Customer Reviews

RUNNING PRESS POCKET GUIDE TO BEER, SEVENTH EDITION: The Connoisseur's Companion to More than 2,000 Beers of the World

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This "Pocket" guide is a perfect companion (of course, there are better, human companions) for the traveling beer lover. There are concise comments and honest, useful rankings for just about any beer you will ever run across in your travels. As you'd expect, this pocket guide is easy to take with you (it's about twice as big as a wallet without all the cash and credit cards stuffed into it) and can serve as a helpful guide when trying to figure out what to order at some of the world's better drinking establishments. It's broken down by country and that's helpful as well. I once ordered all the five-star Belgian beers at a pub in Brugge and other than the trouble I got in when I returned to my hotel, this book was a perfect guide for making good decisions.

This book is excellent! It has a collection of practically every beer you can think of! If you are interested in tasting various types of beers, you will love this book. It is also pocket-sized so that you can easily take it with you when visiting a pub or bar.

This is a very informative book from a very impressive beer connoisseur. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because he neglects Stone Brewing Company which in my opinion is one of the best Brewing Companies in the world. The main aspect of this book that is so great is that he gives reviews and descriptions of beers that a lot of people would be unfamiliar with. Such as beers from the Czech Republic. Also Michael Jackson gives critics on beers throughout the world. It is very impressive because he covers so many countries in this book. Another thing that is typical of Michael Jackson's book is his excellent descriptions of the types of beer and also the ingredients in beer. This is very educational, and if you want to know of some great beers this is a very informative guide.

Another quality book from Jackson. A nice size, able to slip easily into a pocket or handbag. Details beers from around the globe in an easy to read format, rating them on an easy to understand scale. Surprising amount of information for such a small book. All you have to do is find the beer!!!

Obviously Micheal Jackson was one of the preeminent beer and whiskey connoisseurs and a prolific writer, so that much of the book is easily 5 stars. So, how do I arrive at 2 stars?

1. Having been published in 2000, the book is dated, very informative, but as a guide to beer, dated. The craft beer revolution is in full swing, a lot has happened in ten years.

2. More importantly, as a Kindle book, nothing has been done to make this a useful guide, dated or not. The index is nothing more than a photo copy. Not only is the index almost unreadable, but there are no hyperlinks. I bought this book as a resource for my smartphone, without a linked index it is completely useless. For this reason, this version receives only 2 stars and ebook was returned.

My recommendation is to buy the hardcover if you really want this book. I own the hardcover and it is a wonderful, but dated, guide to beer. The hardcover is deserving of 4 stars, though without updates, those stars will fade.

Mr. Jackson is sorely missed, his love of fine spirits and beer was unmatched; sharing a drink with him must have been a wonderful experience.

Michael Jackson invented beer writing and is the acknowledged
"epicure of record," on things beery and the victuals that accompany them.

His ratings are most reliable and, better yet, they come from deep knowledge unfettered by brewers' marketing ploys or public trends.

This is a very handy and useful guide for anyone interested in reading about the wide varieties
of beers around the world. I am lucky enough to have second and third editions of this same
guide ( which, personally, I liked better ). I was also fortunate enough to meet Michael Jackson
at the Great American Beer Festival in 1993.

The early editions helped me gain valuable knowledge and insight into the beers that I was drinking
back in the late 80's and early 90's and to better understand the history and backgrounds of the
breweries that produced such a different array of products. It helped me to form the conclusion;
"That no matter how much you DISLIKE a particular beer, somebody, somewhere in the world DOES
like it - otherwise it wouldn't be sold."

Only four out of five stars because this edition does not include info about local ( in my case Denver )
establishments that carry a wide range of imported and/or microbrewed products - earlier editions
mentioned restaurants and bars that had superior selections.

I had this book for about twenty years. It was the book to go to if I needed information about any beer brand. One thing that was gratifying were his great historical comments about each beer. His ratings were also very accurate. This is a good book to have when you need to look any beer up. Any connoisseur of beer should own it.

I was traveling around Germany and the Czech Republic over the summer and I found this book to be a wealth of information. It really helped me navigate to the great beers, and to skip the mediocre beer gardens. And no less important - it fit nicely in my pocket!!!

I own and have read many prior versions of Michael's pocket guides. This 7th addition is his best ever. Authoritative, thorough, interesting, and humorous, Mr. Jackson's guide is without question the reference point for all serious beer tasters. I mean, the guy has tried more than 2000 beers! Try highlighting all the beers you have had that he lists, and I'll bet it's not even 10% of his tastings. I love to bring this book into a well-stocked liqour store and use it to help pick something out new for me and untested. My only complaint is that I am not aware of a new edition since the 7th came out in 2000. I also wish I had his job!