The publisher, Allyn Rippin, arippin@dk.com ,
"Beyond Living by Beer Alone"
NEW YORK TIMES review of "Ultimate Beer" by
Michael Jackson.
"I've never quite understood the term "beer
drinker." Does it mean someone who drinks only beer, or
can you qualify if you also drink water, wine, coffee, tea
and milk? And more, is there another, new category, the
boutique-only beer drinker?
Michael Jackson's book "Ultimate Beer" should
appeal to all three types. Mr. Jackson, an engaging British
writer, has already established himself as a - perhaps the -
hops authority, through a number of books and television
programs. Burly and bearded, he has an enthusiasm that is
infectious; one would follow him to a pub or tavern anywhere.
Another in the large format, visually stunning Dorling
Kindersley series of food and beverage books, "Ultimate
Beer" is chock full of almost-life-size color
photographs of beers from around the world, and text that is
equally cosmopolitan. The author gives brew-by-brew
descriptions of hundreds of beers by aroma, flavor and finish
- "look, swirl, sniff, sip" - not just as something
to order bellied up to a bar, but as a beverage to match with
food.
His descriptions are so vivid I can understand how well La
Choulette - a light, spicy beer made in Northern France -
would go with lamb, or how pleasant it would be to wind up on
a cold winter's night with a night-cap of Old Knucklehead, a
barley wine-style ale from the Pacific Northwest.
There are beers for almost every food and each season, Mr.
Jackson contends. Now in his mid-50's, he has spent years
pursuing the perfect match.
The current book includes an intriguing section on cooking
with beer. In the way that recipes often specify a particular
wine, Mr. Jackson's recipes call for a particular type of
beer. And just as one might use Burgundy in a red-wine stew
from that region, Mr. Jackson often matches foods and beers
by geography. A ham basted with dark lager, for instance,
calls for a rich, malty dark lager in the German dunkel or
schwarzbier style. (In a basting liquid of dark lager, the
malt sugars caramelize, creating a crust and sweet flavor.)
A fruitcake recipe calls for a spicy dark beer, which
contributes both moisture and flavor. One for mussels in
India pale ale steams the mussels in a dry, savory and acidic
brew from a shellfish region, the Pacific Northwest. And a
recipe for dark chocolate truffles with an equally dark rich
porter should convince any doubters. Chocolate and beer? It's
astoundingly good.
The author's close attention to complementary flavors not
only is intriguing, but also makes a big difference in the
final result. (Don't bother trying the truffles with a
lightweight American lager, as I did.)
Mr. Jackson, incidentally, seems to enjoy cooking as much
as he does drinking. Instead of joining him at a pub, maybe
you'd rather follow him home around supper time.
