1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die is Now on Sale at a Bookstore Near You

Today is the official launch date for 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die. While people have been able to pre-order the book at a discount on several websites for the last few months, this is the first day you should be able to find it on a bookstore shelf.

The 960-page book was edited by Adrian Tierney-Jones, one of the top beer writers from the United Kingdom. It contains contributions from 42 writers around the globe about beers from 69 different countries. I was lucky enough to be selected to contribute a total of 24 beers to the mix and I'm happy to be joined by a who's who of U.S. beer journalists, including Jay Brooks, Lew Bryson, Chuck Cook, Stan Hieronymus, Lisa Morrison, Randy Mosher, Chris O'Brien and Don Russell.

The book lives up to its name by providing a roster of beers any true beer fan should look for as they travel. Tierney-Jones explains in the introduction that it is not meant to be a ranking of the 1001 best beers in the world, but instead serve as a guide of the brews you should try during the period of your life between the time you reach legal drinking age and when you check out. For that reason you will find the likes of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Foothills Sexual Chocolate in this dictionary-thick almanac of ale.

In an age when Rate Beer and Beer Advocate allow the average beer fan to give a score to any brew they taste, and magazines like All About Beer, DRAFT and a host of others provide tasting notes in each issue, 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die is certainly not the only source available on notable beers from around the globe. But the book does a good job in expertly explaining each beer and brewery in roughly 350 words, most with an appetizing photo showing the bottle and a perfect pour in the appropriate glass. I am certainly biased, but I would argue the book makes a perfect Father's Day, Mother's Day, Birthday, Graduation or holiday gift for anyone who is into beer.

As a side note, I went through the book to see how many of the beers I've had over the years. Even with 30 years of beverage writing, my rough count is just 402 of the 1001. Not even half way home. I'll add the others to my personal bucket list and get started on them immediately.