October 16, 2000 -- There can be no questioning the fact that Michael Jackson's Pocket Beer Guide is an indispensable asset for any beer aficionado. It is. Concise, informative and well-organized, the Pocket Guide will stimulate the imagination of any beer traveller almost as much as it will serve to coax the coin out of your pocket the next time you find yourself dithering over whether or not to buy that new imported ale.

The question, then, is whether this 7th edition is sufficiently revised from the 6th to warrant its purchase. And the answer depends on where you live, how far afield you travel and what you drink.

For North Americans who already own the 6th edition Pocket Beer Guide, the 7th will be disappointing. The number of pages devoted to the Americas drops to 41 from 52, with the US losing five pages (33 instead of 38) and Canada shedding a full quarter of its allotted space (down to six pages from eight). And even within that reduced page count, there are problems.

Take Canada, for example. Included in the listing for my home country are Tall Ship (RIP 1997), Brasal (RIP 1998) and Shaftebury (acquired by Sleeman in early 1999). Absent are several notable breweries such as Kawartha Lakes Brewing, les Brasseurs RJ (the amalgamation of three Qu‚bec breweries) and R&B, all of which have been around for years. The US listings are better, but some sacrifices obviously had to be made for space.

Europeans, on the other hand, fare much better. Germany's entry is increased to 50 pages from 44, the United Kingdom gains a few pages and Italy is separated from the Southern Europe entry and given its own four pages. Residents of and travellers to these countries will benefit from the new edition.

So why the uneven update? When we chatted at the Great British Beer Festival earlier this year, Jackson told me that new book was actually never meant for English language publication. According to the Beer Bard, the update was intended only for the German market, and so while he made every effort to assure that the North American info was as current as possible, he didn't spend as much time on it as he did on the German entries. A frustrating situation, he said, but one over which he had little control.

You, however, have plenty of control over what you buy. So I would suggest that you exercise that control if: a) you have the 6th edition Pocket Beer Guide; and b) you are not planning on travelling in Europe over the course of the next year. Otherwise, go out and buy a copy for yourself and another for someone you love.

In the USA:

The Running Press Pocket Guide to Beer

Michael Jackson

Running Press, Philadelphia, 2000

$12.95

Elsewhere:

Michael Jackson's Pocket Beer Book

Michael Jackson

Mitchell Beazley, London, 2000

BP8.99

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