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Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide: 500 Classic Brews
A Review by Bill Friday
(2000 - From the THC Club Non-Newsletter)
Published in time to be a great Xmas gift for those who love good beer, Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide: 500 Classic Brews is a must for any beer book collection. Instead of trying to be all inclusive, he actually picks what he considers are the best beers in the world. (When asked in the past, I have heard Jackson say that the beer in his hand is the best beer.) The book is a trade paperback and it is packed with information and color pictures. Each beer has its own page stating the Region of Origin, Style, Alcohol Content, Ideal Serving Temperature; and a paragraph written by Jackson concerning the brewery, beer flavors, or beer style. With each entry, arranged some what in alphabetical order by Brewery name (Burt Grant's beers are under "B"), there is a fine quality picture of the beer bottle and a poured serving in its proper glass.
The following is a sampling of some of the beers covered: Aass Bock, Bitburger Premium Pils, Cantillon Gueuze-Lambic, Duvel, Eldridge Pope's Thomas Hardy's Ale, Geary's Pale Ale, Hair of the Dog Adam, La Choulette Framboise, Mackeson Stout, Orval, Pilsner Urquell, Red Hook ESB, Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter, Singha, Tripel Karmeliet, Westvleteren Blond, Young's Special London Ale, & Zirndorfer Landbier Hell. Have you had all of these beers? Do you agree that each belongs in a top 500 list?
I am sure there will be arguments over some of the selections, but that is the fun in making these type of lists. It makes for some great beer discussions. For some, it will be a quest to find and taste all the beers. (A trip to England might be in order.)
There is a User's Guide in the back of the book with descriptions and pictures showing how to pour different styles of beers, how to taste beer, and when to enjoy certain styles. There also are a few pages discussing what beers go best with what foods, not only to drink with, but to cook with as well. The listing of Useful Addresses - organizations, publications, retailers, festivals, and web sites - is informative - and may help trying to track down some of the beers not readily available locally.
Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide is a must pick up. My only complaint, besides not listing Rochefort 10, is the size of the book. The squat, thick book is hard to flip open to a page and have it stay there. I has to be held open. I think it should have been published in a more normal trade or even hardback size so that a person could flip it open to a page and have it stay open (hopefully, while pouring the beer listed). To keep it open while typing this review, I had to place another book on top of it just to see part of the page - a stapler and note pad didn't hold it open. In spite of this, I might buy another copy. I could see one for my car (in case I swing by a liquor store) and one for the bathroom (yes, it is ideal for short term reading). It is interesting enough to read straight through or by randomly picking pages. Make sure your friends and love ones know you want a copy.
