Books & Brews: Collin's Guide to Books About Beer

In a library, you will find all sorts of books.  Some are about science.  Some are about stories.  And even some about super deadly viruses that threaten to kill everyone on the planet.  The same is true about beer libraries (well … except maybe the deadly virus part).  There are a variety of different types of books about how to brew beer, how to drink beer, and even books to read while drinking beer.  And with May being National Beer Book Month, below is a list of various types of beer books, and ones that Collin has in his own personal beer library.

General Knowledge:

These types of books cover a smattering of beer knowledge, from beer styles, to history, to how to smell and taste beer, or even how beer came to be in the first place!  These books are good for everyone, from the beginner to the expert.

• The Beer Bible (Jeff Alworth)

• Tasting Beer:  An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink (Randy Mosher)

• Radical Brewing:  Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass (Randy Mosher)

• Amber, Gold & Black:  The History of Britain's Great Beers (Martyn Cornell)

How to Brew:

These are usually the first books you read before you start homebrewing, or while you’re elbow deep in your first mash out trying to figure out where you went wrong.  They give step-by-step instructions on the basics of brewing or how to formulate and design great beer recipes.

• Complete Joy of Homebrewing (Charlie Papazian)

• How to Brew:  Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time (John Palmer)

• Designing Great Beers:  The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles (Ray Daniels)

Technical:

These are usually very dry, science-based, and usually focused on one singular topic.  Usually not for the beginners, but for those more experienced beer afficionados trying to learn more about a specific aspect of brewing or narrow beer style.

The Brewing Elements Series

• Yeast:  The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Dr. Chris White, Jamil Zainasheff)

• For The Love of Hops:  The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops (Stan Hieronymus)

• Malt:  A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse (John Mallett)

• Water:  A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers (John Palmer, Colin Kaminski)

The Brewing Styles Series

• Brew Like a Monk:  Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them (Stan Hieronymus)

• Brewing with Wheat:  The “Wit” and “Weizen” of Wheat Beer Styles (Stan Hieronymus)

• Farmhouse Ales:  Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition (Phil Markowski)

• Wild Brews:  Beer Beyond the Influence of Brewer's Yeast (Jeff Sparrow)

• New Brewing Lager Beer:  The Most Comprehensive Book for Home and Microbrewers (Gregory Noonan)

• American Sour Beer (Michael Tonsmeire)

Narrative:

These aren’t necessarily for honing your brewing skills, but are nonfiction narrative-style books about beer.  Sometimes, these books are a much-needed break from the drier and drawn-out technical books and even give otherwise unknown insights about the beer world, including starting a brewery or why certain things are the way they are now in the industry.

• Brewing Up a Business:  Adventures in Beer from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Sam Calagione)

• Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out:  Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business (Josh Noel)

• The Search for God and Guinness:  A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World (Stephen Mansfield)

Beer & Food:

A lot of these books will start off by going through the basics and theory of pairing food and beer together, and usually have cooking recipes to go with specific beers and beer styles.  Some books even take it to the next level and show what types of food can be fermented and how to do so.

• The Brewmaster’s Table:  Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food (Garrett Oliver)

• Beer Pairing:  The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros (Julia Herz, Gwen Conley)

• The Fermentation Kitchen:  Recipes for the Craft Beer Lover’s Pantry (Gabe Toth)

Beer Recipe Books:

These books don’t necessarily have much in the way of paragraphs of text, but contain homebrew recipes from personal or professional brewers, and how to use special ingredients like various fruits, spices, and other unique ingredients.  Whether it’s new ingredients or recreating classic beers, these types of books will help the quality of your beer creations.

• Extreme Brewing:  An Enthusiast’s Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home (Sam Calagione)

• CloneBrews:  Recipes for 200 Commercial Beers (Mark Szamatulski, Tess Szamatulski)

Reference:

Not necessarily the books you would read cover to cover, but these books will help in looking up specific terms, processes, beers, ingredients, or anything else you might need to know about the beer world and everything in it.

• The Oxford Companion to Beer (Garrett Oliver)

• Michael Jackson’s Great Beers of Belgium (Michael Jackson)

• Draught Beer Quality Manual (Brewers Association)

You can find several of these titles on the Funky Picnic bookshelf, so thumb through one while drinking a beer on your next visit! And make sure you support your local bookstore in the process of curating your very own beer book library!  We especially like Leaves Book and Tea Shop and Monkey and Dog Books here in Fort Worth!

Author: Collin Zreet

Collin is a native Texan and is a founding member and co-owner of Funky Picnic Brewery and Café. He is a Certified Cicerone and Certified BJCP Beer Judge, specializing in beer and food pairings. When he is not thinking about beer, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Taylor, son, Alder, and dog, Rocco.