Torn between two beverage loves? You are not alone. Charles Bamforth, head of the brewing program at the University of California, Davis, has long been a devotee of beers but also somewhat of a grudging admirer of wines and the mystique they evoke. And so he has written about both sides of the beverage world.

In his new book "Grape vs. Grain: A Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer," published in March by Cambridge University Press, Bamforth weighs the merits of both types of beverages.

"I do not seek to decry wine. Rather, I aim to demonstrate why brewers can hold their heads high in the knowledge that their liquid is every ounce the equal of wines by any yardstick you choose to nominate," writes Bamforth.

The 224-page book includes social commentary on beer and wine, and comparisons of their histories, production techniques, types and styles, healthfulness and future outlooks.

Despite his understandable preference for beer, Bamforth notes that promoters and producers of both wine and beer can find valuable lessons in each other's successes.

"I believe that the brewer has much to learn from the winemaker with regard to re-establishing their product as an integral component of a wholesome lifestyle," he writes. "Equally, the winemaker must doff his or her cap to the brewer insofar as technical matters go."

Bamforth is the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences and chair of UC Davis' Department of Food Science and Technology.

He began his work in the brewing industry in 1978 and joined the UC Davis faculty in 1999. Before coming to UC Davis, he served as deputy director-general of Brewing Research International and research manager and quality assurance manager of Bass Brewers.

He serves as a special professor in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham, England. He also is a fellow of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, a fellow of the Institute of Biology and a fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.

Bamforth has written several books on beer and brewing, including "Scientific Principles of Malting and Brewing" (2006), "Food, Fermentation and Micro-organisms" (2005), "Beer: Health and Nutrition" (2004), "Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing" (2003) and "Standards of Brewing: Formulas for Consistency and Excellence" (2002). He also is the co-author of "Essays in Brewing Science" (2006).