A primer on the history of beer; its place among peoples like the Sumerians and Egyptians and the Medieval Benedictines; learning about figures like Dukes William IV and Ludwig X of Bavaria and the Reinheitsgebot; the origin of British pub signs.

Discovering how beer is made; exploring ingredients like malt and hops; which geographic regions of the world each variety comes from; Scott Jennings explains the process of how a brewery produces award-winning beer.

Different fermentation techniques result in different styles and flavors; exploring this concept with the help of examples; ice beers; light beers; dry beers; unique categories like gueuze and lambics.

Ale as a type of beer; its diverse classifications; investigating popular versions like pale ales, India pale ales and Scotch ales; porters and stouts are also ales; the unique characteristics of each sub-type.

Germany's impact on beer history cannot be overstated; this is prevalent when consuming a glass of lager; it is a difficult beer to brew; this category includes styles like doppelbocks, marzens, and the increasingly popular Oktoberfest.

The beer industry; the world's leading beer brand; the market share of Budweiser and Coors Light; what top producers like Anheuser-Busch InBev, and micro and regional breweries mean for the industry.