With the explosion in popularity of craft beer, it makes perfect economic sense that other beer- related activities, businesses, etc. have witnessed increases of their own. One such area is writing and journalism and not only do we now have an abundance of beer blogs, we also have a significant number of beer- related books in print. I have read several, and one of the better ones in the bunch is Beer FAQ: All That’s Left to Know about the World’s Most Celebrated Adult Beverage, a book by journalist Jeff Cioletti.
Just the Facts
Beer FAQ is dedicated to this beverage known as beer. It begins with a handful of pages on the ancient history of beer then moves quickly into the different beer styles. Next, the book focuses on important brewing nations of the world before hitting on such topics as beer distribution, beer packaging, beer serving methods, beer festivals, and more. The book wraps up with some talk about beer blogs, apps, and other things pertinent to the craft beer revolution and the modern times in which we live.
This book contains a total of 28 chapters for easier and faster reference. There are occasional illustrations, all of them full color, depicting some of the events, the breweries, and the beers highlighted in the book’s 400+ pages.
Education Matters
Beer FAQ is a combination reference guide and reading volume devoted to all things beer. It is one of dozens of books in the “FAQ” series, which includes books about entertainment topics ranging from baseball to rock and roll to movies and beyond.
Author Jeff Cioletti is the man behind Beer FAQ and if you’ve read much in the way of beer periodicals and other publications, you have likely stumbled across Cioletti’s work at some point. He has contributed to such well- established publications as Draft Magazine, All About Beer Magazine, and Beverage World and he has authored several books on the topic of beer. I recognized his name immediately when I obtained a copy of Beer FAQ and I sat down in my bar area of my house, ready to dive right in and hopefully learn a few new things about beer along the way.
Beer FAQ is a little different from other beer tomes I have read over the past couple of decades. One thing that struck me as different is that this book doesn’t cover much history, like other beer books are prone to do. Instead, Beer FAQ sticks mostly with the present, as well as some of the recent past, as it discusses the breweries, the trends, the events, and other things that every well- educated person needs to know. At first, I was a little surprised at the lack of beer history, but I quickly overcame my initial prejudice and enjoyed he book for its emphasis on what is going on in the present world of beer and what is likely to happen in the future.
With Beer FAQ, the reader does, indeed, get a full education on beer and this is easily the book’s strongest point. I expected a rundown of different countries and their beer culture and the book didn’t disappoint in this area, but Beer FAQ surprised me in other ways. It covers things like proper way to serve beers, beer festivals, education and certification programs, beer bars around the United States and the world, and other things of relevance. This is much more than I expected and it was nice to see so many different beer- related topics covered in a single volume. When was the last time you read a book about beer that informed you about things like the Beer Cicerone Program and what it entails? It’s these extra tidbits of knowledge that makes Beer FAQ unique in its genre.
Beer FAQ sticks with the facts but I like how Cioletti includes occasional dashes of humor to keep things lightened up. This is, after all, a book about beer and beer is meant to be fun. I also like the book includes so many chapters- 28 to be exact. Why?- because it makes it easy to come to a stopping point as you read. I like to finish a full chapter before I put my book away for resumed reading at a later time and it’s often difficult to do this when chapters are 40, 50 or more pages in length. Beer FAQ has shorter chapters so you can complete and digest one topic or subtopic without much effort; reaching the end of a chapter and placing your bookmark in place for future reading.
Enhance Your Beer IQ
Beer education is increasingly important in the modern age. With the advent and continuation of the craft beer revolution, the world of malt beverages is richer and more complex than ever before. Many questions need answers and Beer FAQ is here to assist you in finding the information you need. It’s a very good book about the world’s greatest beverage with a wealth of facts just waiting to be learned.
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