Craft Beer obsessions by Ian Coutts

I was given this book as a Christmas present from my mother-in-law. It is quite a short book, at just 140 pages,and I had read it by the end of Boxing Day.

Ian Coutts has written an interesting introduction to craft beer. Quite a bit of it was familiar but it was well enough written to still be engaging. One of the few points that I really disagreed with was Coutt's suggestion that homebrewing is expensive; it can be, but it certainly doesn't have to be.

After discussing such fundamentals, as he puts it, of ingredients, tasting, and glassware, Coutts has six chapters each discussing a particular style of beer. These chapters cover the history of the styles in question and their key characteristics, before giving examples from the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia, amongst other countries. Many of these beers may not be easily obtainable in the UK. However, the British examples are well chosen and not always the obvious choices.

The backcover blurb claims the book 'contains everything you could ever need to know about the global craft beer explosion'. I would have to say that overstates the case. It is a good introduction which I enjoyed reading. As with any introduction there is the chance that, for some readers, it might be too basic.