He Said Beer, She Said Wine

If you are new to beer and wine food pairing, this is the book for you! It truly helps you appreciate the science of beer, wine, and food! Check out my posting at http://rustybeach.com/2008/11/taste-of-heaven/. Cheers!

Accessible, an enjoyable read, and very informative. Wine snobs may sniff, but this book is aimed at those of us who enjoy wine and beer and know just enough to get us in trouble. We forget that only in recent years (and mostly in the US) has wine taken on an elitist air of sorts; for generations it has been an everyday beverage around the world, and this book makes you feel that both beer and wine deserve more frequent and prominent places at your table.

I was surprised, at first, at the modern design of the book regarding mixed fonts and many pictures. It reminds me of how magazine and newspaper articles are formatted thought, so it feels very familiar and accessable to me. I like it. This is a book that's full of information. It would be easy to overwhelm a reader with knowledge all at once. The light style and gentle banter encourages me to read further on than I might if it resembled an encyclopedia in style. I will be keeping it around as a reference book as well as skimming through it for fun. Both Marnie and Sam really know their stuff!

I received this book as a gift and couldn't be more pleased. It's fun and informative without being stuffy. I found He Said Beer, She Said Wine to be very easy to read (unlike one review I read). It's clear, concise and visually appealling. I look forward to hosting the party and highly recomend it as a gift.

He Said Beer, She Said Wine succeeds on so many levels. Marnie and Sam provide the precise point and counterpoint, to keep the reader interested and provide a valuable reference. First, the book is a delight to read. The prose is engaging and the banter is delightful. Right from the opening sentence, "Sam and I have known each other for a long time..." you know you're in for an enjoyable read. Second, the book is very attractive and engaging. The photography is outstanding, clear, informative and fun. The layout of the book is easy to understand and use. It's like a wine and beer encyclopedia that's fun to use. You'll find yourself picking up this book over and over. Third, the serious part of the book which is the descriptions of various wines and beers is more fun than serious should be. Seriously! Each style of wine and beer is described in clear and consistent terms. There are chapters on how to taste wine, and how to taste beer. Novice or expert will enjoy reading how the various flavors embody and enhance both wine and beer, and how similar the two actually are. Finally, I must praise the Rules of Thumb. Where would we be in Western Civilization without Rules of Thumb? When matching wine and beer with food this book excels itself with tips that are to the point, on target and easy to apply. For example, on the consideration of wine or beer with cheese Marnie notes that cheese contains salt and fat both of which are wine-friendly components given wines acidic nature, and Sam counters with amazingly tart beers certainly up to the task such as Belgian Lambics and American Wheats. You choose. In the end everyone is a winner with He Said Beer, She Said Wine. "You Choose" is a challenge to host a dinner party in which both wine and beer are selected and served with the notion of discovering which combinations you prefer. In the end it's a personal decision to choose a wine or beer to accompany food. This book serves as both guide, reference and entertainment to help you make the choices that are right for you. Ten thumbs up.