The Beer Geek Handbook: Living a Life Ruled by Beer

by Greg Kletsel (Illustrator), Patrick Dawson

Does the beer buyer at the liquor store ask your advice? Do you understand the difference between a turbid and a single infusion mash? Do you travel with a tulip glass handy? Have you even eaten ramen just to afford a vintage Cantillon gueuze? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be a Beer Geek and in need of this hilarious guide. Patrick Dawson provides everything you need to fully live a life ruled by beer, from the Ten Beer Geek Commandments and the Beer Geek Hall of Fame to guidance on what to drink, how and where to drink it, how to gracefully correct an uninformed bartender, where to buy “geek goods,” how to flawlessly execute a beer tasting, how to plan the ultimate beer-centric vacation, and much more. Includes quizzes to help you determine your level of geekery, as well as witty illustrations by Greg Kletsel.

Genres: Beer, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gran, gran regalo del buen Maicol.

Muchas cosas fueron de utilidad y ahora tengo más ideas para implementar. Lo cual no creo sea bueno.

4.4/5

[Justin Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes I'm a beer geek. And as such, this book provided me with no new information. It takes a whimsical approach to presenting the same information I've seen plenty of other places.
Perhaps I'm not the target audience. But as someone that lives and drinks beer you would think a book called the beer geek handbook would be right up my alley. Most topics are covered too shallowly to help me, and when the book digs a bit deeper it is about alcohol per dollar calculations. Which is something that any person actually interested in beer could care less about. A beer geek doesn't drink to get drunk. That might be a better topic to cover in the alcoholics handbook.
This book was gifted to me but I really wish they had just bought me a beer.

[Matt Heavner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and a good "tabletop" book for a beer geek to have around. Somewhat amusing, somewhat helpful, and somewhat trying a little too hard to be funny. i read it all and it may be best "flipping through." I knew there are glassware snobs, but I didn't think it was such a big deal (I think the glassware discussions in this book moved beyond geekery and into snobbery). I never have on hand and very rarely use the frosted mug - again, I din't realize it was quite so offensive! I did learn a bit more about the beer trading - there are more than enough good local beers for me to enjoy and perhaps I used up all my "trade stuff in the mail" back in the day of mailing Grateful Dead concert tapes all over. Still, a fun, amusing beer book.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beer geek beach read. Light, fluffy, funny, quick. Not a ton of info that is revelatory for any beer geek (and a few things this beer geek disagrees with, like writing off McMenamins), but still worth the romp. I was shaking my head vigorously in agreement a lot of the time,finding good chuckles at the inside jokes here and there. The voice here kept me going and it is always nice to get someone else’s take on your passion. This was fun.

[Marc Roig Casanovas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only incorrect thing about this book is its title. I think that "The Beer Geek Parody: Living a Life Ruled by Beer" would be much better. Funny and entertaining, it depicts the old and new school beer geek, with its shades and shines. Funnier if you read it with a pint of some barrel aged vintage strong ale more expensive than the book itself.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book if you know little about beer geeking and want to. It was dated eight years ago when it came out and more so now. And the author's biases definitely show ("supremely drinkable" used twice to describe German beers, and oh, the love for Belgians.) Light on some details, good on others, and a sense of humor to ride with them.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light whimsical read - browse really. Copious humourous illustrations and structure mean you'll flit about and work through the material of interest. A few choice nuggets. Not that it claims to be anything otherwise but, it's written for an American audience.

[Lana Svitankova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Спочатку дуже багатообіцяюча, кумедна, і головне - про те, що гіки не сноби, але чим далі в ліс, тим товщі гікоснобістські замашки, приблизно половина явищ в нашому середовищі не існує, тому це швидше суто американський бестіарій.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly book, very little actually useful info. A bit condescending at times despite frequent reassurances that there is a difference between being a geek & a snob. Appreciate the suggestions for Brewcation destinations & GABC.

[Dogseat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I read in bits at the gym. It's gorgeous in design and the color palate is small yet interesting. And informative in a fun, non-pretentious way.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's about me! EXCELLENT beer guide for any beer geek. Fun and entertaining to read also!

[Dexter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, just not a lot of new content that I wasn't already somewhat aware of.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I learned some new things and laughed out loud along the way.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good coffee table book for the all,around beer lover. Not very detailed information about the best glasses for beers, alcohol content in beers, etc. Juat lightly touches on a lot of different things.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were funny and there was a lot of helpful information in here.

[Diëgo D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read but not really much new stuff when being in the beer world for even a short while. Besides the sometimes subjectiveness it was all in all a good read.

[Ramon van Dam · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read, but in the end it doesn't really add anything and I'm not fond of the condescending tone the author sometimes uses. I expected more practical tips.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked it up in a gift shop and couldn't put it down during the vacation. Fresh on the scene (admitted NOOB), so much of the material covered is new to me. The tone is breezy, inviting and surprisingly funny. The topics are covered at a very high level; consider this more an exploration of the culture than a reference guide I admit this book made me want to pick up a tulip glass and head down to my local bottle shop. It's a must-read for (casual) beer fans.

[Koen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and fun book which will answer your question; am i a beer geek? (Yes, i am.) Or will help you on your journey to become a beer geek.

Dawson covers all the aspects of being a beer geek, from, for instance; The Beer Geek Ten Commandments ("2. A Beer Geek sees it as his duty to (tastefully) inform the world about the joys of beer.") to what knowledge you must acquire to properly recognize the cool beers and breweries ("A beer doesn't have to be difficult to acquire, but damned if that doesn't make everything taste better.") and how and where to get those coveted beers. ("It's for this sole reason that the Beer Guy must be befriended, because after all, he holds the key to the elusive beery castle." Followed even by the Beer Guy training techniques.)
There are tips and tricks on a variety of issues like (festival) etiquette, trading, beercations, glassware and of course the drinking of beer itself. And the book boasts lovely and funny illustrations and quizzes! To help you determine if you are a Beer Geek. (You probably are)

This isn't your all-encompassing Beer Bible but there's plenty of info for the novice. The well-informed geek will smile at the tongue in cheek way Dawson describes the particular Beer Geeks traits. ("After the last guest leaves, all empty bottles are lined up on the tasting table, and a picture is posted to Facebook to inform the world that the greatest tasting ever has just occurred.")

While the book is mainly focused on America, with cameos from Belgium and Germany ("If circumstances dictate that your disposable income has to come from eating ramen alongside your vintage Cantillon gueuze, so be it.") and American Beer Geek culture, there's plenty of overlap with European Beer Geek culture for us Europeans to enjoy the book as well. After all, while Belgian Lambics may be the biggest whales for Americans, the Heady's, AftW's, Rare's, DDG's and PtE's are ours.

All in all a fun, quirky, quick read which will put a smile on the Beer Geek's face.

[Chelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based on an advanced copy from NetGalley.

I loved this book! It was hilarious and informative, and the illustrations were adorable! It has a good balance of introductory information and more advanced knowledge, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek quizzes and checklists. I also appreciated that it covers so many topics (everything from styles of beer to tips on beer trading to) in a concise and humorous way.

One of the things I really appreciated while reading this book was the author's use of male and female pronouns when referring to beer geeks. As a female it can be hard to feel included in a community that revolves around a "male" interest, and little things like this make it so much more enjoyable for me!

[roxi Net · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beer Geek Handbook is a beautifully designed book with QUIZES! No way!!! And it includes the Beer Geek 10 Commandments; According to this book, I’m not a Beer Geek (sigh) but it’s something to strive to be. Hilariously written, very informative and crazy fun to read, BGH is definitely a great gift or a resource book to have on hand.

One of my favorite quotes (since I’m an IPA/DIPA chick): “If an IPA were an SUV, a DIPA would be a monster truck driven by a deranged, drunken Kool-Aid Man”

Trust me, there are more amazing quotes to treasure and it literally had me laughing out loud.

Bucket list item #15 = become a Beer Geek

[CharlieSz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty much a waste of a day. Thin on useful info, with only a few interesting comments. I'm not sure what the cartoons are supposed to add, but they weren't clever at all and were mostly irrelevant. The whole book was mostly a disappointment.

FWIW, the author leans more to beer snob than beer geek.

[Nebogipfel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read. Somewhat educational but mostly just funny. It was written from perspective of an American so some things might be different for people in other countries (like famous people in beer world). Still, that doesn't take away from the book and I would recommend it.

[Ietrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not like this book. I also don't care much about beer. But this book delivers what the title says: living a life ruled by beer.

[Jax · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's very little useful information for the seasoned beer enthusiasts in this book. Instead, I would recommend Randy Mosher's "Tasting Beer" for the hopeful beer geeks out there.

[Stephen Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's almost hard to believe that this is written by the same guy who wrote Vintage Beer, which is a more serious factual accounting of what really goes on behind aging beers and why some do better than others. This is a more light hearted approach, tongue in cheek at times, about obsessive people (there were a few times I put it down and thought "No....just no") and what drives them to be that way. As such it's a grab bag of useful information and a few eye rollers. It's written in a highly readable style and the enthusiasm is effectively communicated.