The Scratch & Sniff Guide to Beer: A Beer Lover’s Companion

Those passionate about their beer and dedicated to drinking only good brew will love this volume. For those readers who only drink the mass-produced inexpensive lager, Justin Kennedy’s exceptional book on beer is a waste. The Scratch & Sniff Guide to Beer is true to its promise—included are ten stickers to peel off and smell the scent below related to the accompanying discussion. The book design is wonderful, focusing on fun reading, and so does the text throughout. Kennedy is a master of providing beer information yet making it entertaining, enjoyable to read. He gives good, detailed-but-not-boring facts on major beers, microbreweries, and craft breweries of the world, explaining everything in non-technical terms. The book is filled with great photos and cute, quirky sketches. He adds comments like, “Top three beers consumed while writing this book.” You learn about dubbels and tripels, and lambic beer. The book is filled with clever sidebars (a detailed chart on hop stats, how to read a beer label). He has specific suggestions on what beers to try with each chapter. He even has three four-day beer trips (San Francisco to Seattle; Germany; Belgium). No beer aficionado should be without this book.