[This book is a March 2009 pick of the week by Gremolata's Dean Tudor.]

Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink is by Randy Mosher, a drinks writer who specializes in beer (he also wrote “The Brewer’s Companion”). The first half of the book is a primer and history, with historical illustrations of labels and factories and beer-making devices. More than 50 beer styles are defined and explained. He believes that every batch of beer is affected by the brewmaster’s choices and recipes. He goes on to discus formulation of beer styles, procedures and house techniques, years, fermentations, carbonation, filtration, and packaging. His primer includes service and storing. He describes over 900 tastes found in beer, including resin, toast, apples, and smoke. There is a chapter on beer and food pairings and matchings. It is distressing to note that while the 1971 Campaign for Real Ale continues in the UK, real ale is now just 10% of total UK pub consumption. In the second half, Mosher gives a style-by-style-compendium of US beers, British ales, German lagers, Belgian Dubbels, and other variations around the world. Each style has regional facts and figures, characteristics of taste and aroma, availability by season, food matches, and some suggested beers to try (illustrated by many contemporary labels). At the end, there is short mention of beer drinks, such as ale punch, bishop, brown betty, and black velvet. There’s a bibliography, a list of websites, and a glossary. Audience and level of use: a basic primer but useful even to beer lovers. Some interesting or unusual facts: “The brewing texts are full of wistful quotes telling us how much better the beer was in the good old days… but if you look at the recipes, changes over time are rarely done with the aim of making the beer taste better.” The downside to this book: no recipes for beers, not even a standard one. Many people make their own beer, and it might have been nice to have a reference point. The upside to this book: colourful and a useful compendium.

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