Book Review: The Oxford Companion to Beer

You can find just about anything you want to know about beer and brewing in the Oxford Companion to Beer.

It is a big book, over 900 pages. It is the kind of book for which the words “comprehensive” and “definitive reference” were created. It is a beer lover’s dream, the kind of book that makes you hope the weather will deteriorate and you will be required to remain indoors all day unexpectedly.

I have spent hours reading this book, going from topic to topic without even thinking about getting bored. Each page is filled with historical, technical, and factual information about beer.

The more than 1,100 entries in the Oxford Companion to Beer run from “abbey beers” to “zymurgy.” There are over a hundred entries about hops alone. The entries come from 166 contributors who include academics, homebrewers, pub brewers, agronomists, and brewmasters of large international breweries.  There is a section of color photograph that includes pages of beer labels, beer steins, and historic London pubs. After all of the information in all of those entries, there is still more: the appendices include lists of beer organizations and clubs, beer festivals, beer museums, and beer websites and publications.

The Oxford Companion to Beer is an encyclopedic guide to the history, science, and art of beer and brewing. It is comprehensive, the definitive reference resource to beer and brewing. It is an excellent place to begin, or continue, a passion for brewing and enjoying great beer.

I plan to verify as many entries as I can on this year’s Craft Brewery Pilgrimage, and hope you can join me.