"The complete story of beer, from ancient Egypt to contemporary micro-brewery styles, with an emphasis on the art of tasting and appreciating this ever popular beverage. Every beer has a unique, specific flavor, and this can be analyzed and examined in much the same way as wine. The difference is that while the qualities of a wine will differ from year to year, the skill of the brewer is revealed by the ability to achieve the same result each and every time. 'The taste of beer' will explore the way in which brewers work, describing brewing methods used around the world and explaining how the basic ingredients--barley, hops, water and yeast--combine to give each beer its individual character. A unique feature of 'The taste of Beer' is the flavor wheel, which is based on the method that brewers use to analyze the balance of flavors when making beers. Roger Protz explains the principles of the flavor wheel and provides 1 for each of the 3 main brewing styles. 'The Taste of Beer' is also a guide to appreciation of beer with an entire chapter devoted to the pleasures of beer drinking, including suggestions for organizing a beer tasting at home as well as the art of drinking beer with food. This book restores beer to its rightful place as the ultimate drink, and brings together many of the interesting traditions associated with its drinking."--Publisher description.