Book Review: Great Food Great Beer

Yes, it is a cookbook from the fine people who make you Budweiser.  What do I like about Great Food Great Beer? Almost everything.  Many beer cookbooks focus on beer as an ingredient.  This book is not like that.  Although some recipes include beer as an ingredient, many of the 185 recipes are plain old recipes.  Personally I have enjoyed cooking with AB products.  They are cheap and the flavor seems to concentrate as it boils down.  I would say if you want the beer to be a bold standout flavor then you will likely need to find a bolder beer.  I don’t want to cry when I dump a bottle of AB in a pot like I would with some other beers.  Right now, my cabinet is typically stocked with either pricier beer or something so hard to find I cannot stand to sacrifice it for a meal.

Every recipe has a suggested beer pairing.  However, most cookbooks have a suggested pairing with a specific beer named.  This book states the style then the matching company product, allowing me to adapt to my preference.  Also, the suggestions go beyond just Budweiser and Bud Light.  The Michelob line of “craft” beer is also referenced in this book.

The recipes are for the most part not pretentious and easy to make.  It is a solid cookbook for novice to intermediate kitchen dwellers.  The beginning of the book contains a short history of Anheuser-Busch, and the basics on pairing, pouring and glassware to assist you in entertaining.  If you are just starting to cook with beer I suggest you purchase this book.

Tags: Anheuser-Busch, Book Review, Cookbook