The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beer Tasting

Choosing a beer is no longer a simple process, as the beverage has gone from a world of relatively small offerings from major brewers to a universe of hundreds of unique styles from around the world. The Complete Idiot's GuideR to Beer Tasting is a comprehensive introduction to the vast styles and complex characteristics of beer, including brewing style, the yeasts and hops that determine taste and character, how the various grains are used in brewing, and more.

Readers will discover how the brewing process can affect a beer, learn to recognize beer tasting notes and aromas, identify unique styles, select the right glassware, and much more.

Rita Kohn is a passionate craft beer aficionado and the author of 20 books including True Brew: A Guide to Craft Beer in Indiana and Full Steam Ahead: Reflections on the Impact of the First Steamboat on the Ohio River. In addition, Kohn is a playwright, producer of documentaries with WFYI public television in Indianapolis, and a senior writer with NUVO Newsweekly as their craft beer columnist and reviewer of local arts and culture. Her by-line also currently appears in Indiana Living Green. Kohn holds degrees from Buffalo State College, New York, and Illinois State University, which awarded her Outstanding Alumni Award in 2003.

The Upland Brewing Company takes its name from the rolling hills of southern Indiana and has been brewing ales, lagers, and sours in Bloomington, Indiana since 1998. Many of their brews are unique twists on traditional recipes, while others are products of their own imaginations. Their beers have received several international medals and awards, but their core philosophy is about brewing the kinds of beer they like to drink, and providing fresh, local options to their communities. The name "Upland" comes from the Norman and Crawford Uplands, the term geologists gave to the area of southern Indiana that was never overrun by the glaciers that flattened much of Indiana's northern landscape. The raised highlands or "uplands" remained untouched, resulting in a region of rugged, heavily wooded hills and hollows.