American beer has come a long way. Once the laughing stock of the world, American beer was viewed as weak, tasteless, homogeneous, and lacking in character. Only a fraction of the population was able to tell one beer from the next and import beers were often sought after when something flavorful was desired.
Beer has made great strides over the past thirty years and now, American brew is rated among the finest in the world. It’s diversity in flavor and style has led to the rise of beer dinners, festivals, and other events that emphasize the art and science of this varied and often inspiring drink. It has also led to the rise of books on the subject and one essential book for every craft beer lover’s library is Beer, Food, and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer, a book written by Schuyler Schultz and now in its second edition.
Taste and Pair Properly
Beer, Food, and Flavor is all about education. The book provides facts and figures on different styles, explains common terminology, and walks the reader through the tasting process. To help readers grasp the different characteristics and how to identify them, the book includes a breakdown of actual brands such as Alesmith X Pale Ale and Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron. This is useful because it helps drinkers identify the different aromas, flavors, body, etc. of two well- known beers and test their own senses against those of the author.
Next, the book talk about the proper pairing of food and beer, breaking food dishes down into primary and secondary flavors and then offering a style of beer that is most compatible. There are even complete recipes and full, five course meals with pairings that borrow from specific breweries such as Alesmith and Bear Republic. The examples and pairings are good, but it would be nice to see a little less emphasis on west coast breweries.
Notable Beer and Breweries
In this section of the book, the author takes you on a tour of some of American’s most noteworthy breweries. The book starts this section by listing what the author feels are the ten most important beers in America. They are:
- Samuel Adams Boston Lager, by Boston Beer Company
- Anchor Steam Beer, by Anchor Brewing
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, by Sierra Nevada Brewing
- Arrogant Bastard Ale, by Stone Brewing
- Alesmith IPA, by Alesmith Brewing
- Pliny the Elder, by Russian River Brewing
- Primia Pils, by Victory Brewing
- Duck Duck Gooze, by the Lost Abbey
- Utopias, by Boston Beer Company
- Dark Lord, by Three Floyds Brewing
The above beers were apparently selected for their influence/impact on the craft brewing industry. Most are, indeed, good examples of beer that have shaped the brewing landscape although I’m sure many people will argue over which ten beers are truly “most” important. The same is true with the next part of the book, which lists America’s most notable breweries. Broken down by region, the choices include some very important, highly acclaimed breweries but once again, craft beer aficionados are bound to argue over the breweries included and the ones excluded. The book wraps up with some general information on topics such as online communities dedicated to beer, good books to read about beer, beer festivals in the United States, etc.
Education and More
I have read a very large number of books on the subject of beer and Beer, Food, and Flavor is one of the more noteworthy among them. I like how the author steps the reader through the tasting process first and explains what different flavors are present in beer and how to describe them. I like the food pairing education and the use of specific examples, too. Other books will often speak in general terms, advising for instance to drink hefeweizen with breakfast foods. This book goes a step further by recommending actual brands of beer for a better match up between food and brew. It even includes recipes for the more creative types and is loaded with colorful photographic illustrations of food and beer for visual enhancement.
If there was one fault to mention with this book, it would be its tendency to rely on west coast breweries for too many of its examples. I agree that America’s west coast is home to some fantastic brewing operations, but it would have been nice if the book was a little more liberal and open with its recommendations by including a wider range of examples. I don’t mind so much the lists of notable beers and breweries because, while I can think of several excellent breweries that were left out, I can understand the difficulty in producing such a list. There are so many places you might want to include, but there is simply not enough space to include them all.
American beer has come a long way over the past three decades. Educating one’s self about the different styles, flavors, tasting process, etc. is more important than ever. With so many thousands of beers from which to choose, it’s useful to know some basic facts and Beer, Food, and Flavor is a very good guide for accomplishing exactly that. America’s malt beverage landscape will never be the same now that craft beer has entered the picture and this book is a very good reference tool for learning the basics and more about the world’s greatest beverage.
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