Category: Beer Books

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A Book & A Beer – The Mezcal Rush


http://www.powells.com/book/mezcal-rush-explorations-in-agave-county-9781619028449/62-0
I was perusing the new food and bev. books at the renovated Glendale Central Library when I noticed The Mezcal Rush tucked in amongst the choices. Not knowing much about either the drink or the author, I took a flyer and checked it out.

Writer Granville Greene takes you to far flung points in the hinterlands of Mexico to mezcal fabricas to introduce us to the maestro mezcaleros who create this agave based spirit. Very distinct from the tequila that Americans know about.

Along the way we learn the process of making Mezcal and the people who make it and their differing opinions on it.

I learned about the diversity of agave plants. Their biology and their destruction and preservation. I learned about what makes Mezcal separate from tequila and the different style variants and I learned about how it is blended and marketed and sold to bars and restaurants for prices north of $100 while the distiller might live in a town with one phone. I also learned that I would make a crappy artisanal Mezcal maker and would probably end up stuck on the spines of an agave. Even weirder still, I learned there is a Mezcal made with poultry and spices called pechuga.

Greene writes with wonder throughout. He treads a fine line between participant, friend, fan and drinker to bring the inside story to those who don’t know about it. He hits several sub-themes that craft beer fans will recognize and though he sometimes prods a particular point a bit hard, still does not come across as preachy. The agave illustrations are really cool as the chapter breaks but I wish there were photos of the fabricas and the people and of the agave harvesting. That would have added another layer to a fascinating tale.

To pair with this dive into the world of Mezcal, the first stop would be Coronitas. The stubby bottles of Corona that are referenced as the drink of choice from small town to small town.

Closer to home, I would pick Foam Top Cream Ale from Beachwood Brewing. There is a Mezcal variant called Crema that made me think of cream ales.

Since I have not seen an agave beer or a beer aged in Mezcal barrels, I will have to recommend Tequila Merkin from Firestone a Walker as a close substitute. But when you drink it, remind yourself that tequila is to Mezcal what an ale is to a lager.

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Mash


I am a voracious reader so when I heard that there was going to be a new beer magazine, and interestingly enough, this new magazine covers “the culture of craft beer in Canada.”

It is named Mash and it wants to “focus on stories about the people who are driving Craft Beer innovation – what inspires and drives them.”

This is cool because here in the U.S. do not know much about the Canadian beer scene so this will be a good way to check in on the beer and people behind it. And plan vacations too.

The premiere issue of MASH will be available this month.

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How to Brew – Revised


When I think of home brewing gurus. Three names leap to mind. Charlie Papazian of course. Drew Beechum of Maltose Falcons fame and then John Palmer who literally wrote the book How to Brew.

And now he has gone an updated it. Subtitled Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time was last revised in 2006. Extra emphasis has been placed on “Palmer’s Top 5 Brewing Priorities” and five brand new chapters have been added covering malting, adjusting wate for style as well as brewing strong beers, fruit beers and sours.

Head over to the Brewers Publications wing of the Brewers Association to order your copy.

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A Book & A Beer – Lincoln in the Bardo


Let’s stay in the nation’s capitol and re-engage with Abraham Lincoln. There was a lot of glowing reviews of Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. So much so that I quickly added it to my library “want” list.

Well, turns out, it was not the book for me. It started with the screenplay, staccato format that Saunders employs throughout the book. It is a combination of lines of dialogue and quotes pulled from history books. Just when you get into a rhythm with the the three main voices (characters), you get a chapter with the history quotes. It is hard to build up to a climax when the story keeps getting undercut.

The second issue is that neither Abraham or Willie Lincoln is in the book all that much. The story is about the grief of dying and leaving your mortal coil. But neither gets much time in the pages. I kept wanting to know more about Willie and kept getting pulled away from him. If Saunders wanted to focus on the others stuck in the Bardo, why use Willie Lincoln as just a plot driver?

It is a pity because the idea of a Bardo and how one ends there after death, and how one gets out (if at all), is a good starting point. Easy to populate a universe of characters operating under certain rules known and unknown.

Beer choice, wise, you can’t get too on point than to recommend a beer from the forthcoming Lincoln Beer Company of Burbank. Perhaps the Honeysuckle Session ale that you could sip whilst reading the book.

You could also go for Acoustic Ales Unplugged – Heaven Hill an Imperial Stout with Belgian Chocolate Aged in Heaven Hill whiskey Barrels.

If you want to honor Lincoln’s state, then maybe choose Off Color’s Troublesome Gose to drink while the mischief making ghosts create havoc.

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Book Review – Hoptopia


The backstory on hops coming from Oregon is on partial display in Hoptopia by Peter Kopp traces hops from their start in Oregon up to the craft beer boom.

As happens with many beer books, the story just grinds to a halt once you hit Y2K. There is a bit of an epilogue but it seems that a general wrap up with a nod towards the future could be beefed up.

I wouldn’t even worry if the preceding chapters were not so interesting. You learn how the hop plant made it to Oregon. Spoiler – It wasn’t growing here before. You learn of the hop barons. There are tidbits of how Oregon hops made their way into Guinness beers and then, to me, most fascinating is the long and slow slog to start hop breeding and how one person, really set the wheels in motion for developing new varietals.

You will want to look up the name Dr. Alfred Haunold. Then thank him the next time you are drinking an IPA.

You get not only agriculture but business, people, labor force news a whole cornucopia of not just the hop cone but all the surrounding factors that go into growing and harvesting.

I was dog-earing pages left and right as I furiously flipped through this book on my Kindle. I just wish it had been longer.

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Craft Obsession


If you Tweet about beer or get invited to beer events on Facebook, then Craft Obsession by Jeff Rice might be of interest.

The Social Rhetorics of beer sub- title betrays the fact that the author is a professor (University of Kentucky in this case) but this looks to be the first beer that I have heard about that will attempt to draw links between social media and beer.

Probably best read on a Kindle.

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A Book & A Beer – The Apple Orchard by Pete Brown


When I hear that Pete Brown has a new book out, it goes on my radar to read as soon as I can. He has the ability to be folksy and technical and to cut through the noise surrounding a topic. Be it IPA history or Shakespeare’s Local.

The history of how apples spread across the country is a fascinating one followed by the fascinating topic of how to graft an apple tree to make sure you get the same type of apple, as is re-creating heritage apples and creating new apple varieties.

I mean who amongst us knew that apples basically migrated from Kazakhstan? I liked that the book was structured to follow the growing season and that each chapter had such tidbits of information. Once I grew accustomed to the fact that this was more of a shallow skim across the world of apples with some deeper dives, the book grew on me more and more.

For someone with little knowledge of apples barring a few trips to Oak Glen here in SoCal, this book provides a lot of fun facts.

To drink, well, it’s obvious ain’t it?

Golden State Cider
“Mighty Dry is a champagne-like cider that pairs perfectly with any moment of the day. It’s just dry enough. It’s perfectly balanced, and crispy (if not crispier) as biting into a freshly picked apple.”

101 Cider House
Scrumpy, the flagship cider is their hazy meets barnyard version

Reverend Nat’s
“My newest release is Revival Hard Apple and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share it with you. I start with a secret blend of Washington-grown apples and add piloncillo, dark brown evaporated cane juice, purchased direct from Michoacan, Mexico. I ferment this dark base to all the way to dry using two exotic yeast strains: a beer yeast known for the round mouthfeel in Saisons and a rarely-used secret culture which produces aromas of pineapple, guava and peaches. This cider is brilliantly golden in color and deeply complex while remaining subtly familiar, with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity to be an everyday beverage.”

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A Book & A Beer – The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis


In the Undoing Project, Michael Lewis relates the story of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two Israeli psychologists who asked the question, “How does the mind work?” But they looked at the question from the point of view of decision making.

By pushing together various fields into psychology this unlikely duo was able to come up with some extremely contrary, at the time, findings about how we humans choose.

I usually find no fault in a Lewis book. Moneyball was a fascinating look at the person and the process at the same time. The Big Short took a complicated economic problem and made it so relatable that a movie was made from it.

Undoing though starts with a really long ramble about an NBA general manager that, to me, only tangentially connects to the two people in the book and from that point on, Lewis seems to be split between focusing on the theory or the people behind it. The two halves just don’t fit together even though the pair’s working relationship is fascinating and their work is too.

To pair with this book, you need to travel to the places in America where they did work. Eugene, Oregon, Michigan and the Bay Area….

Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale – “Multiple kinds of caramel malts are used to create caramel, toffee, date, fig, subtle chocolate, and a hint of roasted malt complexity. The hops lend to an earthy and floral hoppiness to balance the malt. The balance of the two aspects with the alcohol content make for an incredibly drinkable and full-flavored beer.”
Founders Palm Reader – “A tribute to our beautiful state, this refreshing ale is made with Michigan-grown Crystal and Zuper-Saazer hops. Derived from Saaz, a traditional noble hop hailing from the Czech Republic, these Zuper-Saazer hops, grown locally at Hophead Farms, impart intense and fruity aromas. Combined with the citrus notes of the Crystal hops and the simple malt bill, this beer is crisp, bright and delicious.”

or you could get a Berkeley beer from Fieldwork. A nod to conducting trials outside the lab. Maybe one of their Field Trial beers or their Golden Ruel DIPA.

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Beer Book Review – The Complete Beer Course by Joshua Bernstein


Is it weird that I really like the design of the book jacket for the Complete Beer Course by Joshua Bernstein but that I think the inside design doesn’t really reach that level?

Nitpicky for sure but a coffee table book kind of demands a design that a simple novel or non-fiction book doesn’t require. The information provided within is absolutely fine. Bernstein personalizes the proceedings throughout making him a relatable guide through the book. But the flow of the book just keeps getting slowed with little boxes of fun facts throughout that combined with the graphics and photos make going from one paragraph to another a little more of a hunt than it needs to be.

I also did not like the chapter heading collage for each “lesson”. It was if someone slapped down a few representative labels and called it a day. I also would have liked more style coverage to replace the beer and food pairing section especially considering the fact that Bernstein was merely a conduit for that part of the book.

That being said, this is a really nice gift to give someone who is entering into the world of craft beer or someone who has started but could round out their education. The words work.