Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
So, yes, I did buy a beer ‘zine and wasn’t super stoked by the topics covered or the writing. And yes, I did just buy another beer ‘zine from the same person.
But Beer Remembered is a different format. It is about “memorable beers and beer moments from the past few years. These aren’t beer reviews, but vignettes of moments captured…”
This fall has a lot of beer books coming out and add this new book on British cask ale from Des de Moor. I am most interested on the past and future of cask chapters.
The book covers:
I fondly remember the Scholastic Book Fairs during grade school and now there is a second Adult Book Fair this time at Mount Lowe Brewing in Arcadia featuring Octavia’s Bookshelf and Underdog Book Store.
There will be “book readings, “drunk” Q&A with the authors, an art show and auction, a book swap and beer and book pairing and so much more.”
You just might end up with both a 4-pack of beer and books.
I know that Belgian beers and sour beers are at low ebb now but my gut tells me that is a passing phase.
That means now is the time to research and the upcoming book, Hidden Beers of Belgium. The book is still being written but mark it down in your future to read list.
This is the elevator pitch of the book, “Not only is this a useful guide to unheralded Belgian beers, but you’ll learn about the remarkable places these beers are produced and uncover the stories of the inspiring people who make them.”
Maybe I am just not a ‘Zine type of guy. Keep that in mind for this review, mileage may vary.
The first ever Final Gravity is a nice amount of pieces, ten all told. And the variety of writers and angles on craft beer is commendable too. But aside from Lauren Mack’s writing on re-creating Seipp Brewing, nothing really dazzled. And worse, there were two pieces, one about an artist and one about a touring musician that were barely tangential to beer.
The piece written by brewery owner Betty Bollas read more like a to-do calendar than a diary. There was just no spark to it.
I am hoping that issue 2 will have more interesting writing or I should amend to writing that maybe goes a little deeper and finds more of a rhythm to it.
Ron Pattinson if the Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog has been amassing a history of brewing in the United Kingdom and his latest chunk of the timeline has been released ( find it HERE ) .
Blitzkrieg! covers the World War II years and along the other three books: Armistice!, Peace! and Austerity!. The years 1914 to 1973 are now accounted for.
Blitzkrieg! is in two parts, according to Pattinson, “the first volume cover all the fun history bits: brewing materials, techniques and equipment. Along with beer styles and background information about taxation, pubs and brewing restrictions.” The second volume has the recipes along with more brewery information.
The next book is in the pipeline, Free!, covers the years from 1880 to 1914.
Followers of the blog know that I have not given up on the beer and food pairing idea and I feel a bit vindicated when I see David Jesudason’s book “Desi Pubs” was released recently. It is a guidebook and history, of British-Indian bars. I think this will be fascinating even though I do not particularly care for Indian food.
Ten years ago, beer writer Joshua Bernstein published “The Complete Beer Course,” his overview of craft beer in 12 lessons.
Bernstein has a completely revised, updated, and with a new look version 2.0 out now.
If you want to hear him talk about it before you buy it, head to Radio Imbibe to listen to the podcast about it.
Jeppson’s Malört. A spirit that only a few people have heard of but has an outsize reputation. Personally, have not had it and being honest, I will probably read Josh Noel’s book about it before I do. Noel has written extensively about beer and penned the book on Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout so I know his style will probably work well here too. Only downside? We have to wait until 2024.
Do you know who the owner of the first black owned brewery was? I didn’t. But if you read Clint Lanier’s book about Ted Mack and Peoples Brewing like I plan to, then we will both learn some beer history.
Here is a teaser of the story:
“Born a sharecropper in rural Alabama in 1930, Theodore A. (Ted) Mack, Sr., fought in the Korean War and then played football at Ohio State while earning a college degree. Brewing and selling beer, he believed, would be just another peak to attain. After all, it couldn’t be more challenging than his experience in organizing buses to the March on Washington or picketing segregated schools in Milwaukee. This is the story of Mack’s purchase of Peoples Brewing Company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Though he had carefully planned for the historic acquisition, he underestimated the subtle bigotry of Middle America, the corruption of the beer industry, and the failures of the federal government that plagued his ownership. Mack’s ownership of Peoples Brewing is an inspirational story of Black entrepreneurship, innovation and pride at a time when America was at an important racial justice crossroads.”
Strangely, this book is in paperback at a first edition hard cover price, so Kindle may be the way to go. But I would suggest plumping for the actual book at a smaller local bookstore if you can.