Ever since the onset of Oktoberfest [1], I've had beer on the brain. Naturally I decided to break out my copy of The Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook [2]. The tome is authored by John Schlimm, a descendant of the Straub beer empire [3]. The collection, which took 10 years to compile, employs beer in every single one of its 400-plus recipes. To see what I think of the cookbook, .

Pros:

• Schlimm isn't afraid to experiment with beer, and his exhaustive cookbook doesn't leave behind a single category of food or drink.
• The cookbook contains well-organized chapters. Rather than dedicating one chapter to beer drinks, the author splits the drinking portion into seven different drink chapters that include chasers, party punches, and floats, and milkshakes.

Cons:

• The recipes don't include recommendations for beer varieties. Would a cheddar beer soup really taste as good with an IPA as it would a stout?
• Some recipes are short on specifics. For example, one sausage recipe calls for six sausage links, rather than specifying the ounces.

Recipes: The recipes are simple, concise, and generally only a few short steps. The book covered everything, including:

• Breads, Pancakes, and Doughs — basil bread, buckwheat pancake rolls
• Wild Game — elk, bear steak, squirrel dinner for two
• Desserts — easy vanilla cake, butterscotch tarts

Imagery: There are no pictures in the book.

Overall Rating: Mixed. Pictures would have made a huge difference, but I am excited to have a new cookbook that encourages me to experiment with beer in ways I never imagined. This would make an excellent gift for a fellow beer lover.

Have you checked out this book? If so, what did you think?