Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the world, the most refreshing, the most sociable, and the most versatile. It has been brewed since the dawn of time and still has the capacity to delight and obsess its many adherents. This bewitching, thirst-inducing, gorgeously illustrated book is a guide to the best beers in the world with a succinct history of the breweries, tasting notes, temperature recommendations, and what food to serve them with. 1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die is an essential guide to the world of beer, offering a tour de force of the global world of brewing. Here you will sample world classics such as the ales of England, the speciality beers of Belgium, the new wave beers of U.S. craft brewers, the magical lagers of Germany and Central Europe, and a host of world beers that will beguile and bedazzle. These are beers with stories to tell, beers that have a history and heritage. These are beers made with passion and pride, beers that have changed the course of brewing history: the first golden lager made in 1842 in Pilsen; the Sri Lankan stout that is a reminder of British Imperial rule; American India Pale Ales, a thoroughly modern take on a Victorian classic; a spicy, quenching Belgian witbier served in a distinctive glass; dark lagers from the Czech Republic that taproom wits suggest are only for women; a spirited woodaged ale from the cultured streets of Edinburgh; and a smoked lager from the Franconian medieval town of Bamberg. The reader might not drink all these beers in their lifetime, but after reading this book they will know which ones will be their personal favorites.