The Brew York Times Book Review

By Chris Jones and Diane Catanzaro (From Veer Magazine)

Well, well, as you’re sitting there, in your silk upholstered chair, sipping beer and reading Veer …. ok, that’s not exactly how the song goes, but it sounds like a civilized and pleasant way to spend an hour or two.  A good read accompanied by a flavorful beer is one of life's simpler pleasures. This month we review books about beer and hope you may be inspired to expand your library with the perfect non-fiction accompaniment to sipping a sublime brew on a chilly autumn eve.  Drinking + thinking....it seems that the more you learn about this sparkling elixir the more enjoyment it provides!

But what to read?  We can help.

The late Michael Jackson (the beer writing Jackson, not Tito’s brother) was a prolific penner of prose about beer.  His 1998 classic, “The New World Guide to Beer" is loaded with photos illustrating the impact beer has had on Western culture, and with enough maps to almost pass for a geography book, it’s a lush piece of literature that takes the reader all over the world to explore the major historical beer styles and breweries. Coffee-table-worthy! There is a fascinating description of the process used in Bamberg, Germany to make   “rauchbier,”  from beechwood smoked malts.  He mentions “Locals say that at least three liters of Rauchbier, perhaps four or five, must be consumed before the taste for it can be acquired.”  We don’t think it’ll take that much.  Go to either of the Bon Vivant locations or the Grape & Gourmet, grab yourself a Schlenkerla Rauchbier, fire up some brats on the grill, and enjoy smoked beer with your smoked sausage, beer in one hand, book in another.

Speaking of beer and food pairings, Garrett Oliver’s The Brewmaster’s Table” (2003) is for our money the best source of information on the planet.  Oliver is brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewing as well as a bona fide foodie.  Oliver's prose is as savory as his subject, his descriptions of German-Czech, British, Belgian, and US craft brewing traditions are highly engaging, and the photographs take you inside many of the finest breweries in world. The perfect beer to go with spicy Tex-Mex food?  American Pale Ale according to Mr. Oliver.  “The robust bitterness of American pale ale will cut through cheese and lift the fire of chilies off your palate while the hop flavors dance with the spices.”  Whoa, that sounds almost indecently tantalizing. This tome makes an excellent gift for foodies as well as beer lovers. Oliver not only provides a reference guide to pairings, he teaches the principles of matching food with beer. Have you always thought that wine is the more sophisticated and versatile accompaniment to fine food and that beer is better suited to quaffing with pizza and tailgate parties? Oliver challenges these perceptions and helps the reader discover a world of flavor pleasure and dopamine delight that can only be achieved through inspired beer-food pairings.  Highly recommended.

"Fermenting Revolution:  How to Drink Beer and Save the World"  by Christopher Mark O'Brien (2006) is a subversive book that draws from history, anthropology, philosophy, and religion to make the case for how beer drinkers can save the planet! How many books about beer quote Gilgamesh, four-thousand-year old beer goddess poetry, the Bible, the Quran, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Slow Food Manifesto? O'Brien asserts that it was beer, not wine, that was served at the Last Supper, that beer drinking can help to reverse climate change and save the environment, and that beer and brewing has historically been femALE -gendered until greedy men robbed women of this source of female empowerment.  O'Brien challenge the status quo and backs up his assertions with primary and scholarly sources.  An intellectual treatment of beer and culture that will have you think about beer consumption in a whole new light.

Tim Webb’s  “Good Beer Guide - Belgium”,  now in its 6th edition (2009), allows you to vicariously tour Belgian beers from your Lazy Boy and is a must-have reference for beer lovers traveling to Belgium .  Webb's guide gives unabashedly opinionated reviews and ratings of the beers from virtually every independent Belgian brewery, even the smallest 'picobreweries.'  A paperback with detailed info on each brewery, including contact information, this book is meant to travel.  We carry it virtually everywhere we go in Belgium. What Robert Parker is to wine, Tim Webb is to beer. Carry "Tim Webb's Guide" into Total Wine and More or store, spy a Belgian ale on the shelf (hopefully a shelf far away from a window to keep the beer from getting light-struck and nastyfied), look it up in the Guide, and make an informed purchasing decision.

Perhaps you are interested in learning how to brew your own beer?  Sam Caligione’s  "Extreme Brewing" (2006) introduces you to the finest hobby ever, homebrewing,  gives clear and simple instructions for extract brewing, and provides over two dozen righteous homebrew recipes including kitchen versions of Sam's delicious Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and his Indian Brown ale.  He also provides recipes on cooking with beer and will have you making Beer Cheese soup in no time,  thus allowing you to take this tasty dish to work and enjoy beer at lunch while you’re on the clock.  How cool is that?

Well that ought to get you started – five books, one for each work day.   Read them at your leisure, and wow your friends with your wisdom.  Become not just a  beer drinker, but a beer scholar!

In other beer news: The Birch Bar (www.thebirchbar.com) is a new beer bar coming soon to West Ghent! Owners Malia Paasch and Ben Bublick will feature an ever-changing selection of craft beer focusing on rare, specialty, and seasonal brews. They also plan to sell beer to take home in eco-friendly re-usable growlers. We are looking forward to this new addition to Norfolk's craft beer scene! The Birch bar will be opening soon at 1231 W. Olney Road.