Bluffer's Guide To Beer: Instant Wit and Wisdom

Bluffer's Guide to ...

by Jonathan Goodall

Instantly acquire all the knowledge you need to prosper in the frothy world of beer appreciation. Never again confuse your grist with your gruit, your wort with your yeast, or your butt with your firkin (108 gallons versus nine gallons, since you ask). Bask in the admiration of your fellow drinkers as you pronounce confidently on the provenance of whatever is in your stein (or mouth), and hold your own against self-professed beer aficionados.

136 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Joseph R.]

To make his readers more impressive to their friend, acquaintances, and the random people they may happen to meet in a pub, Jonathan Goodall has written this comedy-laced guide to the world of beer. He starts with an overview of the last twelve thousand years of beer history (some 9000 BC crop patterns in Mesopotamia have been interpreted to suggest that brewing strong drink dates back that far) and the process(es) for making beer. He goes into non-excruciating detail about the difference between bottom-fermented and top-fermented beers; various hops, malts, barleys and other ingredients used in the brewing process; the different sorts of yeasts and waters used in the process. He goes through a country-by-country survey of beer making, with some interesting trivia and details about different styles of beer brewed in various countries. The range and amount of information is surprising given the 140-odd pages that they are packed into, and the high number of jokes and puns woven into the mix.

I enjoyed the book. The style of writing is fun and the information is not too technical. There is an awful lot of information, so I'm more likely to pick and choose what I remember from the book because there is no way I can remember it all without seriously studying the book. The book's guiding idea is that readers will pass for beer experts if they take in all the info, though the result will be beyond the ability to fake beer knowledge.

Sample text [page 93, lack of Oxford commas in the original]:

The Trappist monasteries developed their beers independently of each other, so they don't all label their beers as Dubbel, Tripel or Quadrupel. Chimay, for example, colour codes its different strengths, its Red, White and Blue labels corresponding with 7%, 8% and 9% ABV respectively. Rochefort, on the other hand, has gone for a numerical system, its Rochefort 6, 8 and 10 weighing in at 7.5%, 9.2% and 11.3% ABV. If anyone asks why the numbers don't correlate exactly with the alcoholic strengths, mumble something about the chosen numbers loosely referring to the amount of malt with fermentable sugars and the original gravity of the wort prior to fermentation. If they won't go away, mumble some more.

Recommended for a fun read about beer. Warning: the book is UK-centric (as you might glean from the "colour codes" mentioned above).

[Naessens]

I enjoy drinking beer from time to time but I really don't consider myself as a beer enthusiast. I decided to pick up this book hoping to learn a few things about my favourite alcoholic beverage.
I find it quite informative, describing the history and the evolution of beers all over the world, then explaining the brewing process, which is relevant to the next sections where the author explains how to taste beer and how each ingredient plays its role in the tasting.
Afterwards, each major brewing country is reviewed with its most famous types of beers.
Eventually, Jonathan Goodall concluded by covering the resurgence of the craft beer movement.
I wish the author had covered more well-known brands ; there were a lot of craft beers I have never heard of : it was all the more difficult to relate to their flavours.
This was the first book I have ever read in the "Bluffer's guide to ..." serie, but I didn't like the tone and there are too many unnecessary bad puns. I don't think drinking a strong IPA would have even help.

[Dean]

I was looking for a brief tome on the heady subject of beer. Very easy to read and I definitely picked up a few new bits of knowledge, and it answered a few questions a quaffer of real ale should perhaps be expected to know the answer to (and thus perhaps a little reluctant to ask..). The only downside is that I fear for my wallet when the inevitable trip to the beer shop comes!

[Vikas Datta]

A wonderful introduction to a wonderful drink...