This Michael Jackson was one of the foremost authorities on beer until his death from Parkinson's in 2007. His beer companion takes you on a tour of beer styles around the world, giving you the history and characteristics of the style, along with notable producers. Early on in my beer education I studied this tome so that I could recognize some of the best beers when perusing a store or a good bar's beer list. This book has been slightly superseded informationally by [book: The Brewmaster's Table], but still has plenty more pictures and maps. I'm glad to have both books. ( )

I found this in an antique shop and the cool thing was it was signed by the author (“To Eden and Kevin, Cheers!, 10 Nov, ,99”… so I haven’t decided if I’m going to change my name to Eden or Kevin). Jackson was quite the researcher. I’d heard of him but not read any of his books. This is the second edition, 1997, full of beers of the times. Jackson died in 2007 and might well have been surprised at the explosion of crafts in America. Details on styles - the history of the style, origins, regions historically produced and and section for selected noted producers of the style, some quite detailed. Cool book.

Sticky notes:

In his introductory section - Never ask for a "beer" - Jackson said

"Do you ever drink wine?" people ask me, as though beer were a prison rather than a playground [...] Whatever is argued about other pleasures, it is not necessary to be monogamous in the choice of drink. Beer is by far the more extensively consumed, but less adequately honored. In a small way, I want to help put right that injustice.

"as though beer were a prison"! I really like a good red wine, but beer is so much more varied in flavor and experience, so ... I choose the experience!

And on barleywine, or, rather barley wine, Jackson recalls

When the style became popular among revivalist brewers in the United States in the 1980s, the various authorities governing labeling were uncomfortable about a beer being described as a wine. This led to the cumbersome description "barley wine-style ale" on some labels

Some Puritans are still in charge of the label approvals and the cumbersome practice continues.

One funny truism, on "The uses of beer": "Some people drink beer to get drunk, though it is an inefficient means of doing so." Quite inefficient, though there are some higher gravity beers out there now that rival the wine levels.

The rest of the sticky notes are for my use (producers to look up, regions to investigate someday) and of little value in a "review" so cheers and here's to beer! ( )

Exhaustive, beautifully illustrated, and lovingly written companion to the world's beers. Sadly, the author is no more, and some of the beers are no more as well. Books like this tend to be a bit frustrating, however, since it would be virtually impossible to actually drink all of these, as much as you might like to! ( )

This is not the Michael Jackson you are thinking of. This one is a world renowned expert on beer, and this is his ultimate guide to the ultimate beverage. It took me a while to get through it, just because there is a lot of information to absorb. He delves into a little bit of history on the various styles, as well as the intricacies on how beers can vary widely within a particular style. This one is a must for a beer lover like me. ( )