World Guide to Beer

by Michael Jackson

Surveys brews from every beer-producing country and from every continent, according to country of origin, beer type, strength, and flavor and explains the various processes

Genres: Nonfiction, Beer, Food, Cooking

Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael James Jackson (27 March 1942 – 30 August 2007) was an English writer and journalist. He was the author of many influential books about beer and whisky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...

Reviews

[Katee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little unsatisfying for me -- I think I was hoping for more of an exhaustive exploration of the beer styles themselves, given that I work in a small brewery and find myself needing to compare a wide variety of beer styles to offer context for some of our more inexperienced customers. Only the "classical" styles are listed in the descriptive two-page spread at the front of the book, even though more styles are referenced in the text itself (cream ale, an American-and-therefore-not-classical style, comes immediately to mind). Needless to say, non-classical styles like sours, ryes, reds, and specialties like double black IPAs aren't addressed, perhaps because some hadn't been invented yet/were still obscure? Dad says I should be forgiving, since this is one of the first beer books written for the imbibing public . . . oh well.

Plenty of history and beer culture in certain sections. Other sections suffer from too exhaustive a description of the breweries in a given region and the various measured characteristics of each beer that is popular there. I skimmed very quickly over France through Canada and the Caribbean through Africa -- maybe 35% of the entire book -- because no new styles emerged from those places and everybody there seems to be drinking either some form of Pilsner or Guinness, which is not very interesting. At least Jackson takes a good chunk of time to shit on all of the big American Pilsner companies that are, forty years later, still hocking cans of horse piss hand over fist.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful historical guide to the rich variety of beer that existed just before the modern craft beer explosion.

All your favorite Californian IPAs are missing from the book. But it will teach you about the traditional styles the world over. All from the vantage point of a true beer geek back when that could be quite a lonely thing

[Michael Kerjman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun to read, it's a sort of a popular notebook providing historic and geographic info on beer aspects ranging from tastiness to brewing processes and national customs related round a globe.

Not so much of then Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European countries has been written because of, perhaps, the Iron Curtain stood at that time.

[John Hubbard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this after having The New World Guide to Beer. I found this less good and I think it isn't just the explosion of craft beer. Perhaps the explosion of Jackson's budget to research?

[Nicole Flowers Frye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book about beer. Lots of cool information. Reads like a conversation with a friend. Lots of pictures and naps to show you cool stuff. Easy, enjoyable read!

[Dirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated (1977), but a very valuable historical 'snapshot' of beers and breweries around the world.