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Product Description
Beer may be the common beverage of the people, but it is far from simple. With 10,000 years of history, more than 900 identified flavours, dozens of styles, and thousands of breweries around the world, beer is as complex as its grape-based neighbors in the liquor stores. It is an artistic creation, brewed from dozens of possible ingredients and processed in hundreds of different ways. Mosher guides readers to a better understanding of how every batch of beer is affected by each of the brewmaster's choices - recipe formulation, brewhouse procedures, yeasts, fermentations, carbonation, filtration, packaging, and much more. Beer can be light, dark, mild, strong, flat, or fizzy. Hundreds of tastes can be detected in beer, from resin to toast, and from apple to smoke. Readers will learn how to identify the scents, colors, flavors, and mouth-feel of all the major beer styles. There are also chapters on proper serving and storage conditions, and classic beer and food pairings. The second half of the book is a style-by-style compendium of the different brews within major beer families, including American craft brews, British lagers, German ales, and Belgian Dubbels. For each style there are historical and regional facts, taste and aroma characteristics, seasonal availability, food pairings, and a few terrific recommendations for readers to sample.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I awaited the delivery of this tome with the anticipation typically reserved for the over-excited.
I expected a book packed with hints and tips on how to awaken your tastebuds, to chart an aley course of huge discovery.
There are bits and pieces to sate this ravenous appetite for practical knowledge, I won't deny that.
But by and large this book is about how beer's made, served and, well, it's a little bit poncy to be considered hugely beneficial to the wannabe connoisseur of the foaming flagon.
For beer purists, historians and those with a distinctly unhealthy obsession with what happens when hop goes on a lingering liquid lunch with roasted malting barley, this is a legendary book. That's why I've happily donated a four-star rating.
It's a great gift-giving text. If you're short on prezzies for dad at Xmas, you should automatically gravitate towards the Buy Now button or whatever it is these days.
But if you're absolutely intent on refining your tongue and getting the skinny on aromas, finishes and mouthfeels, get down the boozer and buy yourself a CAMRA card instead.
I expected a book packed with hints and tips on how to awaken your tastebuds, to chart an aley course of huge discovery.
There are bits and pieces to sate this ravenous appetite for practical knowledge, I won't deny that.
But by and large this book is about how beer's made, served and, well, it's a little bit poncy to be considered hugely beneficial to the wannabe connoisseur of the foaming flagon.
For beer purists, historians and those with a distinctly unhealthy obsession with what happens when hop goes on a lingering liquid lunch with roasted malting barley, this is a legendary book. That's why I've happily donated a four-star rating.
It's a great gift-giving text. If you're short on prezzies for dad at Xmas, you should automatically gravitate towards the Buy Now button or whatever it is these days.
But if you're absolutely intent on refining your tongue and getting the skinny on aromas, finishes and mouthfeels, get down the boozer and buy yourself a CAMRA card instead.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book really delivers what it promises in the title, and will make your beer tasting much more rich and enjoyable experience. As a homebrewer, I found this book very welcome addition to the bookshelf, as it covers aspects of beer (e.g. tastings, sensory system, beer judging, food pairings) that are covered only lightly or neglected in homebrewing books. Compared to other beer drinking books, it is _definitely not_ only a huge advertisement catalog for different beer brands, which is a great thing.
I'd rate this book medium level on the path the beer geekdom; for example, it is very thorough in describing the sensory system and the aromatic compounds found in beer, but the actual chemistry going on is not covered. This makes the book superbly approachable, but may put off some of the übergeeks.
I think this will be one of the beer books that I will come back to fairly often; most probably for organizing better tastings and beer dinners. This book also serves as a great introduction to beer judging, if you're into that kind of thing.
Some of the material is more appropriate for US readers, but there's plenty of stuff left even if you skim through those parts. For example, the list of styles and examples under the styles were somewhat alien to me (being from northern Europe), but that part is (on purpose?) in later part of the book.
Also, I have some doubts how informative this book is if one would be _only_ interested in tasting / drinking beer but not in other parts (e.g. brewing) of the beer. For example, some of the discussions about the malts, malting processes and parameters might be more appropriate for brewers. Maybe more appropriate (but less snappy) title could have been "Experiencing Beer", since the book covers so many different topics.
Overall, the book was great, and can be easily recommended to anyone who's already starting to go slightly crazy about beer.
I'd rate this book medium level on the path the beer geekdom; for example, it is very thorough in describing the sensory system and the aromatic compounds found in beer, but the actual chemistry going on is not covered. This makes the book superbly approachable, but may put off some of the übergeeks.
I think this will be one of the beer books that I will come back to fairly often; most probably for organizing better tastings and beer dinners. This book also serves as a great introduction to beer judging, if you're into that kind of thing.
Some of the material is more appropriate for US readers, but there's plenty of stuff left even if you skim through those parts. For example, the list of styles and examples under the styles were somewhat alien to me (being from northern Europe), but that part is (on purpose?) in later part of the book.
Also, I have some doubts how informative this book is if one would be _only_ interested in tasting / drinking beer but not in other parts (e.g. brewing) of the beer. For example, some of the discussions about the malts, malting processes and parameters might be more appropriate for brewers. Maybe more appropriate (but less snappy) title could have been "Experiencing Beer", since the book covers so many different topics.
Overall, the book was great, and can be easily recommended to anyone who's already starting to go slightly crazy about beer.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
44 reviews
73 of 78 people found the following review helpful
A Must-Have for Current or Aspiring Beer Geeks
23 Nov 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Before I review Randy Mosher's "Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink," let me give you a few calibration points so you can decide whether to take my opinions seriously or not. I definitely qualify as a serious beer geek. My travels around the U.S. nearly always involve visits to brewpubs. I'll drive hundreds of miles out of my way to have a pint of good craft brew, and I attend as many beer festivals each year as I possibly can. My favorite beers are Imperial stouts, barleywines and Imperial I.P.A.s, such as Alesmith's Speedway, Stone's Old Guardian and Moylan's Hopsickle (among many others). I enjoy the occasional Belgian (the funkier the better), and I consider Fat Tire to be an overly hyped "training-wheels beer" for people who don't know any better. I couldn't choke down a Bud, Coors or Miller if I were dying of thirst, and (yes, it's true) I tend to be a little snobbish toward people who are unwilling to expand their beer tastes beyond the Big Three. So, with that said, what did I think of "Tasting Beer?"
Well, there's a remarkable amount of information in its 247 pages, all of it presented in a very nicely integrated text-and-picture form. No matter what aspect of beer culture you're interested in, you'll find it covered to a useful level of detail in "Tasting Beer." Do you want to know more about the history of beer? It's in there, from 10,000 years BCE to the present, in a fascinating 22-page section. Do you want to improve your abilities to taste beer, and to accurately describe its qualities and complexity? It's in there--you'll learn how to distinguish 25 common flavors such as diacetyl, isoamyl acetate and fusels, and whether they're desirable or not. Are you interested in becoming more sophisticated in pairing beer with food? It's in there, both general guidelines and specific recommendations. Do you want to bone up on the bewildering variety of beer styles available? They're all in there, from the lightest adjunct lagers to Imperial stouts. Each style is described and characterized in great detail, including suggestions for which beers you should try that best represent the styles. There's a whole chapter on the modern American craft beer movement and its new styles such as wet-hopped ales, ultra-strong beers and other experimental types. I found the charts showing beer color, strength, etc., as a function of style to be especially interesting and useful, although all of the graphics and figures are exceptionally well done.
"Tasting Beer" is the best single volume of beer lore that I've read in many years. It is so good that a few of my other older beer books became redundant and have now found their way into the public library donation box. There should still be a place in the beer lover's inventory for such books as Roger Protz's "The Ale Trail" and Garrett Oliver's "The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food." But if you own only one beer book, "Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink," should be it. Cheers!
Well, there's a remarkable amount of information in its 247 pages, all of it presented in a very nicely integrated text-and-picture form. No matter what aspect of beer culture you're interested in, you'll find it covered to a useful level of detail in "Tasting Beer." Do you want to know more about the history of beer? It's in there, from 10,000 years BCE to the present, in a fascinating 22-page section. Do you want to improve your abilities to taste beer, and to accurately describe its qualities and complexity? It's in there--you'll learn how to distinguish 25 common flavors such as diacetyl, isoamyl acetate and fusels, and whether they're desirable or not. Are you interested in becoming more sophisticated in pairing beer with food? It's in there, both general guidelines and specific recommendations. Do you want to bone up on the bewildering variety of beer styles available? They're all in there, from the lightest adjunct lagers to Imperial stouts. Each style is described and characterized in great detail, including suggestions for which beers you should try that best represent the styles. There's a whole chapter on the modern American craft beer movement and its new styles such as wet-hopped ales, ultra-strong beers and other experimental types. I found the charts showing beer color, strength, etc., as a function of style to be especially interesting and useful, although all of the graphics and figures are exceptionally well done.
"Tasting Beer" is the best single volume of beer lore that I've read in many years. It is so good that a few of my other older beer books became redundant and have now found their way into the public library donation box. There should still be a place in the beer lover's inventory for such books as Roger Protz's "The Ale Trail" and Garrett Oliver's "The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food." But if you own only one beer book, "Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink," should be it. Cheers!
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
An Excellent Introduction to the World of Beer
2 April 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Randy Mosher has been well-known in serious beer and homebrewing circles for years. His earlier book, Radical Brewing, is a classic for anyone interested in brewing and a wondrous font of cool recipes for beers to brew at home. Tasting Beer is a much more approachable work, aimed more at the general audience of beer drinkers out there than at us "beer geeks". It provides a broad overview of styles, tips on pairing beer with food, proper glassware and serving techniques, historical perspectives, and even the basics of sensory evaluation of beer. Profusely illustrated, including many helpful charts and diagrams comparing various styles of beer, this really is an exceptional work. It would make a perfect gift for anyone who is at all interested in any aspect of modern craft brewing. I like to think I'm fairly well-read when it comes to beer, but I was still fascinated and picked up several new and interesting beer facts.
If you're at all interested in beer, don't miss this great new book!
If you're at all interested in beer, don't miss this great new book!
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
"Tasting Beer" is an industry must-read
18 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
Mosher's latest dissertation upon beer is a must-have, not just for beer lovers, but for everyone in the business of "taste". This book gives you the vocabulary and the sensory methodology to objectively evaluate beer- but the tasting disciplines can also be applied to other beverages and foods. Detailed beer style descriptions abound and the work of organizing a tasting, pairing, or epicurean expedition is already done for you. A fun and interesting read. I highly recommend "Tasting Beer" by Randy Mosher.
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