Reddit mentions of Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide

Depends what you're looking for.

For the classic, you can't do better than anything by Michael Jackson. This one is very good, as is this. For a more contemporary approach, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery both have very good books. Sam's book focuses mostly on contemporary beers and breweries, and is light of actual process and history. Garrett's does a better job of covering those things; if you get his book and like it, keep an eye out for The Oxford Companion to Beer, of which he is the editor, and which is coming out in 2011.

I got Michael Jacksons Great Beer Guide for christmas a few years back and loved it. It's not exactly sleek, but is a book of 500 great beers with descriptions on taste and their brewing. I thought it was a great way to find out about the HUGE range of flavors in beer and what was actually out there. Also Great Lakes is represented three times (Dortmunder Gold, Edmund Fitzgerald, and Elliot Ness). When I got it from my brother, he bookmarked his favorites.

I also second analog_guy's suggestion of Tasting Beer.

By the way, Great Lakes Sample Pack FTW!

Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide: (by Michael Jackson): The description says: "The world's 500 best beers!" So, it's a catalog of beers. There are many of these indeed (see below). I think, websites like Beer Advocate fill in the need for this kind of books. But, could still make a good gift :) Amazon score: 4.5/5 stars

Similar books:

• The Beer Book: Your drinking Companion to Over 1,700 Beers -- Breweries; Tasting; Notes; Tours (by Tim Hampson)
  
• The Beer Guide (by Josh Oakes)
  
• The World Atlas of Beer: The Essential Guide to the Beers of the World (by Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont)

Also, he did love his beer