Recommended Beer Books: Let Me Tell You About Beer by Melissa Cole

When I was starting to really learn about beer I found that a lot of the information came from male voices. It was good information, don’t get me wrong. But I really wanted to hear from a woman like me - who loved beer and wanted to shout about it. I came across Melissa Cole on Twitter and found that person! I bought this book as soon as it came out and read it cover to cover. It is a wealth of information to get you started on your beer knowledge journey.

There are three sections: Introducing Beer In All It’s Glory Appreciate Your Beer That Little Bit Better Beer Styles and Brand Heroes. The first section tells you the basics about beer - what it’s made of and what this means to you as you drink it. The second section talks about buying, serving and tasting beer. But it was the last section that I found most enjoyable - beer styles explained. Melissa also suggests accessible beers for you to try for each style (and ones you will search for just so you can say you tried them!). As a UK based beer lover (mostly) I found the selections easier to find than some of the American centric books.

As you can see I’ve got markers in mine because, even though I first read it back in 2011 I still use it to refer to and it is part of my research for the products I am developing for you. I highly recommend this book as a starting point for your beer tasting and beer education journey!