Michael Jackson (writer) - Life

Life

Jackson was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire and spent his early years in nearby Wetherby. His father had Anglicised his Lithuanian Jewish surname to Jackson. The family moved to Leeds after the war. He went to King James's Grammar School, Almondbury and became a journalist, most notably in Edinburgh where he first encountered whisky. On his return to London he briefly edited the advertising trade journal "Campaign".

Michael Jackson became famous in beer circles in 1977 when his book The World Guide To Beer was published. This was later translated into more than ten languages and is still considered to be one of the most fundamental books on the subject.

The modern theory of beer style is largely based on the work done by Michael Jackson in his 1977 book The World Guide To Beer in which Jackson categorised a variety of beers from around the world in local style groups suggested by local customs and names.

His work had a special influence on the popularisation of the brewing culture in North America, and he would later around 1990 host a popular show entitled The Beer Hunter, which was shown on Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel. It involved several episodes where in each one he'd visit a different country, one being the UK. Episodes featured beer barrels being lined with pitch or iron foundry workers drinking 'light' beer while they worked in hot conditions to quench thirst, practices which he knew were likely to be ended soon. This landmark series was a success.

During his 30 year career as a critic, he wrote columns for a large number of newspapers and magazines.

Jackson considered beer as a component of culture and described beers in their cultural context. Although he traveled around the world and discovered different beer cultures, he was especially fond of the Belgian beers. He was appointed to an honorary officer of the Ridderschap van de Roerstok in 1997 for his important contribution to the international success of the Belgian beers. This honour had previously only been given to brewers. In 1998, Jackson brought forth his own line of beer glassware. Shortly after, Jackson also helped create and worked with the only beer club he ever endorsed, Michael Jackson's Rare Beer Club.

Michael Jackson was also an important reviewer of whiskies. In his book The Malt Whisky Companion, he reviewed a large number of whiskies and gave them marks from 0–100, considering only those with a score above seventy-five worth purchasing. In many ways, his work in the world of whisky exceeded his significance as a beer writer. He was arguably the most important writer on whisky since the Victorian commentator Alfred Barnard and certainly the most significant and influential modern whisky writer. This was recognized by the prestigious award of "Master of the Quaich" and the prodigious sale of his whisky books and sell-out attendances at his tastings. He had enormous influence on the development of single malt whisky globally.

Apart from his work as a journalist and a critic, he was also a great fan of rugby league.

It was revealed in December 2006 that Michael Jackson "is and has been suffering for at least a decade from Parkinson's Disease." He also suffered from diabetes. Michael Jackson died of a heart attack in his home the morning of 30 August 2007 at the age of 65.