The Botany of Beer: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 Plants Used in Brewing (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

by Giuseppe Caruso

Marika Josephson (Foreword)

From mass-produced lagers to craft-brewery IPAs, from beers made in Trappist monasteries according to traditional techniques to those created by innovative local brewers seeking to capture regional terroir, the world of beer boasts endless varieties. The diversity of beer does not only reflect the differences among the people and cultures who brew this beverage. It also testifies to the vast range of plants that help give different styles of beer their distinguishing flavor profiles.

This book is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated compendium of the characteristics and properties of the plants used in making beer around the world. The botanical expert Giuseppe Caruso presents scientifically rigorous descriptions, accompanied by his own hand-drawn ink images, of more than 500 species. For each one, he gives the scientific classification, common names, and information about morphology, geographical distribution and habitat, and cultivation range. Caruso provides detailed information about each plant’s applications in beer making, including which of its parts are employed, as well as its chemical composition, its potential toxicity, and examples of beers and styles in which it is typically used. The book also considers historical uses, aiding brewers who seek to rediscover ancient and early modern concoctions.

This book will appeal to a wide audience, from beer aficionados to botany enthusiasts, providing valuable information for homebrewers and professional beer makers alike. It reveals how botanical knowledge can open new possibilities for today’s and tomorrow’s brewers.

• ISBN10: 0231201583
• ISBN13: 9780231201582
• Publish Date: 6 September 2022 (first published 26 July 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Columbia University Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 640
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Botany of Beer is an illustrated technical guide to the plants used in fermentation and is the newest volume in the Arts and Traditions of the Table series. Originally released in 2019 in Italian, this English language translation is due out 9th Aug 2022 from Columbia University Press. It's 640 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is an encyclopedic collection of botany as it intersects brewing, along with a massive herbal containing 500+ plant profiles. It's a huge reference work and an impressively comprehensive one. The profiles are presented alphabetically, by botanical (Latin) name, followed by plant family, description, and salient information such as possible toxicities, habits, distribution, active organic chemical compounds and aromatics, uses in brewing - including styles of beer and specific profiles/brands, and citations for the sources used in each of the profiles.

This is an astoundingly useful book. Rigorously vetted, exhaustively annotated, and up-to-date. The text is peppered with simple botanical monochrome line drawings by the author himself. The translation work is impressively seamless and it's blissfully free from choppy turns of phrase or translation errors. The bibliography and links are likely worth the price of the book and will give readers many hours of further reading. The author has also included a useful glossary which will be helpful for students of botany, and a cross referenced index.

Five stars. Highly recommended for professional and hombrewing enthusiasts, students of botany, homesteaders, microbreweries, foodies, and other food/culture interested readers.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.