We consider ourselves humble students of beer, always looking for a good new book or website, and frequently checking the ones we have grown to trust. Yesterday during a panel at the Women Chef and Restaurateurs National Conference, Tammy and several other regional beeries were asked for some good sources on beer.

It got us thinking: out of the non-blog resources out there about beer, what bubbles to the top? Below are our top five, in no particular order (and probably no surprise, since we mention these often). We’d love to hear what yours are, so cite those references in the comments section…APA format optional.

1. Anything by Michael Jackson, the end all, be all beer guru, is a must. Ask someone you consider to be a beer expert what they have read and MJ’s books are on their list. We guarantee it.

2. Beertown.orgis the Brewers’ Association website and has a great beer info and education page, as well as tons of nitty-gritty info about homebrewing and the craft beer industry.

3. Beer Advocatehas a very thorough set of Beer 101 pages in their education section and tons of descriptions and ratings for almost every beer known to man by regular old joes and janes just like you.

4. All About Beer magazine doesn’t have the sexiest or most up-to-date website, but we look forward to getting the actual magazine every two months. It’s always full of good stuff…all about beer (duh).

5. The Naked Pint came out earlier this year and is a very informative, witty, and thorough book by Hallie Beaune and queen of the popular blog Beer for Chicks, Christina Perozzi. Tammy’s reading the book now and we’re going to have the chance to meet the L.A. women beer expert authors later this month. (Sorry folks-it’s a media-only event, but we’ll write about meeting them and plenty more about the book soon.) The Lagerheads have Sam Chapple-Sokol of Humble Gourmand and Inkwell fame to thank for turning us on to it. We’ll get your copy back to you unscathed, buddy!