Books for the Beer Lover in Your Life.

Name: Houston Beer
Brand: Ronnie Crocker
SKU: 9781609495374
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

To a real beer lover, their favorite local brew is more than a cold drink on a hot day. It’s the taste of local pride, the culture of place, and bragging rights that stretch back decades or more. Put a pin anywhere on the map, there are traditions and stories that connect the iconic brews of today with the past, from Akron, Alaska, and Albuquerque Beer, to Utica, Vermont, and Washington beers. Whether a home brewer or a craft ale connoisseur, these are books that will please the palette of the most ardent lager lover in your life.

15 products

Sort

Central New York Beer:

Houston Beer

9781609495374

$21.99

From the early days, and long before Americans had ever heard the term "craft beer," settlers in the Bayou City excelled in the art of ales, stouts and lagers. In 1913, it was a Houston brewery that claimed the distinction of "the world's finest bottled beer" after winning an international competition in Belgium. The unfortunate rise of Prohibition put the industry on hold, but recent years have seen a strong resurgence. At the beginning of 2008, Saint Arnold Brewing Company was the only craft brewery in Houston. Just a few years later, there are five and counting within an hour's drive of downtown. Journalist and "Beer, TX" blogger Ronnie Crocker chronicles Houston's long and surprising history of brewing, tracing everything from the grand legacy of Anheuser-Busch to the up-and-coming craft beer makers and those brewing it right at home.

Utica Beer:

9781626193383

$24.99

Riding the wave of industries brought by the Erie Canal, Utica experienced a tremendous boom in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries--and it was all fueled by beer. Thirsty laborers lubricated their days with after-work ales and lagers made by crafters like the Oneida Brewing Company and Gulf Brewing Company. Brewing was a Utica industry in its own right, boasting more than forty breweries operating since 1801. Prohibition nearly sounded the death knell for the trade, but the Matt family's West End Brewing Company endured, becoming the first in the country to commence brewing in 1933. Thanks to their Saranac beer, the craft beer movement is old news for residents of the Handshake City, who have been enjoying these local favorites for more than 125 years. Join beer scholar Daniel Shumway as he explores the hoppy history of Utica beer.

Portland Beer:

9781609498818

$21.99

Was it the water or the quality hops? The deep-rooted appreciation of saloon culture? How did Portland, Oregon, become one of the nation's leaders in craft beer cultivation and consumption, with more than fifty breweries in the city limits? Beer writer and historian Pete Dunlop traces the story of Rose City brewing from frontier saloons, through the uncomfortable yoke of temperance and Prohibition, to the hard-fought Brewpub Bill and the smashing success of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Meet the industry leaders in pursuit of great beer--Henry Weinhard, McMenamins, Bridgeport, Portland Brewing, Widmer and more--and top it off with a selection of trivia and local lore. Bringing together interviews and archival materials, Dunlop crafts a lively and engaging history of Portland's road to Beervana.

Ontario Beer

9781626192560

$21.99

Beer historians and writers Alan McLeod and Jordan St. John have tapped the cask of Ontario brewing to bring the complete story to light, from foam to dregs. Ontario boasts a potent mix of brewing traditions. Wherever Europeans explored, battled, and settled, beer was not far behind, which brought the simple magic of brewing to Ontario in the 1670s. Early Hudson's Bay Company traders brewed in Canada's Arctic, and Loyalist refugees brought the craft north in the 1780s. Early 1900s temperance activists drove the industry largely underground but couldn't dry up the quest to quench Ontarians' thirst. The heavy regulation that replaced prohibition centralized surviving breweries. Today, independent breweries are booming and writing their own chapters in the Ontario beer story.

New Orleans Beer:

9781626192485

$21.99

New Orleans is a city where making sure you have a good meal in your belly and a strong drink in your hand is of the utmost importance. Recently, one drink has been getting more and more attention in New Orleans: beer. The craft brewing revolution of the last 30 or so years has caught hold here, creating what is only the latest chapter in New Orleans's illustrious love affair with boozy concoctions. From old-school breweries like Jax, Regal and Dixie to craft brewers like Abita, NOLA and Bayou Teche, join authors Jeremy Labadie and Argyle Wolf-Knapp to enjoy the first comprehensive history of brewing in New Orleans--a history 287 years long and as wide as the Mississippi.

New Mexico Beer

9781609498146

$21.99

Brewing in New Mexico began in the 1850s when small breweries serviced short-lived boomtowns teeming with early settlers thirsty for brew. By the time Prohibition came in 1918, New Mexico breweries were completely tapped out. It wasn't until 1988, when the Santa Fe Brewing Company began slaking local thirsts, that beer was again brewed in New Mexico. By the late 1990s, New Mexico was experiencing a resurgence in local brewing. Today, the state boasts a craft brewing renaissance. New Mexican breweries receive national attention, including eight medals at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Join author Jon C. Stott as he recounts New Mexico's brewing history, collects hops heritage and samples local brewpubs from across the state.

New Hampshire Beer:

9781626194250

$21.99

In 1859, the legendary Frank Jones Brewery was founded in Portsmouth, paving the way for the booming craft beer scene of today. The surge of budding breweries is bringing exciting styles and flavors to thirsty local palates and neighborhood bars from the White Mountains to the seacoast. Join beer scholars and adventurers Brian Aldrich and Michael Meredith as they explore all of the tastes New Hampshire beer has to offer. They've scoured the taps at Martha's Exchange, peeked around the brew house at Smuttynose and gotten personal with the brewers behind Flying Goose and Moat Mountain. Discover, pint for pint, the craft and trade of the state's unique breweries, from the up-and-comers like Earth Eagle and Schilling to old stalwarts like Elm City and Portsmouth Brewery.

Nashville Beer:

9781626195394

$21.99

Nashville's main industry is music. But where good tunes go, good booze follows, so it's no surprise that the city enjoys a lively local beer scene, as well. The city's brewing history dates back to the 1800s, when German immigrants first settled in the area. The rise and fall of Gerst Brewing Company, one of the first established Nashville breweries, left people thirsting for local beer after the company closed its doors in 1954. In the last decade of the century, a boom of brewpubs brought the drinking class some newer, more exotic styles of beer, and the people of Nashville have been under the influence" of creative brewing ever since. Food, beverage and travel writer Chris Chamberlain tells the story of beer from the Music City and introduces us to the breweries and beer lovers that make up a local scene well worth raising a glass to."

Maine Beer:

9781609496838

$21.99

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Maine was a stronghold for the temperance movement, but the Pine Tree State emerged from Prohibition to create a beer culture that rivals any other in the United States. Early pioneers, like D.L. Geary, established the Northeast's love affair with English-style ales, and today's upstarts brew unique and inventive recipes. Maine brewers create beer for every palate, and Maine's unique flavors--like blueberries, potatoes and even oysters--are frequently featured. Maine beer expert Josh Christie discovers the story of brewing in Vacationland by exploring Maine's large breweries, like Shipyard; its local crafters, like Rising Tide; the budding cider, spirits and mead industries; and, of course, the best places to drink across the state.

Idaho Beer:

9781626193796

$21.99

In a state famous for producing great potatoes, it's easy to forget about Idaho's barley and hops. Few states can boast the quality barley grown in southern and eastern Idaho or the aromatic hops grown in Treasure Valley. These crops combine to create a beer that is distinctly Idaho--a taste of home. Join author Steve Koonce as he surveys the best brewers from across the state. Koonce tracks the state's storied brewing heritage and offers an in-depth look at Idaho's vibrant modern beer scene. With more than twenty breweries statewide, there's so much to see, and taste, in Idaho. Enjoy a refreshing guide to the best brew the state has on tap.

Eastern Shore Beer:

9781626197411

$21.99

When Great Britain levied heavy taxes against the colonies, the Eastern Shore's first beer geek, John Beale Bordley, swore off English ales and set his substantial estate to perfecting his own home brews. It took another two centuries and a revolution of a different kind to bring brewing back to the Maryland shore. In 1989, Wild Goose bore the gospel of drinking local to Cambridge before falling victim to the first craft beer bubble. The next wave of high-gravity harbingers like Eastern Shore Brewing, Burley Oak and Evolution Craft Brewing fought to change collective palates and legislation allowing them to serve up their frosty pints. Beer bard and blogger Tony Russo taps into this full-bodied history while introducing the region's bold new batch of brewers.

Central New York Beer:

9781626193420

$21.99

With so many small towns loyal to local farms, food and drink, it's no surprise that Central New York's thriving brewing community stretches back to the early 1800s. After Rome lost two breweries to fire in 1858, at least a dozen more opened in the city over the next century. A group of Oneonta gentlemen decided the town needed a brewery in 1909, and in 2012, similar thinking launched Roots Brewing Company. Cooperstown is a beer destination, thanks to Brewery Ommegang and Council Rock, and breweries in nearby Canastota, Cazenovia, Garrettsville, Hamilton and Milford are now also drawing the thirsty masses. Local historian of hops Dan Shumway explores the long and sudsy story of beer in Central New York.

Austin Beer

9781626190948

$23.99

Austin might be known for its live music, but its beer scene is just as vibrant and historic. As early as 1860, German immigrant Johann Schneider started brewing beer out of a saloon on Congress Avenue, later crafting innovative brew vaults, the first of their kind in the city. Proving that Austin taste buds were thirsty for something more dynamic than a Lonestar, the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first saw a huge boom in craft beer production by native Austinites and transplants alike, creating a culture of local beer advocates, homebrewing enthusiasts and innovators that could only come out of Austin. Join the ladies behind hilarious and informative beer blog BitchBeer.org as they explore Austin beer history, developments and culture--complete with read-along drinking games and local beer pairings.

Atlanta Beer:

9781609498412

$21.99

Atlanta is a unique southern city known for its vast diversity and fast-paced lifestyle. Rarely is it associated with a rich beer and brewing culture, but not for a lack of one. From Atlanta's first brewery in the 1850s to the city's Saloon Row and the parched days of local and national Prohibition, the earliest days of Atlanta's beer history are laced with scandal and excitement. Follow the journey of beer through Atlanta's development, starting with colonial Georgia and the budding wilderness settlement of Terminus and eventually evolving into the ever-growing metropolis known as Atlanta. Authors Ron Smith and Mary Boyle celebrate the resurgence of craft beer in a town that once burned to the ground. As Atlanta rose from the ashes of the Civil War, so also has artisanal beer made a comeback in this enigmatic but resilient city.

Ann Arbor Beer:

9781626191563

$21.99

Ann Arbor has always been a beer-loving town. From the establishment of the first commercial brewery in 1838 through a century of German immigration down to today's local craft brew boom, the amber liquid looms large in Tree Town's quirky past and present. Find out how beer helped a former University of Michigan professor win a Nobel Prize. Discover the Ann Arbor doctor whose nationally bestselling home remedy book featured ale recipes. Learn which Michigan football legend pounded brewskis as part of his training regimen. Covering the exploits of famous poets, performers and prohibitionists, local author David Bardallis pops the cap off the big beer history of this little college town and leads readers to the best beer you can drink" in Ann Arbor today."