My ten favourite beer books

I'm going to flatter Stan Hieronymus very sincerely, by nicking his idea.

Christmas, the season of hangovers, lists and a perceptible expansion of the waist. I would have come up with an original list. I would have. If I weren't as lazy as a cat on ketamine. Instead you've got my favourite books. Probably not actually my ten favourite books with a beer theme. More the ones I can see from my computer seat that I quite like.

I didn't have any particular selection rules. Other than that I own the book. Showing off by having none in English did cross my mind. But no-one likes a showoff.


"Technologie Brauer und Mälzer" By Kunze, published 1961. My first brewing manual, acquired for me by my mother-in-law. I won't pretend to have read it from cover to cover. But I have poured over the section on label requirements many an evening. In the unlikely event of me ever running a brewery, I'll use the DDR standards for label colours. Yellow for Helles, green for Pils, purple for Porter.

"Brewers' Almanack 1928" This was a birthday gift from Henry. My first introduction to class A statistics. I've been hooked ever since. That's right kids, don't try then even once. You could end up like me, endlessly wandering the archives in search of a new fix. One section summarises the WW I wartime restrictions on brewing. Where my obssession with beer in WW I began.

"Zeitschrift für das gesammte Brauwesen 1891" I had to pay extra postage for this doorstop of a book. Bound collection of magazines, I should say. Statistics. Lovely old statistics. Just my kind of stuff. Especially all the Austro-Hungarian stats. When I've finally finished my tome on English beer I must revisit it.

"Seventy Rolling Years" by Sydney Nevile, 1958. Sydney Nevile was an incredible character, working in the brewing industry for more than 70 years, starting in 1888. A period when British beer changed beyond all recognition. The rat in the fermenter story is a particular favourite.

"A Bottle of Guinness please" David Hughes, 2006. Seeing as how the bastards at Guinness won't let me look at their brewing records, this book will have to do. They obviouslty did let the author in. Luckily he didn't waste his time and the book is full of brewing details. Absolutely packed with information.

"A Century of British Brewers - plus" by Norman Barber, 2005. This list of all the breweries active in Britain from the 1890's on is one of the books I refer to most. Invlaubale for any serious beer historian.

"Brewing Science and Pratice" by H. Lloyd Hind, 1940. This is just before the science in brewing manuals stryed beyond the outer reaches of my comprehension. Surprisingly light and readable for what is meant as a brewing science text book. The chapter on ingredients has been a great help to me.

"The Brewer" by William Loftus, 1860. This was the first 19th century brewing manual I got hold of. It helped me take my first tentative steps towards understanding Porter.

"Biersmaken 87" by Peter Crombecq. This was a key book for me personally. When I began trying to taste beer seriously. I picked it up the first year I lived in Amsterdam, 1988. It's still an amazing book, classifying Belgian beer better than anyone else has managed, before or since.

"Fränkische Brauereikarte" by Stefan Mack, 1992. I owned this years before I ever went touring Franconia. It all looked so exotic. So 1930's. How often did I gaze longingly at the photos of country brewery taps? Way too long.


Looking back at that list, I see there's not much to cuddle up in bed with. Most are reference books not intended to be read from start to finish. I'm sure my choices reveal much about my character. Probably in a bad way.

Next: my favourite spoons.