Product Description

The Big Book of Beer is an intriguing book about a fascinating drink. Beer is the most popular long drink in the world, with a history as long and as illustrious as wine, yet one that has been ignored for far too long. Now its time has come!

Real cask ale was under threat for many decades, but is now enjoying a craft revival alongside organic food and localism. An explosion of microbreweries in Britain and the United States, a new interest in bottle-conditioned beers, and the enormous growth in popularity of Belgian Beer around the world means that beer is being rediscovered by a new and younger audience.

From the moment a barley crop is planted, to the first sip of a thirst -quenching pint, the Big Book of Beer tells the story of Beer, from history and the brewing process, through to its triumphant survival as the drink of choice for many a discerning pub goer and an innovative and exciting new accompaniment to food.

• Discover the people that brew beer and the breweries that produce it, from the UK to Europe and beyond.

• Beer and its history and the traditions, its often bizarre etiquette, its lively social life, its curiosities and quirks.

• Where to drink beer, from Pub and Bar to the comfort of your own home.

Above all it is book to make you thirsty, very thirsty!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71999 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-04
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Adrian Tierney-Jones has been a passionate and informed ambassador for Beer for more than a decade. He is the author of West Country Ales (Halsgrove) and CAMRA's Pubs for Families and a regular contributor to the Morning Advertiser, Beers of the World and The Field Magazine, as well as the CAMRA newspaper What's Brewing. He also gives regular talks and tastings on the subject if beer.

Customer Reviews

Did make me very thirsty indeed!
I bought this book for my boyfriend, who likes a pint but doesn't really know that much about the technicalities of beer, real ale and so on. He looked a bit dismissive, flipped through it and then started reading a caption (just to humour me, I think). Two hours later he was still reading and he has had his nose in and out of it ever since. It's a lovely-looking book and very easy to drop in and out of - as the text is broken down into bite-sized chunks and almost features, with lots of pictures. It's written in a very easy, conversational style and I was surprised to find how fascinating beer really is. I learned tons about how it is made, why there are so many different styles and even more amazed to find you can team beer with food just as well as you can with wine (or even better as the author says).
I never used to drink beer - very much a 'nice big glass of wine' person really. But I have been experimenting as some of the descriptions really sounded gorgeous. I have become a fan of fruit beer and porters, and now my boyfriend and I try different beers whenever we get the chance (there are a lot in supermarkets now as well as good pubs). What started out as a bit of a joke present has made me a convert. Just hope I don't get the beer belly to match (though apparently that's not to do with the beer as the Chinese takeaway that tends to go hand in glove with a drinking session!). Beer is even good for you!
Anyhow, this is really just to say that this is a great book, particularly if you are new to the beer connoisseur game. It you want to find out what's what and what all those different types of beer are, this is the book for you! It makes a great present for 'tough to buy for' men too.