The Bottom Line
The first impression of 1001 Beers is that it is a beautiful book. Nearly half of its 900+ pages are devoted to lush, full-colored pictures of the beers, brewery photos and memorabilia. Beyond that, it is a simple list of beers worth trying with brief descriptions of each.
Pros
- Astonishing collection of beers from all over the world
- Easy read
- Informative without being too technical
Cons
- -
Description
- great fun to read
- an excellent roundup of some of the most important beers being brewed today
- gorgeous pictures of most of the beers covered
- easy organization makes it approachable for the most novice of beer lovers
Guide Review - You Must Taste Before You Die
Obviously, tasting these particular 1001 beers is a nearly impossible task. With over forty beer writers from all over the world contributing, it's unlikely that anyone has. Whether you see this book as an aspirational list or a just an interesting encyclopedia of beer, it is a fascinating read.
Don't think this is a beer geek's book; it's not. This is immediately evident from the organization. Instead of tumbling down the rabbit-hole of precisely defined styles, sub-styles and qualified sub-style sub-sections, the editors divided the world of beer into five simple categories: amber, blond, white, dark and specialty. This easy approach to division, while almost meaningless to a certified beer judge, creates a very readable book. The beers are presented simply and concisely with just a few details like country of origin, alcohol content, etc. Then a few hundred words about the beer and brewery precede three or four lines of tasting notes. That's it - a simple introduction with the understanding that it's up to you to find the beer if you wish to further the relationship.
This also isn't a list of anyone's 1001 favorite beers. These are simply the beers that the editors and contributors think you should try. Therefore, the macro-est of macrobrews inhabit the pages of this book alongside traditionally brewed small-batch beers as well as the latest innovations of the craft beer renaissance.
Don't think this is a beer geek's book; it's not. This is immediately evident from the organization. Instead of tumbling down the rabbit-hole of precisely defined styles, sub-styles and qualified sub-style sub-sections, the editors divided the world of beer into five simple categories: amber, blond, white, dark and specialty. This easy approach to division, while almost meaningless to a certified beer judge, creates a very readable book. The beers are presented simply and concisely with just a few details like country of origin, alcohol content, etc. Then a few hundred words about the beer and brewery precede three or four lines of tasting notes. That's it - a simple introduction with the understanding that it's up to you to find the beer if you wish to further the relationship.
This also isn't a list of anyone's 1001 favorite beers. These are simply the beers that the editors and contributors think you should try. Therefore, the macro-est of macrobrews inhabit the pages of this book alongside traditionally brewed small-batch beers as well as the latest innovations of the craft beer renaissance.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
