Editor of New Beer Encyclopedia Talks Hops, Barley and History

Garrett Oliver loves to sit down with a good beer. The Brewmaster of the well-known Brooklyn Brewery has been talking a lot about his favorite subject lately: he just completed editing and overseeing the publishing of The Oxford Companion To Beer, a massive tome of nearly 900 pages, including the arcane and the historical, as well as definitions of some commonly used beer production techniques. It’s worth it just to page through this compendium, which took more than four years to compile, with the aid of 166 writers from 24 countries. At the end of the book, there’s a great guide to beer festivals around the world, as well as a complete listing of beer appreciation societies/enthusiast’s clubs. We met for a beer and a chat at The Map Room in Bucktown, where I was curious about what he would choose to drink. Not a surprise, really, when you see the video.