The Audacity of Hops

Starred review from May 6, 2013
In 1965, America only had one craft brewery: San Francisco's Anchor Steam. By 2012 there were over 2,000 and growing. Journalist and beer-lover Acitelli's exceptional document of this remarkable growth profiles the brewers, breweries, and brewhounds that have played a part in today's booming craft beer industry. Acitelli talks to dozens of brewers and beer enthusiasts in order to share his tale, deftly weaving multiple narratives into a larger whole, incorporating the stories of homebrewing, the Slow Food movement, the evolution of America's drinking habits, the rise of brewpubs, and the role of beer evangelists like Englishman Michael Jackson and Jim Koch, giving readers a 360-degree view of the subject by chopping it into short, digestible chapters. It's an ingenious means of telling a story with so many influential characters, and Acitelli pulls it off, with an eye for detail and a nose for drama. He even illustrates how massive breweries like Budweiser and Coors responded to the craft brew trend by creating imitations of iconic styles and trying to pass them off as craft beers. Acitelli knows his material and he's sure to keep readers engaged while they work up a mighty thirst. 29 b&w photos.

April 1, 2013
A new history on the resurgence of craft beers and home-brewing in America from 1965 to 2012, tracing the pioneering efforts of individuals coast to coast, as well as their influence worldwide. Former New York Observer senior editor and current All About Beer contributor Acitelli offers a surprisingly engrossing, lively narrative on the tenacity of smaller outfits amid the dominant corporate brands, "a story populated by quintessential American characters: heroes and villains, hippies and yuppies, oenophiles and teetotalers, gangsters and G-men, men in kilts and men in suits, advances and retreats, long nights of the soul and giddy moments of triumph." He covers lagers, pilsners, ales and other beers produced after Prohibition and examines the stories behind their creation. He carefully explores the personages who offered distinctive alternatives to products by Coors, Anheuser-Busch and other mass-produced labels, revealing the challenges they faced, from turning out consistent, signature tastes inspired by historic recipes to reaching wider markets with an independent spirit that often eschewed advertising. In the first section, the author alternates among profiles of some of the early figures in American craft beers--including the owner of San Francisco's Anchor Steam company, Fritz Maytag, and Jack McAuliffe of The New Albion Brewing Company--and their fellow enthusiasts overseas, such as Michael Jackson, author of The World Guide to Beer. In the second section, Acitelli traces shifts in craft beers and home-brewing after Congress legalized the practice (which had been illegal since the 1930s but largely overlooked); the rise and demise of other microbreweries during the 1980s; continuing parallels with the locavore movement; increasing interest from venture capitalists; and related topics. In the third and fourth sections, the author further chronicles hurdles and successes, culminating in a tribute to McAuliffe. An invaluable resource for connoisseurs. General readers will find the topic exhaustive yet accessible.

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May 15, 2013
Beer making began with many small-scale brewers, but it quickly grew to a powerful industry as America's taste for brew grew with immigration and urbanization. Prohibition briefly drove brewers back home to circumvent Volstead Act restrictions, but with the coming of repeal, beer was one of the first alcoholic beverages to reappear. Big business and mass advertising concentrated beer making into the hands of a few brewing giants. But Americans returning from European jaunts noticed the difference between foreign beers and ales and American standardized, mass-produced lagers. And thus, in the 1970s, small breweries began to spring up, and America's craft-beer revolution was under way. Acitelli offers portraits of the dozens of entrepreneurs nationwide who started small-production runs and soon developed a following, often through their own brewpubs. The cast of characters he has marshaled demonstrates these microbreweries' diverse individuality, even as some have grown into significant corporations of their own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

May 15, 2013

The history of craft beer in America is one of successes and failures, of iconic brewers whose brands became household names, and of pioneers whose ventures never caught on. Acitelli's first book is a comprehensive look at craft beer from the 1960s onward, from its birth out of the home brewing movement to ultimately revitalize an industry--and the drinking habits of millions. The author traces craft brewing's passage from an unorthodox business decision to a potentially logical investment. His book provides the histories of dozens of breweries, from familiar names to more obscure, long-shuttered institutions, and takes in numerous industry-wide controversies. The Audacity of Hops will tell you all you need to know about the debate over contract brewing, for instance. And, like books as disparate as Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Michael Azzerad's Our Band Could Be Your Life, this title also documents the point when an underground movement suddenly becomes part of the world it existed to defy. VERDICT This book is an informative, comprehensive look at the roots and evolution of something many beer drinkers take for granted.--Tobias Carroll, Brooklyn

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