Books & Brews: Collin's Guide to Books About Beer

In a library, you will find all sorts of books.  Some are about science.  Some are about stories.  And even some about super deadly viruses that threaten to kill everyone on the planet.  The same is true about beer libraries (well … except maybe the deadly virus part).  There are a variety of different types of books about how to brew beer, how to drink beer, and even books to read while drinking beer.  And with May being National Beer Book Month, below is a list of various types of beer books, and ones that Collin has in his own personal beer library.

 
Funky Picnic beer sitting on a stack of books about beer.
 
 

General Knowledge:

These types of books cover a smattering of beer knowledge, from beer styles, to history, to how to smell and taste beer, or even how beer came to be in the first place!  These books are good for everyone, from the beginner to the expert.

 

How to Brew:

These are usually the first books you read before you start homebrewing, or while you’re elbow deep in your first mash out trying to figure out where you went wrong.  They give step-by-step instructions on the basics of brewing or how to formulate and design great beer recipes.

Technical:

These are usually very dry, science-based, and usually focused on one singular topic.  Usually not for the beginners, but for those more experienced beer afficionados trying to learn more about a specific aspect of brewing or narrow beer style.

The Brewing Elements Series

The Brewing Styles Series

 

Narrative:

These aren’t necessarily for honing your brewing skills, but are nonfiction narrative-style books about beer.  Sometimes, these books are a much-needed break from the drier and drawn-out technical books and even give otherwise unknown insights about the beer world, including starting a brewery or why certain things are the way they are now in the industry.

 

Beer & Food:

A lot of these books will start off by going through the basics and theory of pairing food and beer together, and usually have cooking recipes to go with specific beers and beer styles.  Some books even take it to the next level and show what types of food can be fermented and how to do so.

 

Beer Recipe Books:

These books don’t necessarily have much in the way of paragraphs of text, but contain homebrew recipes from personal or professional brewers, and how to use special ingredients like various fruits, spices, and other unique ingredients.  Whether it’s new ingredients or recreating classic beers, these types of books will help the quality of your beer creations.

Reference:

Not necessarily the books you would read cover to cover, but these books will help in looking up specific terms, processes, beers, ingredients, or anything else you might need to know about the beer world and everything in it.

You can find several of these titles on the Funky Picnic bookshelf, so thumb through one while drinking a beer on your next visit! And make sure you support your local bookstore in the process of curating your very own beer book library!  We especially like Leaves Book and Tea Shop and Monkey and Dog Books here in Fort Worth!

Author: Collin Zreet

Collin is a native Texan and is a founding member and co-owner of Funky Picnic Brewery and Café. He is a Certified Cicerone and Certified BJCP Beer Judge, specializing in beer and food pairings. When he is not thinking about beer, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Taylor, son, Alder, and dog, Rocco.

BeerCollin Zreetbeer, books