Pairing books with beer

October 24, 6:45 AMBook ExaminerMichelle Kerns

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I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle. - Raymond Chandler

 Ales, both pale and dark:

Ales lend themselves well to vigorous literature--adventures, thrillers, spy novels, horror, serious science fiction, and hard-boiled mysteries. Several types of modern, quasi-classic British mysteries featuring the ever-expanding class of brooding Detective Inspectors (Inspector Wexford; Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley; Susannah Stacey's Inspector Bone) also taste great with ale, as do light comedic works by British or American authors.

My personal favorites in the ale category are Newcastle Brown Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, both of which I have imbibed in large quantities while reading various works.

Recommendations: Try an ale with any of the following:

- The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - John le Carre

- Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson

- A Great Deliverance - Elizabeth George

- Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome

- Right Ho, Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse

 

Guinness, draught and extra stout:

For aficionados like me, no beer can come close to the delightful taste of an ice cold Guinness. In fact, I like it so much that once, I managed to drink an entire pitcher of Guinness all by my lonesome AND walk out of the establishment without assistance. However, I did not much feel like reading the next day.

Recommendations: Ample experience has taught me that Guinness is best served with:

- Ulysses - James Joyce

- All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot

- intensely detailed biographies of rock bands, such as the 2006 manifesto The Beatles by Bob Spitz.