There seems to be a never-ending stream of cooking and food shows. From BBQ to cotton candy and pork rinds to durian, there are shows on how to cook, where to eat and even finding the next food celebrity.

Beer, wine and spirits seem to get short shrift in the TV world. But there are options for those who want to learn about beer and be entertained at the same time.

Three Sheets

If you want a good show, you need a host who isn’t just a pretty face and has no idea of what they’re talking about. You need someone who has a passion for the topic.

And you can see that with Zane Lamprey on Three Sheets. He is crazy, and I would never drink half the beverages he has over the course of the show’s run on the Fine Living channel. But you can tell he enjoys the stories behind the liquors and beers he downs. He also has an open mind and an arsenal of witty comments.

I don’t know if it was the same people who got Betty White on Saturday Night Live, but the social media sites helped Three Sheets find a new home on the Travel Channel where you can now catch up on past episodes. [The visit to Munich is my personal favorite.]

Beer America TV

This is a web-only show (for now) and it mainly focuses on tasting beer from all over America. Seems simple but it is not. Reviewing beer on the fly without going off on an unrelated tangent and keeping it fun and educational is really hard. I have tried and I only succeed occasionally.

But Paul and Pink do a good job of being accessible and avoid being snobby or boring you. It helps that they always seem to have really good beer to talk about, including quite a few that you don’t normally see out here in Los Angeles.

The show is a great way to vicariously enjoy beers that you might never get a chance to sample yourself.

Brewed

What has really set the craft beer world abuzz was the news that Dogfish Head owner and all around beer ambassador Sam Calagione is going to host a beer show for the Discovery channel.

This new show will blend the behind the scenes magic from the famous Delaware brewery along with the history of forgotten beer styles.

According to the press release, the show “unlocks a fascinating history of beer making, showcasing the ingenuity and passion behind our love affair with those alluring suds and how it played a role in building civilizations.”

If the show is as good as the beer, it should be fascinating.

Your Homework this week is to check out some of the beer reviews that are posted on YouTube. A warning: as is the case with most videos, 95% are boring and not well lit. But this is a great way to learn more about the art of reviewing beer. It will also expand your beer adjective vocabulary.

In honor of the new Brewed show the Beer of the Week is Festina Peche from Dogfish Head. This is a perennial favorite in not only the fruit beer category but overall too. Festina is a really complex beer. This is not a sticky sweet beer nor is it only faintly peach flavored. This is a great summer beer and also works wonders in the kitchen.

Find more of Sean Inman’s writing on his blog, Beer Search Party.