Rating: 
Summary: Connoisseur's Bible
Review: I always enjoyed finding a delicious beer but it was "hit-or-miss" until I found Bob Klein's book. Now I have digested its contents and taken myself on a tour of the finest the world of beer brewing has to offer.I found the delicious (and readily available) Shakespeare Stout from Rogue Brewing. I quaffed the delicious Young's Oatmeal Stout, as well as the Peres Trappist Chimay Ale so highly rated by Mr. Klein. I know that I would not have taken the time or found the inspiration to taste these delicious beers if not for Bob's coherent analysis of beer products. Bob has written about the basics of beer styles, about the types of tastes and looks a good beer will exhibit. Bob has then listed his own personal ratings of 1200 beers, and has conveniently resorted them based upon beer style, country of origin and upon several other useful aspects. I highly recommend this book. You can easily keep this in your jacket pocket as you prowl the beer section of your favorite well-stocked store.
Rating:
Summary: Great guide to teach you about making informed beer choices.
Review: I first was intrigued by the different types of beers out there when I started frequenting a local bar that had over 200 types of beers. A lot of what I thought of beers was learned from tasting myself, when I found this book I was able to make even more informed beer buying and tasting decisions. First off this book tells you more than enough to make you beer saavy, from knowing how different beers and ales should taste, smell, and look, to how to serve them. From this understanding you are able to know what you are drinking. You will be able to judge beers not on a whim, but based on how they are supposed to taste based on their style. I had the first book, which was good, but this is more complete. In this edition the author removed some redundancies, and increased his scope of sampling so you can get a more broad idea of beers from different regions, and breweries. This book is a must-have for any newcomer to beer. But it is also great for for the person who thinks they've tasted it all. No matter what you knowledge of beer, you will find his insights and lessons insightful, and entertaining. Take it with you on your next cross country trip, or to the beer distributor and try a something new!!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!!
Review: Now we'll get to see if Bob has tried to make his reviews more than a few colorful, useless adjectives based on one bottle or draft sample. While I commend the quantity of beers sampled, it would be nice to see him do a good job comparing and judging beers this time. If he really still thinks that a large number of mass-produced American Light Lagers are better than *objectively* better (read: no additivies, adjuncts or fillers) lagers and pilsners from smaller breweries, let alone some of the best beers in the world, well, he's entitled to his opinion but any semi-serious beer judge would laugh in his Brussels-lace-covered face. I'll be looking for this book in the local B&N before I plunk down any money, here or elsewhere -- given the uselessness of the 1995 version, I suggest the same caution for anyone considering the purchase of the update.
Rating: 
Summary: Die a small death with each page
Review: Page after page of garbage. Painful to read.
In essence the beer descriptions are a senseless jumble of thesaurus-derived words that give the reader no idea of what the beer might look or taste like.
Rating:
Summary: Die a small death with each page
Review: Page after page of garbage. Painful to read.
In essence the beer descriptions are a senseless jumble of thesaurus-derived words that give the reader no idea of what the beer might look or taste like.
Rating:
Summary: A Recognized Expert's Best
Review: Robert Klein is the recognized leading expert on beer, honored and respected the world over. This guide has no rivals as the most informed and intelligent work of beer commentary of the decade. Brilliantly written and superbly organized, it has won many prestigious awards and is Klein's finest work to date. To anyone with a serious interest in beer it is essential reading. Trust the thoughtful reviews here and consider the flaming, obnoxious dismissals of beer-trolls with large grains of salt. German beer expert Gunther Prien wrote upon Klein's first publication that few have managed to energize and elevate scholarship in this field as Robert Klein has. Certainly this book deserves all the accolades of the beer community and Mr. Klein our deepest respect. Purchase of this book at Amazon.com is one of the most important steps a truly devoted student of beer can take toward greater knowledge and a more profound appreciation of beer. Trust the real experts and the informed reviews. Take that step into enlightenment and you will share in the understanding and reading joy that Robert Klein presents in this acclaimed classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Good tool to learn beer's nuances
Review: This book, though only one man's expert opinion, is a good guide to get started on sampling the thousands of beers in the world. His descriptions are well laid out, understandable, and sometimes humerous. He judges beers according to their style so it is possible for a beer like Miller High Life to get a better score than Samuel Smith's. The adjectives he uses to describe the beers he reviews are a good benchmark on how to judge and describe beers for yourself. I continue to model my writing on his style when I review beers as a beeradvocate.com contributer. I has lead to my success. It is also good to compare your findings to his, and you can get a sense on how beer or wine tasting is indeed a subjective art.
Rating:
Summary: Good tool to learn beer's nuances
Review: This book, though only one man's expert opinion, is a good guide to get started on sampling the thousands of beers in the world. His descriptions are well laid out, understandable, and sometimes humerous. He judges beers according to their style so it is possible for a beer like Miller High Life to get a better score than Samuel Smith's. The adjectives he uses to describe the beers he reviews are a good benchmark on how to judge and describe beers for yourself. I continue to model my writing on his style when I review beers as a beeradvocate.com contributer. I has lead to my success. It is also good to compare your findings to his, and you can get a sense on how beer or wine tasting is indeed a subjective art.
Rating: 
Summary: I give this book a 2.0 on the beer scale...
Review: Weak and watered down are some words that I use to describe this book. Moreover, I am totally confused by some of his ratings. He appears to give very low ratings to what can be considered benchmark brews. Take Samuel Smith's Pale Ale, he gives it a 3.0 when most experts will tell you that it is one of the finest examples of the style. A similarly confusing rating is fixed to Fuller's ESB - many Bitter producers use Fuller's as a target to shoot for. Meanwhile, Miller High Life gets a 2.4 [....]. Basically, if a beer is a Trappist or an Abbey ale it is automatically a good beer according to Klein; yet other ales are questionable in the book. I am a huge fan of Trappist and Abbey beer, but the world of beer is much broader than Klein's book would lead us to believe. Pass on this book and buy Michael Jackson's books; he is far less nebulous and capricious when it comes to describing different beers.
Rating:
Summary: I give this book a 2.0 on the beer scale...
Review: Weak and watered down are some words that I use to describe this book. Moreover, I am totally confused by some of his ratings. He appears to give very low ratings to what can be considered benchmark brews. Take Samuel Smith's Pale Ale, he gives it a 3.0 when most experts will tell you that it is one of the finest examples of the style. A similarly confusing rating is fixed to Fuller's ESB - many Bitter producers use Fuller's as a target to shoot for. Meanwhile, Miller High Life gets a 2.4 [....]. Basically, if a beer is a Trappist or an Abbey ale it is automatically a good beer according to Klein; yet other ales are questionable in the book. I am a huge fan of Trappist and Abbey beer, but the world of beer is much broader than Klein's book would lead us to believe. Pass on this book and buy Michael Jackson's books; he is far less nebulous and capricious when it comes to describing different beers.
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