Ultimate Beer

by Michael Jackson

A complete guide to every aspect of beer, for both the seasoned connoisseur and the novice, features more than 450 beers from around the world and includes sections on beer and food and tips on cooking with beer. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Beer, Nonfiction, Brewing, Reference, Food

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael James Jackson (27 March 1942 – 30 August 2007) was an English writer and journalist. He was the author of many influential books about beer and whisky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really felt like a list of examples and a short summary of styles. Sometimes those summaries devolved into a lesson on local history and not the beer style.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A journey around the regions of the world and their unique beer styles -- how they taste, why they taste the way they do, and some highly recommended examples of each written by beer expert Michael Jackson (not THAT Michael Jackson; I suspect he feels like the Michael Bolton character in Office Space).

Fun to browse through and educational about beer which is wonderful if you are like me and totally into learning all about beer. On the downside, looking through it generally makes me want to run out and buy some sort of really expensive imported beer so I can try it. It also fuels fantasies of actually owning all of the correct glasses to serve the various drinks in some day if I ever hit the Lotto jackpot or something.

[Mark Hartzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been more than 15 years since the late Mr. Jackson published this book. As an amateur brewer myself, I'm sorry it took me so long to give it a read. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of Belgian beers featured here. However, I was very surprised to see so many American craft breweries represented. He gives specific mention to one of my favorite local beers that can be really hard to find: New Glarus' Wisconsin Cherry. It is a great representation of a Belgian fruit beer. Looking forward to when it's in season again.

Really rewarding for the beer aficionado, but great for people just getting to learn about the various styles of world class beer. The photos are all excellent as well. Cheers, Mr. Jackson!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this on a recommendation from a co-worker, and I must say, it's pretty great. Beers by type, by season, by occasion, and by food. Well-written, interesting, erudite, and all-around a great reference. I've already tried some beers based on the descriptions in here, and been very satisfied.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know that there are particular beers you should pair with pizza? Neither did I!!!

[Jason Pulczinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put a date on it, I've read it too many times. The best beer book for beginners.

[Ben]

Good primarily for pairing a beer with a season and comparing your beer tasting skill against any of the hundreds that he reviewed.

[Llalan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mmmm...beer porn.

[Turrean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely illustrated and organized.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

he is the best