Give the Gift of Beer Books

The noted sage Archie Bunker said, “Let me tell you something about beer. You can never buy beer, you just rent it.” But one of the best permanent beer-related items you can gift during the festive season are books. The following editions will enhance any beer lover’s enjoyment of their beloved fermented beverages.

• Tasting Beer, subtitled “An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink,” by Randy Mosher, is a fantastic (and beautifully designed) compendium of beer history, beer-making – and beer-consuming, with notes and recommendations on virtually every style of beer, and much more illuminating intel. It’s a steal at Amazon.com. Another must-read is Mosher’s Beer For All Seasons, which offers “A Through-the-Year Guide to What to Drink and When to Drink It.” It offers a condensed version of much of the content from Tasting Beer before sipping its way through the calendar with entries on seasonal styles, fests and celebrations; food pairings and other delightful diversions.

• Joshua M. Bernstein has a pair of essential tomes: The Complete Beer Course, subtitled “Boot Camp for Beer Geeks: From Novice to Expert in Twelve Tasting Classes,” and Complete IPA: The Guide To Your Favorite Craft Beer. The former is a comprehensive survey of styles from all over the globe, with a slew of sidebars (profiles of brewers, beer facts and “two to taste” suggestions); the latter is a hop-infused deep dive into all things India Pale Ale, spotlighting English and American variations (with regional breakdowns), plus double, triple and session brews and a take on emerging trends and boundary-breaking concoctions.

• For some valuable perspective on the current beer boom, dig into Tom Acitelli’s The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution. It’s a compelling account of the passionate visionaries (aka, home brewers who went pro) who challenged unadventurous palates, dared to stand up to Big Beer, and added rich new chapters to brewing history. You’ll learn a lot, as the book traces the early (and later) days of craft giants Sierra Nevada and Samuel Adams; the birth of the brewpub (in Washington in 1981); the rise and fall of Pete’s Wicked Ale; the craft explosion and shakeout in the mid-’90s; and the recent market shifts (craft expands while macro recedes, slowly and steadily). Pro tip: Pop open a bottle of Anchor Steam before you start turning the pages.

• In the introduction to Rhode Island Beer, Ocean State History on Tap, Ashleigh Bennett and Kristie Martin invite you to “join us in cracking your favorite Rhody beer and learn more about what is and always has been brewing in the Ocean State.” You’ll need to line up a few brews to absorb all of the bygone lore and recent stories that they share from our little corner of the beer world. The dynamic duo from the Two Girls, One Beer blog spin a tale that spans 375 years, from the Baulston Brewery, which opened in Providence in 1639, to Tilted Barn Brewery, which poured its first beers in Exeter a few days before Thanksgiving 2014. The book is stuffed with vignettes and trivia, from John Bligh’s short-lived Narragansett Brewery (“no relation to the Narragansett Brewery we’ve all come to know”) to the mighty James Hanley Brewing Co.; from What Cheer Brewery to Pawtucket’s first beer-maker, the Hand Brewing Company; from Narragansett Brewery (the one we’ve all come to know) to the current crop of craft brewers and brewpubs that have fueled Rhode Island’s corner of the craft beer revolution. Drink local, read local!

For more beer news, check Lou’s blog, bottlescansclaphands.wordpress.com, or follow @BottlesCansRI.