beer brewing. by attempting this nobel art we stand with the legends of yesteryear.