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I wouldn't start with a site, but rather a book, How to Brew by John Palmer. Go ahead and spend the 10 bucks on it right now, this isn't an option. You can't just skate by without this book and annoy everyone on /r/homebrewing, homebrewtalk, or IRC channels with questions answered beautifully and organically in this book.

This book answers the basics, from what beer is, what is fermenting, to the process, to the advanced, including building advanced all-grain setups. This will answer nearly all the questions you have, from now to three years of experience on down the road, and it's here in one handy book you can doodle and highlight all over. This is your first investment. Equipment is not your first investment. A gallon of cider and a pack of baker's yeast is not your first investment. A craigslist posting of someone giving away their old equipment is not your first investment. Paying the money right now for this book is your first investment.

While the book is in the mail, you can start reading the first edition online, which gives you an opportunity to reread it all over again in print when your copy arrives. Write stuff down. Highlight stuff. Go to google and bing something if you aren't fully clear. No questions yet, understand what the whole process is, and be committed to a few very important core rules: cleaning is the most important, timeliest part of brew day. Quality goes into the work you do, quality comes out as the finish product. And finally, it's necessary to have a beer while you make beer -- respect the craft you've taken up as a hobby by respecting those who have done so before you.

Finally you can begin to ask the question you are asking now. Where do I go before I brew? First, Midwest Supplies has a coupon about thrice a year that is a big savings and comes with mostly everything -- if you want to wait around for that, in the between time is a good time to invest in the other things, like a large pot, star-san, empty bottles, and so on. If not, do research and don't go buying the cheapest kit -- buy the kit that comes with everything that you want; don't feel short-handed or inundated with extras.

Lastly, that book is your new bible. It has all the answers. Now the bible is a historical recording, and new evidence disproves things in the bible. Some things you'll learn like quick tips and such you'll find just browsing the web, but what's in the bible makes for a correct and complete brewday. But the bibles of the world would be great if it came with the empirical evidence of video recordings. This episode of brewingTV is pretty good at showing what your first brewday should look like. But again, this religion will be lost on you if you don't buy and read the bible first.

And remember, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew".

It's a big topic, so I'd suggest starting small and easy. One route is to find a good brewpub (a bar/restaurant where they serve beer brewed on the premises) in your area, using this directory on Beeradvocate. If that's unclear, just say where you're from and I (or someone else around here) will help you figure it out. Brewpubs often serve sampler trays, where you get a small serving of all of their beers on tap. This will usually give you a quick baseline for some popular styles and hopefully introduce you to some good local beers.

Another tried and true route is to find a beer store or a grocery store with a good selection (again, use the Beeradvocate directory) and ask their beer buyer for help. If no one is around or he/she seems like an idiot, you can always just grab some random bottles - look for single bottles or mix-a-six deals (some stores let you buy 12 oz bottles that would normally be sold in six packs).

Beeradvocate and Ratebeer are the two biggest beer websites and both have good intro articles on beer - BA's Beer 101, RB's Beer Reference. That might seem a bit boring at this point, but some people prefer that kind of thing (me). If you're really into it, there's also a fantastic intro to beer book - link - that is both fun to read and chock full of information.

As for examples and recommendations, it depends on your location to a large extent. Beer distribution is very regional because there are costs and legal barriers associated with expanding into a new state. There are some good breweries that distribute to most/all of the country (North Coast, Anchor, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Rogue, etc.), but with >1600 breweries currently operating in the US, they're just a small portion and even some of the biggest breweries skip over a lot of states. If you want to give us your state (city would also help for more beer bar/brewpub recommendations), it would be much easier to recommend some beers for you.

Finally, you might want to try searching around /r/beer a bit, as there have been many past threads on this and similar topics.

Here's one more piece of advice: try new beers as much as possible. Be adventurous and open to new styles and unfamiliar flavors. You'll find lots of delicious beer even if you strike out a few times along the way.

Cheers and welcome to good beer.

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is my go-to intro guide that covers a huge range of beer topics.

The Brewmaster's Table By Garrett Oliver would probably be good for you if you're working for a grocery store, as it could help you make pairing recommendations.

The BJCP Style Guide is a good online resource for styles. It's designed for judging homebrew competitions, so it isn't the last word on the more flexible world of beer styles that may be available, but it's about as good as it gets for a general guideline on what's out there.

Palmer's How To Brew is a classic guide to the basics of how brewing works, though there are also a quadrillion other good homebrewing books out there.

The Brewing Elements series of books is more technical, but I'm a big fan of them. They cover a lot of the how and why of beer.

If you can, find a local beer tasting group and kick it with them. That'll help you get a sense of what's cool and new in the beer world so you can stay ahead of trends. You'll hopefully know what the biggest sales are from your work itself, which should cover most of the beer just fine, but the best beer selections have the things that sell well today and at least some things that will sell well tomorrow.

In this exact same situation right now. I was looking at that Danby 120-can as well, but if you're going that route, I've read to make sure you buy the updated version (there's hardly any of the old ones still around from what I've gathered, so it shouldn't be too difficult). Also, the shelving is grated and I don't believe there's an in-fridge temp reader, but you can buy glass liners and a reader separately for ~$10 more. FWIW, Amazon seems to be the best place to buy the Danby for price and convenience.

A couple weeks ago, however, I read a review singing the praise of the Sam's Club brand fridge, and the reviews on their website seem to say the same. It runs ~$179, and there was a three-year warranty option for a little over $20. I checked one out in person; the shelving is tempered glass, and it has a built-in temp reader. I don't have a Sam's membership, but I've read that you can purchase online and pick-up without it for a percentage of the cost. I have also seen that the company's customer service is very solid and easy. I might be leaning a little more this way, but I know it's entirely a preference thing. Cheers bud, good luck picking and let me know what you choose!

Danby: https://www.amazon.com/Danby-Beverage-Center-Stainless-DBC120BLS/dp/B002MPLYEW

Tramontina (Sam's Club): https://m.samsclub.com/ip/126-can-dsv-in-club-886159/prod18910248

Note: Woah that Danby was $195 last week, now its running $280 on Amazon

Here's a list of some good General Books on beer.

I'm fond of Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. It does a great job of introducing the history of beer, the different styles, and other great info. I recommend it to everybody who wants to learn about beer. http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

If you're interested in the history of American beer, Ambitious Brew is a great read. It's limited in scope to just the history of American beer, but that proves to be a rich subject. http://www.amazon.com/Ambitious-Brew-Story-American-Beer/dp/0156033593

Beer is Proof That God Loves Us, It's not the greatest book, but for free on Kindle, it's worth checking out. The guy knows his beer, he just is a big time Macro brewing apologist, and his constant praise for the big brewers, and his disdain for hops make it not my favorite book. There are some good anecdotes, and history of beer. http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Is-Proof-God-Loves/dp/0137065078

And I've heard good things about the Oxford Companion to Beer, though I haven't read it myself. http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z

I would love this as well because I'm geeky like that. Books that I found interesting that you might as well:

-The Comic Book Story of Beer: A fun way to learn more about the history of beer as beverage. It goes into I'd say a medium amount of detail, enough that if you wanted to go deeper you'd have the right search terms. Plus it's a comic book...bonus! Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Comic-Book-Story-Beer-Revolution/dp/1607746352

-National Geographic Atlas of Beer: Another medium level detail book about beer all over the world for a more global perspective plus it's National Geographic so the photography is gorgeous. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Atlas-Beer-Globe-Trotting/dp/1426218338/

-Radical Brewing: Even if you don't homebrew I feel like this book is worth picking up, especially early on in your beer journey because it gives you an idea of what wide range of styles and ingredients can make up a "Beer" (with a capital B). Also, it's a good introduction to Randy Mosher who is a Beer Geek (with a capital B and a capital G). Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Brewing-Recipes-World-Altering-Meditations/dp/0937381837

If anyone has any other books along the same lines they enjoy, feel free to share them.

Cheers!

Little bit of a different issue, but I would also suggest having a homebrew session with the staff before you open one day. Nothing will teach you about the process of making beer better than doing it yourself, and it really isn't hard. If you still want to accompany that lesson with literature, two great books on brewing are How to Brew by John Palmer (aka the home brewer's bible, full text is also available for free online) and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian

As far as general history and beer tasting knowledge, I'll back up those who have recommended Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, and pretty much anything written by Michael Jackson. Many of Jackson's books are separated by regions, so it would be helpful to find which one applies to the area your pub/the beers your serve are from

I posted this a week or so ago when somebody asked the same thing. There's the link, I only copied my reply.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantToLearn/comments/eef8y/iwtl_how_to_brew_beer/

"also, http://www.howtobrew.com/ by John Palmer is a pretty good starting point. He has a book, but here's the free online version. Also, Charlie Papazian released a book in the early 80's called The Joy of Homebrewing, which should also be checked out. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Harperresource-Book/dp/0060531053, only $10.

To probably figure out if you want to go balls-out and if this is a hobby you will enjoy, probably starting with extract is a good start. The beers might not be quite as good as all-grain, but you'll get an idea of what the hell you're doing and if you'll like it.

You could also look and see if there are any local homebrew clubs, as more are popping up as craft beer gets bigger and bigger.

fredman has a good point, as a lot of homebrew shops have kits and whatnot to help "clone" some of the more popular craft beers.

Also, as a side note and a cheap as hell way to brew, there is always Mr. Beer--but it's pretty meh."

A great book for info on aging beer, best practices and what to expect at different stages of in the aging process, is "Vintage Beer" (Amazon) by Patrick Dawson. He has a section on classic beers to age and when it's best to open them. There's not specific info on DFH 120 but there is a section on Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine, which is a pretty intensely hoppy interpretation of the style, similar to 120. The tasting panel in the book says bottles as old as 4-5 years are optimal while bottles up to 8-10 years are good but less complex. So, I'd expect good things with your 5-year old 120.

I agree with u/TheyCallMeJDR, chill for 24 hours and set it out for a bit before you serve.

Cheers

Ah, this is always tough when starting out. It's a matter of association. You just need to be able to express what you are tasting, smelling, feeling etc. The tough part is that everyone smells things a bit differently and has different sensitivities. When I started out I would get a beer and as I drank it I would read beeradvocate or ratebeer reviews and see if I agreed with any or if any gave me an Ah HA! moment in looking for a descriptor. You can also use the Beer Flavor Wheel to help you narrow down descriptors.

Another thing to do is start reading up on how beer is made and where certain flavors come from, it can help with your associations and understanding of WHY the beer tastes the way it does.

You can also get Tasting Beer, a fantastic book by Randy Mosher. It's a well informed, well written book on how to make associations, how to describe what you are tasting, how beer is made and where the various aromas and flavors come from. I had the pleasure of judging at a table with Randy this week and he is an awesome guy, extremely knowledgeable and very nice.

Well before you begin, start saving your pry top brown beer bottles. You'll need them.

First, buy How to Brew and read Section I.

Next, buy one of these kits and a semi-easy recipe kit...like the Autumn Amber Ale.

Finally, have fun with it. Start small with the equipment, ingredients, and procedure until you get a feel for it. /r/Homebrewing is great resource and pretty friendly to beginners. It's a fun hobby and I always brew if I have a free weekend. Enjoy!

I'd take a look at The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver. He's the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and world renowned for his beer/food pairings and experience.

One caveat: he loves his superlatives. I remember one passage where he discusses how cheap and widely available Schneider Weiss is and how it's surprisingly a "tour de force," or something like that. Not sure why it's a surprise that one of the most highly respected/awarded breweries in the world turns out a good beer. Still, for beginners who are serious about learning beer it's a good read.

I've also really enjoyed Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher. If you have any interest in brewing it's highly informative and a great historical look at all kinds of different beer. Michael Jackson (the wine critic, not that other guy) wrote the forward, which is about as much endorsement as I needed.

If you're nervous about getting him a beer he might not like, you can always spring for something like glasswear or an experience. For example:


Glasswear - very few beer drinkers have a good set of tasting glasses or a nice Teku glass. They tend to spend their money more on the beer than the proper glasswear. Here are some to consider:


Teku Glasses
Tasting Glasses

Experience - This is completely scalable based on budget. Need to do something cheaper? Check out Yelp reviews and Beer Advocate reviews to find the best local brewery near you and take him there, followed by dinner at a great tap room or gastropub. Have more budget? Take him on a beer roadtrip or brewery tour around some of the local breweries in your area.


Beer books and merch - There are a lot of great books about the history of beer, tasting beer, etc. Here are a few to check out:


Tasting Beer
Oxford Companion

You can also get merch from his favorite brewery's online store or taproom. They'll have shirts, branded glasses, etc. All of those things should score points with any beer drinker.

How to Brew is what I learned a lot from. Pretty cheap but teaches you a lot about how to actually brew beer.

I read A LOT of the style guidelines on BeerAdvocate to understand glassware and styles, also terminology.

I also got lucky and had an amazing beer monger at my local wine/cheese/beer shop. He taught me a ton, as did the guy I was dating. I'd try literally every beer I could get my hands on and would go from there.

Now I know exactly what styles I like, how to pick beers I'm likely to like, what glassware it should generally go in, etc.

I have also helped homebrew multiple times. It gives you a good understanding of the whole beer making process.

Since most of your people are new to the craft brew scene you dont want to scare them with really powerful beers and a great introduction is with some smooth, sweet, and creamy dessert beers. One of my favorite beer pairings right now is to match-up porters and stouts with dessert items. I just did one for my boyfriend for his birthday. I paired a cherry/chili pepper dark chocolate with a tanilla porter, and a ginger infused dark chocolate with a double-chocolate stout. Here is a great book I like to reference for ideas: http://www.amazon.com/Brewmasters-Table-Discovering-Pleasures-Real/dp/0060005718

As a lot of people have said, I think flights are a great idea. I would add that going somewhere that has a good selection of traditional styles would be a good place to start, and if you like American lager-style beer, try some craft versions of that so you can have something to compare to what you're used to (might I suggest Oskar Blues Mama's Yella Pils or Victory Prima Pils).

I'm in academia, so I found that some light reading on the subject helped a lot - ingredients and their respective characteristics, the brewing process, history and characteristics of all the different styles, etc. Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is a great place to start.

You can't go wrong with two books, both of which are readily available on Amazon.

I'd start out with the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, and then move on to Designing Great Beers.

After that, I would recommend joining a local homebrew club, and there will be a big community to support you. And if you need yeast, come on down to Sixpoint with a clean mason jar and we can hook you up.

Let us know how it goes!

Beer and food is definitely getting more respect in the food industry. There's been tons of beer and food pairing dinners offered around me, with a lot selling out. The article is a good jumping off point, though there are some pretty broad generalizations (which the author concedes).

If anyone has interest in food pairing, or is just looking for another beer book to add to their library, I can't recommend The Brewmaster's Table enough. Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver has compiled an all-encompassing, easy-to-reference food and beer guide for drinkers of any interest level.

I love this: Since it replaced my carabiner it works great and I always have it on me!

I just went to Tröegs on Saturday and got a Nugget Nectar bottle opener that works pretty good too!

Absolutely. That's sort of what I was getting at. The descriptions give you hints of what to look for, and after so e time, you won't need as much help picking out the different flavors. Don't forget that taste is subjective. If the label only mentions a few flavors but you taste a few more, you aren't wrong. You taste what you taste.

Edit to add: check out the book Tasting Beer, by Randy Mosher. It's got a lot of great information about the flavor of beer, as well as what's causing the flavors. The book has a LOT more info than just flavor though. Well worth the investment.

https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is good. I would say just do it. Get a good kit and try and find someone to guide you along. Then keep reading all you can about brewing. Blogs, books, go to a homebrew store. Don't be afraid to ask for advice. Brewers are like guys with big dicks; they love to show off.

I'd highly recommend Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass

My cousin, who has brewed for a living, bought this book for me one Christmas. Lot's of great in depth information on various ingredients, recipes, stories, techniques, equipment, etc etc. It's wonderfully illustrated and just an overall fantastic book about beer.

I have been brewing for 3 years and IMO start with at least a 5-6.5g glass carboy (or 2), a brew bucket w/lid, caps/bungs/airlockers, brew kettle (4-6g for extract/7-10g for AG), mash paddle, funnel w/filter, auto-siphon, hose, bottles/caps/capper, StarSan sanitizer, and if your first starting a basic kit (go with a Better Brew/Norther Brewer/Any HBS Extract Kit over a Copper's) or grains. Oh and always A Clean Water Source!

IMO The best brew book is http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

Hand's Down!

I spent 150 on craigslist and found a starter set better then any sold in stores! oh and check out /r/homebrewing for more info!

Last month I flew from Miami to Los Angeles and transported seven 700ml bottles of cognac in my luggage. The luggage was a standard carry on size bag that could expand. Each bottle was stuffed into a tube sock and put back into the original box. haha. I put clothes on both sides of the box to "pad" the contents. To mentally prepare myself, I had to be okay with a bottle breaking and possibly destroying my clothes. Everything was safe, but I would have prepared myself by buying Wine Diapers in advance if I had enough time. http://www.amazon.com/WineDiaper-Padded-Absorbent-Bag-Set/dp/B00308FONW. Good luck!

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher will help you to better understand and share how to taste beer. This will help you bartending at a brewpub because you'll be better at helping guests select beers and even chatting with them as you both describe what flavors you experience when drinking beer.

Tasting Beer is by far an away my favorite read. It covers every aspect of beer well; styles, glass ware, serving, pairing, history, science of brewing and more. I have found myself referencing this book more then any other. I highly recommend you pick this one up for a good read. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

Redbridge is made with sorghum.

You might also want to try to brew your own. The startup costs can run a few hundred to brew properly, but 5 gallons for ~$30 makes up for it. A great book to start with is Charles Papazian's The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

The other books that were listed are both very good (I have read both) but my favorite book that I have was The Complete Beer Course. It may be similar to what you just read but I loved it. Goes through more styles than most other books I've seen and gives plenty of examples of beer to try for each style. It is still my go to book when I want a refresher about styles/breweries.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting/dp/1402797672/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

I have some problems with this book, but it's certainly the best thing I've found if you're interested in the subject of aging beer: http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-Tasters-Guide-Improve/dp/161212156X

This one right here is working out pretty well for me.

Heres what I've got in it right now Bottom part fits large bombers, mid part fits 22oz bombers. Pretty happy with it for the most part.

Save some dough and buy one of these. I've had one for a couple of years and I love it. I set the temp to 48-50F and enjoy what I want when I want.

http://i.imgur.com/cFLJVpz.jpg

I really like The Naked Pint. It's an easy read and it covers a good number of topics. I've loaned my copy out to a few people who have enjoyed it.

There is definitely a level of snobbery surrounding certain things and a bad glass certainly doesn't ruin a beer but if the option is there then a nicer glass is always going to be more enjoyable. I'm the first to rally against snobbery and the amount of misinformation being passed around the internet surrounding beer - but I genuinely believe make a very noticeable difference

If I could recommend glasses (people might think I'm a shill for these guys because I always crap on about them here), I would recommend the Spiegelau Stemmed Pilsner. http://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Classics-Stemmed-Pilsner-Glasses/dp/B001CFR3XE

They feel so thin but are quite sturdy and just amazing to drink from.

Second for Garret Oliver's Brewmasters Table, though an even better book for introductory purposes may be Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer. Nice pictures, easy to read, covers just about everything on an easy to understand basis.

The Complete Beer Course is a fantastic read. Bernstein provides a great overview, history, and examples of tons of styles. He writes pretty conversationally, so despite lots of history and beer jargon, it never felt like a beer textbook if that makes sense.

I would recommend beer books:

• Vintage Beer Taster's Guide
  
• Tasting Beer
  
• The Brewmaster's Table
  
• Pretty much anything by Ronald Patterson or Michael Jackson
  
• Tim Webb's Good Beer Guide Belgium (7th ed)
  
  I know there are several good homebrewing focused ones as well if you think he'll be into that, but I don't remember those off hand and would have to dig some more.

I think you'd do better with Palmer's How to Brew. I'd also recommend listening to the podcasts on The Brewing Network, esp BrewStrong. Also, find and join a local homebrew club. There's a lot of info you can get by reading or advice from forums, but nothing compares to having other beer nerds tasting your brew and giving good feedback.

Depends what you're looking for.

For the classic, you can't do better than anything by Michael Jackson. This one is very good, as is this. For a more contemporary approach, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery both have very good books. Sam's book focuses mostly on contemporary beers and breweries, and is light of actual process and history. Garrett's does a better job of covering those things; if you get his book and like it, keep an eye out for The Oxford Companion to Beer, of which he is the editor, and which is coming out in 2011.

The gold standard is The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. Certainly more reference than prose, but never too dry to get through or enjoy. Probably my all-time favorite beer book.

I picked up this book about 2 months ago. Nice little read that explains what 'fresh' flavors and flavor profiles can be expected to change into over time. Excellent read if this article didn't have enough detail for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-Tasters-Guide-Improve/dp/161212156X

Cheers!

Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver is fantastic.

edit: thanks for the gold! :)

• Get and read Charlie Papazians Complete Joy of Homebrewing.
  
• Try out Beersmith. You might not use it on your first beer, but later on it is incredibly useful.
  
• You want to remove labels off every bottle before sanitizing them. I found that to be the most annoying part of the process until someone recommended using TSP - same stuff you use to get paint off paintbrushes - and the labels literally fall off the bottle. You should be able to get that from any hardware store.
  
• Depending on how much beer you drink, you should gradually invest into more advanced beer making equipment. I did some rough calculations and found that every investment saved me a ton of money. When I was using malt extract, the average price per beer bottle was around $0.75; after investing into wort chiller and switching to grains the price dropped to around $0.45 per bottle. Now, if I could get a big enough room to store my own 50lbs grain bags and use my own barley crusher, I could probably drop the price down enough for a $1.50 six-pack.

I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/SuckUK-7910560-Church-Bottle-Opener/dp/B0000B0DKM - it's awesome and fits very nicely on my keychain (doesn't take up a huge amount of space like most bottle openers)

Check out Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher

From Amazon: This completely updated second edition of the best-selling beer resource features the most current information on beer styles, flavor profiles, sensory evaluation guidelines, craft beer trends, food and beer pairings, and draft beer systems. You’ll learn to identify the scents, colors, flavors, mouth-feel, and vocabulary of the major beer styles — including ales, lagers, weissbeirs, and Belgian beers — and develop a more nuanced understanding of your favorite brews with in-depth sections on recent developments in the science of taste. Spirited drinkers will also enjoy the new section on beer cocktails that round out this comprehensive volume.

Try posting on the homebrewing reddit. If you're brewing from a kit I'd suggest True Brew. I've brewed many of them before including that IPA and they all turned out pretty well. I'd also suggest reading the Complete Joy of Home Brewing for recipes and other tips.

Another good book when you start off.....The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Parpazian.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371682020&sr=8-1&keywords=charlie+papazian+joy+of+home+brewing

Start with extract recipes.

HAVE FUN!!!!

If you're willing to spend the money, I would also recommend reading The Naked Pint

It's written in a simple, entertaining style and does a good job of introducing novices to terminology as well as a gradation of tastes and styles. It's also got sections on homebrewing for the more serious beer fiends

If you don't need a lot of space, I use this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Danby-DBC120BLS-Beverage-Center-Stainless/dp/B002MPLYEW/

I added a 20% tint to the window to keep the light out. I think it looks pretty nice. At the warmest setting it's always ~50F. Fits about 25+ bombers and 2-3 6 packs.
http://imgur.com/a/C1NlM

If he uses it because he likes the beer from it, I strongly suggest getting him a Spiegelau Beer Glass (also available individually). They get amazing reviews from every beer connoisseur who tries them.

Sit down with a beer flavor wheel and use that to guide you.

What the wheel does is help you pinpoint what flavors you're tasting. You may recognize a flavor as fruity but not be able to discern what fruit it is, the flavor wheel gives you some suggestions to help you narrow it down.

Some flavors will be things you may have never tasted but the aroma and feel reminds you of those things - like leather, hay, horse blanket. If you want to get serious check out Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

Everyone's palate is different, so if you don't taste what someone else does in a beer don't sweat it, it's all about your personal experience.

I use wine diapers. Cheap, reusable, and the one time I did have a leak the bag absorbed it like a champ.

I agree with Pronking that you'll probably need to buy a bag. Just budget it from the incredible savings of buying Cantillon from the source vs. anywhere in the states.

By the way, I found some good Cantillon bottles not available for sale at the brewery at the Malting Pot in Ixelles.

If it's a book you're looking for I strongly recommend Palmer's How to Brew, as available on amazon.

One thing that I did forget is that sanitation is probably the most important part. Be paranoid and go overboard (not too far overboard, I mean you don't need an autoclave and a hood and all that), it won't hurt. I use StarSan, but everyone has their own approach to it.

At any rate, happy brewing!

I agree. I own "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" as well, but Radical Brewing is so good.

I heard a guy speak about cellaring beer, and he even wrote a book on it (http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-Tasters-Guide-Improve/dp/161212156X).

He spoke about how the best beers to age have one of the three S's - Smoked, Sour, or Strong. I typically go for Barleywine's or anything Barrel-Aged to cellar, and I always get two so I can drink one now and "compare" the other one later.

"Amber, Gold and Black" by Martyn Cornell is a pretty great look at the history of English brewing. Very thorough and well-written.

This craft beer book is pretty awesome to have around too
http://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting-Classes/dp/1402797672/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422250472&sr=8-2&keywords=craft+beer+book

I'm currently reading Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher and love how thorough, yet easily digestible it is. For the more technical read I would check out the Brewing Elements Series.

My general reply to this question:
> If you're talking about the level 1 server exam, Tasting Beer and going over the syllabus (basically the test) will get you good and ready to pass with ease. r/Cicerone could have some stuff too.

Liquor stores do sell gift cards but you also need to be of age to purchase those. How big of an enthusiast is he?

You could get him a subscription to Beer Advocate Magazine. If he is really into beer and thinking about homebrewing you can't go wrong with How To Brew by John Palmer. You could also look into getting him some appropriate glassware.

I liked this book that was recommended on this sub a while back

https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

If you make it back down to Seattle, try to track down some of Georgetown's Bodhizafa IPA if you liked Space Dust. It's become my go-to IPA as of late.

I love Randy Mosher's book as well. That might be the big yellow book. However, Garett Oliver's newest book The Oxford Companion to Beer is THE book to own. But it is 900 pages long

You can get it the latest edition from Amazon. If you're interested in become a homebrewer, it's definitely worth it.

I was in the same boat. Coolers in the $150-200ish range generally have very little storage, especially for storing bottles vertically. Finally I found this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MPLYEW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01
I've had it for awhile and love it. Read the first couple reviews. Basically, the shelves are removeable and you can stand beer up in it. It stays within temp and fits quite a bit of beer. Highly recommended.

Amber, Gold & Black: The History of Britain's Great Beers by Martyn Cornell is a book about the history of Britain's beers. From the comments, I gather it's a well researched book focusing on the roots of styles.

Note: I decided to jot down my findings here (one comment per book) and see if anyone else have any thoughts about them.

The Spiegelau set is usually a pretty good place to start, especially if you're looking for a decent range of glasses. You could add another glass or two onto it (snifter, flute, stange, nonic, etc.) if you think he brews styles that might call for one of those.

I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/Danby-Beverage-Center-Stainless-DBC120BLS/dp/B002MPLYEW/

Looks nice, shelves can be moved. Holds a good number of bottles.

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. This book continues to be the number one book I recommend when it comes to starting your journey to learn everything about beer. It is also the book that the Cicerone program wants you read for the first step of their certification process.

As far as beer tasting goes, all I can recommend you do (or keep doing) is to taste as many different beers as possible. People have their opinions on beers, and choose to drink some rather than others for many different reasons (taste, corporate/independent ownership, political leanings, etc.). It's very polarized, and there may be a general consensus about one beer or another, but the only way you can arrive at your own conclusions is to drink those different beers yourself and come to learn what you like.

A few that I love are --

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest-ebook/dp/B003PGQK7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414411337&sr=8-1&keywords=tasting+beer

The Complete Beer Course by Josh Bernstein http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting/dp/1402797672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414411352&sr=8-1&keywords=beer+camp

The Oxford Companion to Beer by Garret Oliver http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting/dp/1402797672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414411352&sr=8-1&keywords=beer+camp

These threads are a perfect example of how books will not be killed by the internet. A "writer" speculates on the answer to a question and "prints" it. It is critiqued by people on the internet by those who only know things they learned from reading articles on the internet.

http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

My girlfriend recently purchased this awesome set and it is quite awesome!

I suggest you get a copy of Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. It opened my eyes to everything in the world of beer, and tasting, understanding, and appreciating it. 10/10 would recommend again and again.

Randy Mosher: Tasting beer really is great for learning history, a little chemistry and all about styles. Highly reccomend it.
http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343758259&sr=8-1&keywords=randy+mosher+tasting+beer

The most recommended book is Tasting Beer -- www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405466079&sr=8-1&keywords=tasting+beer

It's written by a friend of the creator of the actual exam.

A Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver is a great place to learn about food and beer.

https://www.amazon.com/Brewmasters-Table-Discovering-Pleasures-Real/dp/0060005718

Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" is what you want.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0062215752/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487716562&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=charlie+papazian&dpPl=1&dpID=51UwlRbkPVL&ref=plSrch

• wall-mounted bottle opener
  
• Rabbit corkscrew
  
• cocktail jiggers and measuring cup [here]
  (http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/06/cocktail-101-measuring-utensils-jiggers-cups.html)
  
• Oxford Companion to Beer looks awesome
  
• Very Many Varieties of Beer poster

This book is a great start. It will teach you close to everything you need to know.

I use a Vaccu-Vin to reseal my bottles. Works great. Of course, this doesn't help you tonight.

https://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-Vacuum-Bottle-Stoppers/dp/B000GA3KCE

What Tuzki said. This is outstanding for beginners and experienced beer drinkers alike.

At home I use a bartenders opener like this and on the go a keychain key opener like this.

Here's the book that got me started. It's got detailed history, style descriptions and their own histories, tips for tasting and pairing with foods, and more. It's a genuinely fun read, too!

anything bottle conditioned, a high final gravity, or high abv are usually worthy of cellaring. anything with forward notes such as coffee, hops, or fruit should not be cellared.

i picked up this book recently: http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-Tasters-Guide-Improve/dp/161212156X

its worth a read

>The Siebel Institute and the cicerone program both contradict your points.

Traditional standards? High abv beers aren't true beer? The term stout was used. If we are talking about the stout styled beer, what is colt 45 is and by your standards no more than champagne is.

Using non beer yeast and new cross breeds of non beer yeast...

Randy wrote a book about the basics try it out for a read.
https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-2nd-Insiders-Greatest/dp/1612127770/ref=asc_df_1612127770/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312126476072&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=245257007931428990&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021431&hvtargid=pla-315141247606&psc=1


Ray also wrote a good book. Try reading it.
https://store.bellsbeer.com/products/designing-great-beers-daniels?variant=5244520464419&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw7_rlBRBaEiwAc23rhkIN1vnq0tSKbSBl5nAYMaGjtacUpDgLYgLcKBwapqkkHUarKOlFwhoCy-wQAvD_BwE

first off, know what types of beer you'll be selling. all the knowledge in the world won't help if you don't know what you're serving to customers.

second, Tasting Beer is a great book. it goes over the history, some brewing notes, and goes over the major styles you'll encounter.

The Oxford Companion to Beer is really cool and Amazon just listed it at 60% off.

I'm reading Tasting Beer right now. It's really, really good.

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

It may not help you for your interview tomorrow but if it's a field you're interested in, this is your bible:

Have you read The Brewmaster's Table?

I found this book fascinating, as it coveres all the popular styles, food pairings, etc.

Tasting Beer by Ray Daniels Randy Mosher.

Edit: Mixed up some of my favorite beer authors.

The Naked Pint is a good read on craft beer. It goes into detail about the how and whys of most types of beer and lists examples of beers to try for each style.

I highly recommend The Brewmaster’s Table. It taught me so much about beer styles, making, and pairing.

I have the Danby 120 and really like it.

I use and would recommend these.

Martyn Cornell isn't just some guy, he's a really well respected writer on British beer history, as you can tell from the reblogs this has got. He probably the definitive book on the subject. It looks as though the scholarship in the Oxford Companion is very poor.

The Oxford Companion to Beer

It's basically an encyclopedia of beer and terminology with deep definitions and history behind just about everything. Very well done and edited by the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery.

Suck UK key opener. I love this thing.

http://www.amazon.com/Key-Bottle-Opener-Suck-UK/dp/B0000B0DKM

If you can, get a copy of Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer, along with all of the other suggestions (Somm, describing what you're tasting) this is a great resource.

Additionally, depending on your location - see if there is a BJCP competition that is happening. Either volunteer to judge or steward. If you judge, you will be paired with an experienced judge (assuming it is a well run competition) and then talk with your partner judge(s). If you decide to steward, then be attentive and hover while working. Listen to what others are saying, and when the flights are done, sample the same beer.

https://www.amazon.com/Spiegelau-Classics-Stemmed-Pilsner-Glasses/dp/B001CFR3XE

I got these for cheaper than this, and tpyically use them or another tulip. They arent 14-16 oz i dont think, but i dont pour out a while one a time. Libbey makes some ones that are similar and cheaper still, though the glass is a bit thicker. a normal pint glass wouldnt be bad though

Money is no object: Spiegelau My favorite glass ever, I keep a stockpile of them

Budget: Duvel There's a reason it's so popular

I actually like the idea of this one but I'm reading it has a lot of QC issues. Plus, it's $36. I might just go with this instead.

Sure.

https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894/

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting-Classes/dp/1402797672/

Also since you're talking about aging:

https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Beer-Tasters-Guide-Improve/dp/161212156X/

Much older but seminal:

https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Jacksons-Beer-Companion-Gastronomy/dp/0762402016/

edit: shorter links

I started out with Cooper's kits, and they worked well. They're Australian, but if they import to the US, they'll probably import to the UK.

Also, you need this book.

Start with Tasting Beer and move on to the Beer Bible when you want something way more in depth.

Food/Beer pairing: The Brewmaster's Table
Business: Brewing Up a Business
General Beer Listings: 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die
Beer Info: Oxford Companion to Beer

Anything by Charles Papazian, this is more than a home brewing book, but it also taught me a lot about beer tasting/ styles.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060952164/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419724088&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060531053/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1419724088&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

http://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Brew-Anheuser-Busch-Americas-Kings/dp/0062009273/

I work at a small book store and this is the one that comes up a lot.

https://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Fourth-Revised/dp/0062215752/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

The Oxford Beer Companion > http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138

960pgs, 160 experts, 1000+ subjects!

The Naked Pint

He doesn't really need to. There's lots of references to sources for this in his previous blog posts, and in his book. The Wikipedia article on IPA is mostly based on his book, anyway.

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

Read this book and try as many of the commercial examples as you can get a hold of. Also, read whatever you can by Michael Jackson (the beer writer, not the pederast.)

I use this link. It gets me be by for about a day if I fall short on finishing a bomber/750 ml.

If you're drinking an IPA drink it from the Spiegelau IPA Glass. Almost anything else can be drank from a Stemmed Pilsner.

Only exception imo are heavy abv bourbon barrel(or other heavy barrel aged) beers. For those I go with a Teku

https://www.amazon.com/Danby-Beverage-Center-Stainless-DBC120BLS/dp/B002MPLYEW

Get a wine diaper and toss it in a box surrounded by bubble wrap. Tell them(UPS or Fedex) you are shipping a bottle of cologne.

http://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-SBO-03-01-S-Biner-Carabiner/dp/B0037H3EB0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347890854&sr=8-1&keywords=S-Biner+Ahh

Spieglau sells a mixed pack of 4 glasses that includes a Hefe, a Pils, a Snifter and an "Ale" glass. I think that's the breakdown. Here's a link to it on Amazon.

Hornsey's A History of Beer and Brewing mentions that Abbot Adalhardus published an ordinance in 822 that monastery tenants (discussed within the scope of what millers weren't to be responsible for) were supposed to gather firewood and hops for brewing purposes. There's a second reference to a tithe of both malt and hops to be given to the porter of the monastery. These are probably the first printed references to hops as an ingredient in beer. This is also mentioned in The Oxford Companion to Beer, albeit in less detail, on p464. "Mainstream" is tough to nail down, but the French were apparently rocking hops in the 9th century. The Oxford Companion goes on to say that the use was widespread by the 11th, though.

We always bring some beer back from trips in our checked luggage. You just have to make sure you're under the weight limit. We brought some Laguinitas from San Fran and Cigar City from Tampa. We just wrap them in our dirty clothes. Haven't had one break yet.

But, we are also going to the Pacific Northwest in 5 weeks and I bought these as extra protection - http://www.amazon.com/WineDiaper-Padded-Absorbent-Bag-Set/dp/B00308FONW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334979571&sr=8-1

Oxford Companion to Beer!
Been reading this quite a bit lately, learning alot that i had no clue about.

It has been part of their marketing for over a century. You can find it on vintage pins and coasters and magazine ads and pamphlets and signs and more. It was such a point of pride that a family conflict arose when they considered abandoning the practice in the 1950s (see this book for the story).

I had a Suck UK, but it broke :(

Now I have a S-Biner. Love it.

http://smile.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-SBO-03-01-S-Biner-Carabiner/dp/B0037H3EB0/

> Under the Influence: The Unauthorized Biography of the Anheuser Busch Dynasty

I read Bitter Brew and shout out to that one, really enjoyed it.

No idea how well the family treated their employees and community and it was a good beer at one point... and then a spoiled selfish son kills a couple people, gets away with it, and ruins the brand.