Try before you die

Roger Protz’s latest beer book is essential reading for the enthusiast looking to discover the very best of beers from across the world. Rob Allanson reports

It’s arguably the dream mission for any lover of beer – select 300 beers that you think everyone should try in their lifetime.

And that’s exactly the task that acclaimed beer writer Roger Protz has done with his most ambitious new book, 300 Beers to Try Before You Die, a comprehensive and impressive portfolio of worldwide tipples.

The book is beautifully illustrated and divides into types of beer, including bitters, porters, stouts, and pale ales, each giving a history of the drink and a box for personal tasting notes.

Protz, who has been involved with the Campaign for Real Ale since the 1970s and edits The Good Beer Guide, has already scooped a number of prestigious awards for his coverage about the drinks industry.

He says the book aimed to give a view of the world of amazing beers, from hoppy British real ales to German and Czech Republic lagers, American microbrewed golden ales to Belgium fruit beers.

“The list of 300 beers was compiled with enormous difficulty, from a starting point of 450 beers,” he says.

“Every beer category is there, and I have tasted each one so I know they are good. It took me about four months to compile and write, and was a real dawn to dusk job.

“It was two months before I had got the list down to the target size.

“I was even over taken by events when Greene King bought and closed the Ridley’s brewery.”

The book is targeted at a growing number of beer enthusiasts, who want to try something different.

“Some people think that there is br.....

To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue or subscribe to Beers of the World to have every issue delivered direct to your door.

By Rob Allanson

Section : Beer Profile

Page number : 18