World Beer

This is the kind of book to drink a beer over. That is, it's a book you imagine finding on a low-slung living room coffee table, which lends itself more to relaxing and browsing through than to dedicated study. The photography is top-notch, particularly the hundreds of bottle labels reproduced in high quality throughout. Following a cursory introduction by Sam Calagione (of Dogfish Head Brewery fame) and a few pages on beer history, culture, tasting, and styles, the bulk of this volume is devoted to brewery highlights divided into world regions, as well as to notable examples from countries less known for their brewing output. Hampson's (editor, The Beer Book) highlights—ranging in length from a paragraph to two pages—are refreshingly nonrepetitive, which is a feat given the 800-plus breweries covered. For the major sites selected, representative beers are listed with flavor profiles and brief food pairing suggestions. Unfortunately, no criteria are given for why the chosen breweries are featured, so readers won't necessarily know what they're missing.