BEER BOOKS

Left: 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die

Right: The Beer Trials

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I recently received two books on beer that are being handled quite heavily. The first is The Beer Trials, which I received as a Christmas gift from the sister. The second is 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, which I received as a birthday gift from the parents.

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The Beer Trials

by Seamus Campbell and Robin Goldstein

312 page paperback

published by Fearless Critic Media

black-and-white images

$14.95

The premise behind this book is that beer tasting notes are often skewed by what someone already knows about the particular beer they are drinking (or thinks they know) or their knowledge of the brewer. They decided to rate beers in blind taste tests, which meant that they beer jurors had to rely on their senses, their knowledge of brewing techniques, and their personal tasting histories. It changes the way that one drinks a beer. One may be more inclined to give a higher rating than normal to a macrobrew and a lower rating than normal to a cherished craft brew or beloved microbrewery if some of one's beer biases are stripped away.

It's a fun book to flip through and see how some of these beer experts collectively rate my favorite and not-so-favorite beers.

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1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die

edited by Adrian Tierney-Jones

960 page hardcover

published by Universe Publishing

full color images

$36.95

The premise behind this book is that there is a wide variety of beers that you need to explore. It doesn't favor any particular beer faction, preferring to pull all of them under its wings. Reviewing four times the number of beers as The Beer Trials (1001 compared to 250) also allows it to encompass more styles and more varities.

Individual beer writers are responsible for the entries, with the editors ensuring each voice plays nicely with the others. The overall effect is as though it were written by one author, which is not a bad thing in this case. The consistent voice adds some coherency and familiarity to each entry.

Full-color pictures of the majority of the beers accompany each beer's history, information, and tasting notes.

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I often find myself in the middle of both books simultaneously, trying to find overlapping coverage of individual beers and styles. It's research of a sort that is both fun and informational.

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The Beer Trials leans more toward beers that can be found nationwide in grocery stores. For example, it has six entries for Budweiser and its variants—Bud Ice, Bud Light, Bud Light Lime, Budweiser, Budweiser American Ale, and Budweiser Select 55.

1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die leans more toward beers that have local or regional availability and are likely to be encountered in a specialty beer store. For example, it has seven entries for Rogue Ales—Dead Guy Ale, Juniper Pale Ale, Old Crustacean Barleywine, Rogue Mocha Porter, Shakespeare Stout, XS: Imperial India Pale Ale, and XS: Imperial Stout. However, most breweries are represented by two to four beers.

Both books include beers such as Caldera IPA, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, and Duvel's Maresous 10.

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These books are also good reference points for comparison after writing down my own tasting notes. It allows me to see how my own experience relates to those more versed in the tasting of beers. Oh teach me, masters.