1. Beer:The Ultimate World Tour
ByBill Yenne
Preface by Fergal Murray
Master Brewer, Guinness, Dublin
I have worked in the world of beer for nearly 30 years. I was taught by the masters of their craft in a
brewery where knowledge and skillwere handed down through more than two centuries, but more
than anything, I gained from them a sense of passion for what it takes to be a brewer.
During my career, I have brewed beer on two continents, and I have traveled to over 50
different nations on every continent. I would guess that I have had at least one beer in each of these
countries. I suppose I’ve probably been in more bars across more nations than most of my fellow
beer lovers. I’ve been in brewhouses and bottling halls all over the world and I’ve witnessed a lot
of passion and dedication to the brewing of great beer.
For all brewers, the four basic ingredients—water, malt, hops, and yeast—are fundamentally
the only way to make great beer. As I have learned, and as I advise everyone who brews, a good
brewer starts with a clear and precise process, practices a recipe, and continues to practice the
same recipe to be consistent and to maintain and improve the quality. As I often say, watch your
hygiene, mind your yeast, and cherish the goodness that comes from the malt base. As an old
brewer once told me, “get it right in the brew house, and with good yeast, everything else is just
time.”
However, for a brewer to become a master brewer is to exude a passion for our craft, and to put
heart and soulinto our beer.
I’ve have had some extraordinary beer experiences, made remarkable by great locations, great
breweries, and unique events and situations to celebrate. I’ve savored my beer in exclusive high-end
bars, in street cornerpubs, in beach taverns, and in jungle shacks.
I fondly remember one atrociously hot sweltering night in Lagos many years ago, just after
another military coup. We got into one of those traffic jams you can only get into in Africa, where
cars, buses, trucks, cows, goats, sheep, people, and all of God’s creations merge, and chaosprevails.
(When this happens, you do not try to think how to solve the problem—it can’t be done.) This night,
two colleagues and I,with our drivers, had gotten out the brewery gate and had entered the fray. I
remember that when we realized we had not moved, and the air conditioning in the cars was
beginning to falter, we got out of our cars to survey the scene. My colleagues and I, seasoned in
Africa, realized that our situation was hopeless.
At that moment,we saw a table beneath a canvas-roofed establishment marked with a poster of a
bottle of beer. Most important, we saw thatthey had stock in a cold bucket. We entered to the

2. surprise of the young woman, who up until then had probably never experienced three expats
attempting to sit on her makeshift bench beside the street, and asking for a beer. From that moment
on, one of the great beer experiences of my life unfolded. We were an attraction. Soon the corner bar
was overwhelmed with onlookers. It turned into one of those occasions when the one common desire
for cold beer transcended allthoughts and concerns. The stories, the fun, the camaraderie were all
amazing. Eventually the traffic subsided, and everyone went on his way, but after that, on our way
home, we regularly went back to that same table and that cold bucket of beer.
Did you know that next to water and tea, beer is the beverage most consumed by human
beings across the globe? More that 200 billion liters are consumed each year.
Never has beer, and the enjoyment of beer, been more diverse, more active than it is today. Even
as traditional beer markets are declining, new, emerging markets are growing, along with innovative
brands and fabulous craft brewers developing everywhere.
I read a document recently from one of the brewers’ associations, which classified over 140
different styles of beer. I know this is growing, and with so much diversity, and so many amazing
fantastic tastes, the world of beer hasneverbeen more exciting.
As an adorer of great beers, I have found that experiencing great beers is more than just the
beer itself. We must have a great bar, a place where it just feels right. Whether it may be a street
bar, a high-end, five-star, state-of-art bar, or an iconic, history-laden pub, it just has to have
something magic about it. Then we need a great bartender, a bartender who knows how to craft
and serve a beer so that looks absolutely gorgeous in every way—because it is with our eyes that
first savor our beer.
Only then do we take pleasure in our reward, when allthe wonderfulflavors and textures
awaken our senses and bring to life the beer, a refreshing experience that enhanceslife’s journey.