The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen is on a quest for perfection, from the perfect pizza to what makes the perfect Thanksgiving meal.

In the 12 episodes of The Everyday Guide to Beer, Dr. Charlie Bamforth and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company take you on a journey through the history of this surprisingly complex beverage. You'll learn how popular styles like pilsners, IPAs, and stouts were originally developed, and how daring new types of beer continue to push the envelope on what a beer is...and isn't.

Now that you've traveled through beer's history, you're ready to discover how it's made. You'll go in depth with ingredients like malt and hops, and which geographic regions of the world each variety comes from. Then, Sierra Nevada's Head Brewer Scott Jennings will take you through the process of how this elite brewery produces its award-winning beer.

Ale is one of beer's most significant and diverse classifications. Here, you'll investigate popular versions like pale ales, India pale ales (IPAs), and Scotch ales. But did you know that porters and stouts are also ales? Go in depth with this important beer category and then discover the unique characteristics of each sub-type.

The world's leading beer brand has significantly more market share than Budweiser and Coors Light combined, and you've likely never heard of it. In this episode on the business of beer, find out how this is possible and what top producers like Anheuser-Busch InBev, and micro and regional breweries, all mean for the industry as a whole.

Did you know that the aroma from hops is made up of at least 420 different compounds? Learn the typical flavor each type of malt infuses into a beer and how different chemicals combine to form the sweet, salt, sour, or bitter notes each style is known for. Conclude with the proper serving temperature for most of the major beer types you've learned about in previous episodes.

Pairing beer with food effectively can take practice, but a few important tips will help you plan that next meal with confidence. Whether matching beer with existing recipes or actually adding it into a dish, beer's versatility should not be undersold. Experience a five-course dinner menu with beer pairings, specially prepared by Jessie Massie, head chef at Sierra Nevada's Mills River Taproom.

Nutritious or just empty calories? In this final episode, Dr. Bamforth will take you through the health benefits and risks associated with beer consumption, such as recommended consumption limits and why moderation has been preached since this beverage's early days. However, beer also contains antioxidants and an array of vitamins like niacin, folic acid, and riboflavin.

What is Mediterranean cooking? Start your exploration by learning to cook some of the small dishes that populate menus around the region. Watch as Chef Bill Briwa creates pinchos morunos, or skewered food in the style of the Moors; a brandade of salt cod, which is popular in many Mediterranean countries; and dolmas stuffed with rice.

As you move south to the milder weather of central Italy, watch a step-by-step demonstration on making pasta from scratch for a savory pappardelle with ragù Bolognese, along with a salad accompaniment of bitter greens that serves as a digestive, and a simple first course - stracciatelle soup.