The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food [Paperback]

Garrett Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 3, 2005

Traditional craft-brewed beer can transform a meal from everyday to extraordinary. It's an affordable, accessible luxury. Yet most people are only familiar with the mass-market variety. Have you tasted the real thing?

In The Brewmaster's Table, Garrett Oliver, America's foremost authority on beer and brewmaster of the acclaimed Brooklyn Brewery, reveals why real beer is the perfect partner to any dining experience. He explains how beer is made, relays its fascinating history, and, accompanied by Denny Tillman's exquisite photographs, conducts an insider's tour through the amazing range of flavors displayed by distinct styles of beer from around the world. Most important, he shows how real beer, which is far more versatile than wine, intensifies flavors when it's appropriately paired with foods, creating brilliant matches most people have never imagined: a brightly citric Belgian wheat beer with a goat cheese salad, a sharply aromatic pale ale to complement spicy tacos, an earthy German bock beer to match a porcini risotto, even a fruity framboise to accompany a slice of chocolate truffle cake. Whether you're a beer aficionado, a passionate cook, or just someone who loves a great dinner, this book will indeed be a revelation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Oliver, the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery, argues that brewing beer is far more complicated than making wine, and pleads with beer drinkers to reach past the shelves of mass-produced hops toward bottles produced in more specialized breweries. His message may seem past its sell-by date, but his tour of beers and his brew-and-food match-ups are anything but stale. After explaining beer-making processes, Oliver launches into his beer-food combinations; though he offers no recipes, his recommendations- the classic pairing of Irish stout with oysters; the dark, caramely flavors of Trappist ales balancing a duck confit; the IPA from his own brewery complementing Thai, Mexican, and Vietnamese food-are excellent. Beer drinkers of all sorts will happily drift along Oliver's exhaustive tour.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Beer drinkers of all sorts will happily drift along Oliver’s exhaustive tour. ” (Publishers Weekly )

“Preached by the poet warrior of real beer and real food… The Brewmaster’s Table [is] a feisty and erudite tome.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution )

“A scholarly and readable book.” (Los Angeles Times )

“The best and most important book ever written on the subject of pairing food and beer..” (Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060005718
• ISBN-13: 978-0060005719
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Beer
  • #68 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Occasions

More About the Author

Garrett Oliver is the Brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery in New York City and one of the foremost authorities in the world on the subject of beer. A host of more than 700 tasting and pairing events in 12 countries over the past two decades, he is perhaps best known as the author of the award-winning book The Brewmaster's Table. He has made many appearances on television and in other media, writes regularly for food and beer-related periodicals, and is a veteran judge of professional brewing competitions. His principal occupation is the creation of The Brooklyn Brewery's well-regarded range of beers.

Garrett was a founding Board member of Slow Food USA and later became a member of the Board of Counselors of Slow Food International. He was also a 2009 and 2010 finalist for the James Beard Award as "Outstanding Wine or Spirits Professional."
His last book, The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, first published by HarperCollins in May, 2003, was the winner of a 2004 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Book Award and was a finalist for the 2004 James Beard Foundation Book Awards. The Brewmaster's Table was released in a paperback edition in May of 2005.

Garrett is a graduate of Boston University and holds a degree in Broadcasting and Film. He was the recipient of the 1998 Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation and Excellence in Brewing, the 2003 Semper Ardens Award for Beer Culture (Denmark) and Cheers Beverage Media's "Beverage Innovator of the Year" Award for 2006. In 2007, Forbes named him one of the top ten tastemakers in the country for wine, beer and spirits.

Garrett Oliver's latest book is The Oxford Companion to Beer, published in September, 2011 by Oxford University Press; he is Editor-in-Chief. Covering more than 1,100 subjects, it is the most comprehensive reference book on beer ever published.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dispelling the Image of Beer as "Cheap Fizz" March 16, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Before Garrett Oliver visited our wine/beer shop, I hadn't read a word of this book. Now, I can't put it down.

It was obvious, during his hour-and-a-half visit/tasting that he was a wizard. Grabbing various cheeses and beers from our shelves, seemingly on a whim, I wondered what he was up to. But tasting Ommegang's Three Philosophers Quadrupel alongside the ubiquitous Humboldt Fog; tasting Dupont's Miel with a sheepsmilk beauty; tasting Garrett's own Brooklyn Monster Barleywine alongside a stinky Stilton, it made us all realize that this guy was the brew master.

After that, I opened his book, and my world was changed forever. Food, which I had always tried to pair with wine, was transformed into a whole new experience. And the rows of weird-looking bottles that I used to simply stare at for hours during a slow shift at the store, now made sense. Who knew that the $5.50 Le Coq Imperial Double Stout was a "world classic"? Garrett did. Who knew that the $3.79 Schneider Wiess was a "tour de force"? Garrett did.

His book is at once a recipe for a culinary celebration, and an encylopedia of beer styles and producers. The simple organization of the book is perfect! He starts with the chapter: Wheat Beer, for example. Then, within that chapter, he addresses different styles and regions-for example, German weissbeer. That section is then divided into 3 parts: a history of the style and an explanation of the beer itself; pairing that beer with food; and, notable producers of that style. This simple yet intelligent organization lends to a broad base of interest and knowledge within each chapter.

Garrett doesn't get too technical, but he doesn't dumb it down either. There always seems to be a real passion flowing over the pages, and he is not shy about letting this passion show like a neon sign. Of course, he harbors a bit of arrogance over wine when it comes to pairing beer with food. However, the more I test out his suggested pairings, the more I realize that his arrogance is pure genius. The extent to which he has "researched" food pairings (groaning work, to be sure...) is simply amazing. With any given beer style, he will list ten or twenty different dishes or styles with which to pair that beer. I also enjoy his ability to invoke the essence of "place", as it relates to the beer experience. He writes of an experience in amsterdam, watching the barges, drinking beer with his salmon, and enjoying the moment. He recalls the homely atmosphere of London beerpubs with fondness. He describes the musty, cobweb-filled Belgium lambic houses in great detail.

And somehow, he manages to never drift too far on a tangent, and always pulls whatever experiences he has had back to history and the beer itself. The amount of knowledge in this book is astounding. His food pairings are exquisite (though sometimes, I think he is a bit too generous). The historical information is both interesting and helpful in understanding the beer and its roots. And his introduction and description of each style is impeccable. If you walk into a store like ours, and the sheer selection of beer scares you, just thumb to the index of The Brewmaster's Table, and you'll probably see a reference to whatever bottle you're holding in your hands.

Warning: this book will drastically change your culinary world! It will consume you, and turn every meal into a new opportunity to turn a good beer into a magical experience. As you pore over each chapter, you'll want to run down to the store and hunt down that particular style, just to see what Garrett's making such a racket about. The pages, with the absolutely beautiful photography and descriptions, will consume you to the point that you've just gotta have that Imperial Stout, right now! And if it hasn't happened already, this book will certainly make sure that you will never again let the likes of Budweiser fizzy water pass your lips.

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Serious writing about beer May 15, 2003

By Michael Johnson

Format:Hardcover

As a fan of beer it is disappointing to go into a book store and see dozens of intelligent books about wine and then look at the beer books. There are several good books on homebrewing, recipes, and styles. However, this book looks seriously at beer and food. Sure there is some background information and history of beer. Mostly it lists many of the beers and what they pair well with. It is the kind of book needed to take beer more seriously.

Part One: The Basics
1. What is Beer?
2. A Brief History of Beer
3. Principles of Matching Beer with Food

Part Two: Brewing Traditions
4. Lambic
5. Wheat Beer
6. The British Ale Tradition
7. The Belgian Ale Tradition
8. The Czech-German Lager Tradition
9. New Traditions - American Craft Brewing
10. Unique Specialties

Part Three: The Last Word
Glassware, Temperature, Storage, and Service
Beer with Food: A Reference Chart
Index

Typically each style is talked about in general then a bunch of brewers are covered including food pairings. Garrett mentions in his foreward that a bunch of recipes from a who's who listing of chefs were left out of this edition. I look forward to another book with recipes. There are nice color pictures in this book too.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book with wide appeal March 3, 2004

By Brian A. Schar VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This book is a good introduction to craft beer for newbies, and a good source of information for connoisseurs as well. It surveys the major beer styles, and discusses the best food pairings for each, teaching skills that help the reader decide what beer to pair with which food.

Wisely, Oliver omits the technical descriptions of beer styles and focuses on what they taste like. For homebrewers and beer geeks (hey, I'm one myself), discussions of IBUs and original gravities are great, but they can turn off people who are just interested in drinking good beer and in expanding their beer horizons. And this book is as much about spreading the good word about craft beer as it is about appealing to those who already love it. However, there is enough information about history and brewing to appeal to the most advanced brewer. Indeed, Oliver does a good job at keeping it breezy and accessible without being pedantic or "dumbing down" the material.

The appendix at the end provides a list of suggested beer and food pairings. It is useful and provides a quick reference that you can consult before heading out to the store.

If you have any interest in craft beer and good food, you will enjoy this book.