Do your weekends include chilling with the boys at a barbecue, watching football, and cracking open a cold one every half an hour? Do you love the fizz and the taste and the buzz of a refreshing beer after a long day? Can you tell the difference between a good and a bad beer by just taking a sip or even just smelling it?
Sounds like you’re a beer aficionado, just like us! Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, and millions of people all over the world enjoy this fermented drink on an almost daily basis. Besides giving you just the right buzz and being a delicious accompaniment with food, beer can also have several health benefits if consumed in moderate amounts.
So, if you do love beer, you’re probably also familiar with the different kinds of beer available in your region. Some local ones, some international ones, and that one favorite beer that is your staple. But what about the rest of the world?
There are countless beers available throughout the world today, so whether you’re a beer drinker or a homebrewer, you will be fascinated by the sheer volume of information out there on beer.
For your benefit, we have put together a review of the best beer brewing books you can buy today.
Best Beer Brewing Books in 2024
1. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Beer, A Complete Guide to the Best Beers from Around the World
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Beer is a great guide for people who want to learn about the best beers in the world. It contains handy guides that teach you about the anatomy of beer, the ingredients used in it, the styles used to make it, and even museums of beer that showcase vintage beers from all around the world. You will also find maps, charts, illustrations, and pictures showing favorite beers according to different regions.
Author
The book is written by Bill Yenne, author of more than three dozen nonfiction books. Yenne deals mainly in historical topics and has other books dedicated to beer as well, including Guinness – The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint and The American Brewery. He lives in San Francisco and hosts a lot of beer tasting events throughout the US.
Specifications
- Main topic covered – Beers around the world
- Author – Bill Yenne
- Pages – 288
- Pictures included – Yes
What’s Good
- Written by an author who is well informed in this field, the book has a comprehensive collection of beers around the world.
- With maps and illustrations for types of beers by country, reading this would make for great conversation topics.
What’s Bad
- The book is more about the different types of beer than ways to make them.
- If you’re looking for something with step by step instructions on how to brew your own beer, this might not be the right book for you.
2. Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition - An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink
The title of this book says it all. It is written by an avid beer enthusiast and contains information on beer styles, flavor profiles, sensory evaluation guidelines, trends in craft beer, and even food pairings that go with each style of beer. If you’re looking to learn about the different kinds of beer and identify them by the scents, colors, flavors, and mouth feel, this book is the perfect choice for you.
Author
This book is written by Randy Mosher, a writer, lecturer, and creative consultant on beer and brewing worldwide. Other books by him on the same topic include Mastering Homebrew and Radical Brewing.
Specifications
- Main topic covered – Identifying beers
- Author – Randy Mosher
- Pages – 376
- Pictures included – Yes
What’s Good
- If you’re always impressed by people who can look at or smell a beer and tell you what it is, and you want to learn to do the same, this book is a great fit.
- For people who are regular beer drinkers and want to experiment with beer cocktails and recipes, this book has a section dedicated to that as well.
What’s Bad
- The book does not delve into the specifics of how to brew your own beer.
- A lot of the information in it is about international beers, and not everyone will find it relevant based on what they’re looking for.
3. How to Brew - Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time
If you’re a beer enthusiast who is tired of bottled beer and you have opinions on how a beer should taste, this is the book for you. How to Brew is a definitive guide to brewing quality beers at home. Whether you want to play it safe and brew your first beer, or you’ve been doing this for a while and want to experiment with new beers to see how it turns out, this book has everything you need.
Author
This book was written and put together by John J. Palmer, one of the most recognized names worldwide when it comes to homebrewing. An engineer at heart, Palmer applies new techniques to experiment with the taste and quality of beer. The owner of Palmer Brewing Solutions, Inc., he is also involved in several scientific brewing associations.
Specifications
- Main topic covered – Brewing your own beer
- Author – John J. Palmer
- Pages – 582
- Pictures included – Yes
What’s Good
- Perfect for both beginners and seasoned brewers, the book covers everything from starting out and brewing your first beers, to more complex experiments in how to define your own taste.
- The book has detailed information about the ingredients, quantities, and strength percentages of every beer recipe.
What’s Bad
- The author’s engineering background might make this book too scientific for some people.
- The edition does not come with a glossary of items, so there might be moments where you have to look up what the author is trying to say.
4. The Beer Bible
This book is described as a friend who is a world-class expert on beer. With topics ranging from the history of beer dating back 10,000 years and the chemistry involved in making beer to the incredible variety of beers all over the world, this book is a great way to learn as much as you can about your favorite drink. The book even won an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Award in 2016.
Author
With more than 20 years of experience in writing about beer and brewing, Jeff Alworth is also the author of books like The Beer Tasting Toolkit and Cider Made Simple. He has his own beer site called Beervana and is a columnist for several magazines and newspapers pertaining to beers around the world.
Specifications
- Main topic covered – Beers around the world
- Author – Jeff Alworth
- Pages – 656
- Pictures included – Yes
What’s Good
- With years of experience under his belt, the author has ensured that the book covers everything from how beer is made to how it has changed over the years.
- You can become an expert on tasting and identifying beers with this book.
What’s Bad
- If you’re looking for something to teach you how to brew your own beer at home, this might not be the book for you.
- The book is more informational than it is instructional.
5. Drink Better Beer - Discover the Secrets of the Brewing Experts
There are thousands of breweries in the United States alone, and each of them has a lot of different types of beer. When it comes to learning about good beer, you need to seek the help of experts. That is exactly what the author has done with this book, with advice on which beer to buy, how to taste your suds, and which foods to pair up with which beer.
Besides this, the book also talks about how to select the right glass, how to pour your beer right, and the correct ways to store and treat your beer once it’s made.
Author
Joshua M. Bernstein is a beer guru who works in spirits, food, and travel journalism. His other books include Complete IPA and Brewed Awakening. He has regularly been published in national publications like the New York Times and Bon Appetit and has appeared as a beer expert on CNBC and Fox Business. He regularly conducts private tasting seminars and tours as well.
Specifications
- Main topic covered – Selecting, identifying, pouring, and storing beer
- Author – Joshua M. Bernstein
- Pages – 224
- Pictures included – Yes
What’s Good
- With insights from more than 100 professionals including competition judges, beer consultants, and master brewers, this book is truly an expert guide on everything about beer.
- The right way to pour beer is an art that is lost on a lot of people and is comprehensively covered in the book.
- Gain more insight on if your favorite restaurants are treating your beer right.
What’s Bad
- The book is about drinking the right beer, not about how to make it. If you’re looking for help on how to brew your own beer, there might be things to take inspiration from, but not on how exactly to do it in a stepwise fashion.
6. The Complete Beer Course - Boot Camp for Beer Geeks
Are you a complete novice on the subject of how beer works, but you love it all the same? By the author who brought you Drink Better Beer, The Complete Beer Course is an excellent choice for novices who want to become experts in the field of beer tasting. In this book, the author talks about all kinds of beers, ranging from lagers to pilsners to wheat beers. There is also a section on starting your own beer cellar.
Author
Joshua M. Bernstein is a food and travel journalist and a beer guru who is also the author of Drink Better Beer, which appeared on our list. He is a beer expert and consultant for several national magazines and radio and tv shows all over the country.
Specifications
- Main topic covered – Becoming a beer expert for beginners
- Author – Joshua M. Bernstein
- Pages – 320
- Pictures included – Yes
What’s Good
- Even if you know absolutely nothing about beer, this book is a great place to start for beginners.
- If you’re interested in storing beer at home (and not just in your fridge), there is a comprehensive section in the book about how to start your own cellar.
What’s Bad
- The book does not talk about how to brew your own beer, or about all the beers in the world. It is localized in identifying and storing beers.
Buyer’s Guide
Now that you have a list of the best beer brewing books at your disposal, you have a general idea of what to expect from each of these books.
We have also put together a quick buyer’s guide so you can choose which book is the right one for you based on your needs.
- Setting up a home brewery – If you’re looking to start bottling your own cold ones from home and experimenting with it in your garage, the book for you is How to Brew.
- Extreme novices – If you know nothing about beer and want to start from the beginning, absorbing all the possible information you can about it, then go for The Complete Beer Course.
- Beers around the world – If what piques your interest is the different types of beers around the world and how they are made, you should look into The Beer Bible or The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Beer.
- Beer tasting – If you want to impress your friends about your extensive knowledge and uncanny abilities in identifying a beer just from the look and taste of it, you can go for Drink Better Beer or Tasting Beer.
Bottom Line
Beer has been around for thousands of years, and it will be around for thousands more. With the books on this list, you can be an expert beer taster or brewer in no time!
If you’re interested, feel free to check out our other reviews on the topic of beer as well. Happy brewing!
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