It’s not only the hop harvest that looked promising this year: the 2011 crop of beer books is exceptional.

Garrett Oliver’s tour de force, the Oxford Companion to Beer, is as authoritative and comprehensive as you’d expect from such a skilled practitioner. As editor-in-chief, the Brooklyn Brewery’s brewmaster has shepherded the wisdom of over 160 experts into 900-odd pages. Whether it’s the history of brewing itself, recent brewing developments, or tips on service and glassware, he’s got it covered.

From American amber ale to winter ale, over 100 beer styles are included, alongside entries on more than 100 breweries. The list of contributors cite luminaries such as Roger Protz and Pete Brown, Imbibe regular Ben McFarland, and ale-loving licensee, Mark Dorber, credited with reinventing The White Horse on Parson’s Green into the ale lovers’ haven that it remains today.

When questioned by his UK agent James Clay about the most important beer style to appear in the last decade, the answer was clear. 'The American iteration of India Pale Ale, hands-down. No matter where you go in the world, it’s a touchstone, from Italy to Japan to Brazil. After that, in general, it is the rise of the Belgian influence everywhere.'

News item from Imbibe.com, 19-10-2011