''The Oxford Companion to Beer'', abbreviated ''OCB'', is a book in the

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

Oxford Companions ''Oxford Companions'' is a book series published by Oxford University Press, providing general knowledge within a specific area. The first book published in the series was ''The Oxford Companion to English Literature'' (1932), compiled by the ret ...

published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. The book provides an alphabetically arranged reference to

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

, compiled and edited by

Garrett Oliver Garrett Oliver (born July 29, 1962) is an American brewer and beer author from New York City. Since 1994, he has worked as the brewmaster at the Brooklyn Brewery. Early life Oliver grew up in Hollis, Queens to a father who enjoyed hunting and coo ...

with a foreword by U.S. chef

Tom Colicchio Thomas Patrick Colicchio (; born August 15, 1962) is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, whic ...

. Published in 2011, the work draws on 166 contributors from 24 countries to amass over 1,100 entries on beer.Martineau, Chantal, ''The Village Voice'' (September 23, 2011)
Brooklyn Brewery's Garrett Oliver On The Oxford Companion to Beer
/ref>

Reception

Eric Asimov Eric Asimov (born July 17, 1957) is an American wine critic and food critic for ''The New York Times''. Early life Asimov was born in Bethpage, New York, the son of Stanley Asimov, former vice-president for editorial administration at ''Newsd ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the work as a "mammoth undertaking ... encyclopedic in scope", and that the editor has "captured the blossoming of a global beer culture at a thriving moment". Critical opinion of the work has also been voiced, with contentions that the ''OCB'' perpetuates certain beer history myths, and other omissions published by writers and beer enthusiasts, some of whom ''OCB'' contributors themselves.Risen, Clay, ''The Atlantic'' (October 31, 2011)
The Problem With Guides to Beer Drinking: There Just Aren't Enough
/ref> Shortly after publication an unofficial wiki site was launched to "make comments, add annotation, identify errata and suggest further sources to the text of ''The Oxford Companion to Beer''".OCBeerCommentary Wiki archived at A Good Beer Blog
/ref>

References

External links

OUP U.S.
an
OUP UK
''The Oxford Companion to Beer'' information {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxford Companion To Beer 2011 non-fiction books Oxford University Press reference books