The Beer Lover's Guide to Australia

Author: Various
Publisher: Scribal Publishing
Price: $34.95 (hardback)

There’s a revolution going on in Australia right now; although you may not be aware of it. Across the wide brown land, beer drinkers are rising up against mass-produced, generic brews and opting for what’s become known as “craft beer”. It’s a revolution that’s happening almost by osmosis – check your local and you’ll probably find a few bottles of “craft” tucked away somewhere. Check again in a few months’ time and there’ll probably be a few more. Now the good people at Scribal Publishing have put together a new tome to document this crafty little revolution, just in time for Fathers’ Day.

The Beer Lover’s Guide to Australia features some 300 pages of the best in brew craft from around the country. It’s a handsomely presented coffee-table book with plenty of illustration to complement the text.

The opening chapters of the book provide some basic background information for those ignorant of the complexities of beer. Indeed, the very first chapter from Dr Peter Aldred asks “What is Beer”? It seems like a pretty basic question, but the answer is suprisingly complex.

Andrew Perry then tackles “The History of Beer” – and yes, it is a very long one; before Matt Kirkegaard explains about “The Australian Craft Beer Revolution”. For me anyway, this is where things start to get interesting, and you can delve into the reasons why drinkers are increasingly turning their backs on nondescipt lagers and ales (and yes, there is a difference which is explained in the book) and embracing more engaging brews from smaller producers.

In two complementary chapters, Ian Watson gives his ideas on tasting beer (properly) and former Strictly Ballroom star and current TV star Paul Mercurio discusses the marriage of beer and food. The explanatory first part of the book is rounded out by beer writer Laurie Strachan, who outlines “A Menu of Beer Styles”.

The second part of the book is really the how-to (or perhaps more accurately the who-to and where-to) bit, providing run-downs of Australian (craft) beer brands; a location guide to places in both metropolitan and regional Australia where you can enjoy a crafted beverage; a listing of Australian brewers and their offerings; and a listing of specialist venues.

All the information here is presented in an easy-to-read style that dispels a few myths and should hopefully get punters thinking about what they’re purchasing from their local bottle shop.

If there’s a criticism, it would be that the focus (understandably) is on Australian producers. While perhaps a little oddly, the brewers’ section lists some of the “majors” as well as craft producers, there’s no guide to the plethora of overseas prouct that seems to be flooding into our venues. As an example, the guide mentions the Belgian Beer Café, which has a number of outlets around the country; but doesn’t discuss any of the many Belgian beers available in Australia.

However, for small Australian producers who work hard (and invest a lot of passion) to fashion beers that actually taste good and are a cut above the everyday, this book is a godsend. I’m sure the beer drinkers who buy or receive this book as a gift will be sorely tempted to try out at least a few of the great-looking products featured in it - and that can only be a good thing for our craft brewing industry.

David Edwards