Beer’s Faithful Now Have Their Bible

Written by Beppi Crosariol for theglobeandmail.com

Ben Franklin is reputed to have said, “Beer is proof that God loves us.” Probably apocryphal in its attribution, the bumper-sticker classic captures the fun-loving passion with which many people approach the planet’s most popular alcoholic beverage. Now, beer’s faithful have their bible. The Oxford Companion to Beer, a formidable 920-page volume, chronicles the drink’s history, from its birth more than 5,000 years ago in the grasslands of ancient Iraq to the modern craft-beer movement.