Books Make Wonderful Gifts!
We are now firmly into the gift-buying season, and I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to buy a book for your loved ones. I have a couple recommendations right at the top (mine, obvs), but I’ll include a few more suggestions as well. In this social media age, we sometimes forget that not every story can be told in a paragraph. Books go deep in a way no other medium can, which both allows you to drop deeply into a subject—and possibly rewire your brain. A hidden benefit is that in buying a book you help keep a writer writing. It’s a relatively cheap and easy donation to make, and you get this cool, interactive objet d’art you can put on your bookshelf. It’s a win win! So without further ado, a few recs of recent releases.
The Beer Bible -and- The Secrets of Master Brewers
I don’t suppose I have to spend a lot of time reiterating why you should buy the Beer Bible, the second edition of which went on sale last fall. I discussed the updates to the first edition and how my homegrown concept of “National Tradition” serves as a framing device. I am hardly an objective observer, but I do honestly believe it has more comprehensive information for the novice and advanced fan than any book on the market, and is really fun to read. (Readers mostly agree.)
If you’re a homebrewer, I think you’ll love The Secrets of Master Brewers, which has unfortunately been more of a cult read than a commercial blockbuster. I worked with some of the most eminent names in brewing to discuss how they make the classic versions of traditional styles and had them translate those recipes and techniques into five-gallon batches. Here’s a full description and a sample chapter.
Buy The Beer Bible (soft or hardcover)
Buy The Secrets of Master Brewers
Signed Copies
Unless you live in Portland, I can’t sign your copy directly, but I am happy to send you a bookplate (basically a sticker you put on the frontispiece). Email me with the name you’d like me to inscribe.
A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse
Tara Nurin (2021)
290 pages, Chicago Review Press, $20
Buy here
One of the best trends in the past five years has been writers re-examining beer’s long history with an eye to the key players who aren’t White men. Tara Nurin’s book is the first step in putting women back into this story. It’s a wonderful and personal exploration, and she points out that women like Shirley Coury and Nancy Ponzi, co-founders of the first two Oregon breweries, haven’t gotten their due. That’s a potent reminder for me, because I know those stories pretty well (and husbands Chuck Coury and Dick Ponzi tend to get sole credit). Time and again, she surfaces these important figures, and upends the narrative we’ve been repeating for decades.
Historical Brewing Techniques
Lars Marius Garshol (2021)
400 pages, Brewers Publications, $25
Buy here
I’ll go ahead and quote myself from the back cover of the book: “Until six or seven years ago, the borders of European brewing were tidy, well-understood, and well-documented—or so we English-speakers thought. That was when Lars Marius Garshol started publishing incredible stories about farmhouse brewing traditions in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Suddenly the brewing world seemed a lot bigger than anyone imagined. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Historical Brewing Techniques is the most important book on brewing in at least twenty years.”
Also, Mika Laitinen’s Viking Age Brew (Chicago Review, 2019, $20), focused more on one of those traditions, Finnish sahti, is an important companion piece. Buy it here.
Hooray for Craft Beer!
Em Sauter (2022)
208 pages, Brewers Publications, $20
Buy here
Em Sauter is the illustrator whose charming illustrations now suffuse the beer world—if you’re reading this post, you’ve almost certainly seen her work. Hooray for Craft Beer! is an illustrated primer, likely more appropriate for that friend who is getting into beer than the beer geek in your life. It’s an overview of beer, including the ingredients, brewing process, beer styles and more. Em sees the sunny side of life, and when I’m looking to raise my spirits, her illustrations do the trick every time.
The Craft Brewery Cookbook
John Holl (2022)
228 pages, Princeton Architectural Press, $30
Buy here
This is another choice for your beery friends—the ones who also happen to be foodies. John has put together a cookbook of recipes designed to be paired with specific beers. While the pairings are specific—John suggests Atlas’ Rye Porter with his recipe for chili and Wibby Vienna Lager with fish and chips, for example—you can easily substitute local brews with each recipe. With well over a hundred recipes, you’ll be using this book for years.
This list is far from exhaustive. I’ve mostly confined myself to recent releases, and mostly to Americans. If you look at that photo at the top of the post, you’ll see I have a sizable library myself (and that’s just half the shelves). Tom Acitelli, Melissa Cole, Pete Brown, Mark Dredge, Ron Pattinson, Andreas Krennmair, and many others have released recent books I would recommend. So if none of the books I called out tickle your fancy, please skate over to your favorite online bookseller and peruse others. But by all means, buy a book this holiday season (or two, or twenty-three)!
Epilogue: Okay this is kind of amazing. As I was about to push “save and publish” on this post, Sally walked in and handed me a package. Inside was Jeff Cioletti’s latest, Imbibing for Introverts. This is the universe telling you to buy a Cioletti book. (Sakepedia is another gem.) Books are everywhere—get one today!