There are few people better to sit down and have a pint with other than Melissa Cole. Not only would she help you pick the perfect brew, she could no doubt tell you everything about it, as well as every other beer in the pub.
Passionate, brimming with knowledge, and with one of the heartiest laughs this side of the Atlantic - Melissa Cole knows her beer, and she knows how to talk to anyone about it. Which is precisely why Cole’s new book Let Me Tell You About Beer: A beginner’s guide to all things brewed, is so bloody brilliant.
Easy to read, conversational, and packed full of history, facts and tips, this book is ideal for those who are new to the beer world, and even those who have been on a few beer tastings and fancy themselves to be a bit of a beer snob. (Trust me, you will learn things you never even thought of from this book.)
Let Me Tell You About Beer begins by swiftly dispelling those classic myths around beer (“It’ll make you fat!”) and even breaks down what kind of beer you might like based on your current favourite drink. For example if you’re a fan of full bodied red wine, such as Australian Shiraz, she suggests trying a porter, lightly chilled. Fancy yourself a straight whisky drinker? Why not give a wood-aged beer at cool room temperature a shot?
Cole then walks us through the main ingredients of beer and the brewing process, tasting tips food pairing suggestions, and even handy tips on how to choose what to drink in a pub. In fact, one of the best tips I’ve ever learned on drinking beer from Cole is included in the book: you can always ask to taste a beer, rather than just blindly ordering a pint. As Cole puts it, “Any pub that baulks at giving tasters of its draught beer is not to be trusted.” Word.
Let Me Tell You About Beer flows wonderfully and logically organized, making it easy to dip in and out depending on what you need information on, or to simply read all the way through. An absolute must-have guide for the bookshelf and kitchen of any beer lover.
Let Me Tell You About Beer is published by Pavilion and available on Amazon.co.uk for £10.49