Small Town Boy

  For the first time, information on all of Germany's 1,250 or so breweries has been collected together in one volume. And since Britons and Americans are more interested in Germany's varied brewing scene than the Germans themselves, it should come as no surprise to learn that the book is published in the UK.  Previously, the only source of information on breweries in Germany was a number of (again mostly English-language) guides to specific areas, such as Munich, Bamberg/Franconia and Düsseldorf. This new guide (it was published last month) presents all of Germany's breweries -- from the Munich and north-German giants down to local brew-pubs.   The beginning section provides some background on beer and brewing in Germany, but quickly jumps into the meat of the book: a list of every brewery in the country, with information on their history, contact details, brewery tap opening times and public transport information. Each entry comes complete with a list of the regular and seasonal beers brewed and their alcoholic percentages. Entries are split by Land and then alphebetically by village/town. At the back, a list of pubs for each city suggests places to try particularly good beers or places that have a good selection.   Incidentally, the author rates his five favourite breweries as: Augustiner (Munich), Göller, Mahr's, Pinkus and St. Georgen -- unsurprisingly, only two of those five aren't in Franconia.   As an insufferable beer snob, I ordered this book hot off the press, and it will without doubt quickly become my Bible Highly recommended for fellow beer snobs.   Amazon.de: Good Beer Guide Germany