Book Review: The Complete Beer Course by Joshua M. Bernstein

The Complete Beer Course: Boot Camp for Beer Geeks: From Novice to Expert in Twelve Tasting Classes by Joshua M. Bernstein

This book fulfills the promise of its title--it goes through the brewing process in the first chapter (or class) and then goes through a myriad of beer styles (with a lot of sub-categories) from all over the world. Each sub-category has two recommended beers to try with a list of seven to ten other beers that are good examples. The final chapter discusses pairing beer with food, foods made with beer, and various beer festivals, mostly in the United States. Sprinkled throughout are biographies of craft brewers and breweries. Side bars about beer history, anecdotes, and trivia add a healthy dose of extra content.

The book looks gorgeous. Beyond pictures of bottles and glasses, the book has photos of breweries, brewers, restaurants, and beer festivals. The format is easy to read, except for occasional pages where the watermarks are too dark for the text on top. It doesn't happen too often but it is especially noticeable in low-light situations. Don't take this book to your local pub! 

The writing style is casual. Lots of jokes, puns, and pop references are used throughout. It's not really scholarly or academic, more like a coffee table book that's fun to flip through rather than intended to be read in depth. I read it in depth and found some nice tips and leads on things I want to try.  

Recommended for the beer-curious.