Beer Book - The Beer Thrillers

Three Questions and a Pint With Joel Gaier

paulrkan — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:27:56 +0000

Three Questions and a Pint With Joel Gaier

Joel is the author of the new book Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey. As the host of the popular “Brewery Travels” podcast, he hit the road (and the sky) to visit nearly 1400 breweries across all 50 states, including 26 in PA. He began his travels
in 2017 and his book releases on December 17th . I caught up with him by phone to share a beer and a quick chat.

Flights Across America – Cover

Three Questions

Flights Across America – blurbs

1) What was the biggest takeaway from all the breweries you visited?

Not surprisingly, that they’re all different. Breweries are sort of like fingerprints—they’re unique. But in their uniqueness, they all have a story to tell. Sometimes it’s an owner’s story about how he or she got into the business. Other times, it’s the story about a particular beer they make and why people like it. And yet another story might be about how the location for the brewery was chosen. All in all, every brewery has a story to share with the community.

2) What would people be most surprised to know about your beer travels?

Oh, how much work I put into the project. From being a hobby to visit breweries in a state where I was with my family to becoming a true obsession of visiting them in every state. We would re-route trips in order to visit a brewery. It was pretty meticulous planning at times; it wasn’t willy-nilly. While it wasn’t a job, it was still a lot of work.

3) If someone wanted to plan a “beercation” to visit a bunch of breweries, what are few things they should know before they go?

I have a few sections in my book about beer tourism and how to plan your visits. The two big tips would be to make sure to double check a brewery’s hours. Sometimes they’re inconsistent and you don’t want to make a big plan and show up on say a Thursday when a brewery is closed, thinking its hours are like the weekend’s. Or, if it is closed for maintenance or some other reason. And two, might sound obvious, but find out what type of beer the place serves—if you don’t like a certain type of beer—like sours or IPA—but that’s the type of beer a brewery specializes in, you may want to skip it.

You can see Paul’s other ‘Three Questions and a Pint’ here:

Flights Across America – Promotional

The Pint

Joel was spending some time back at home with his kids while we were talking and wasn’t having a beer. I was enjoying a Sierra Nevada Narwhal as we talked. (Sierra Nevada Narwhal.)

You can follow Joel Gaier on his Instagram at — @brewery_travels.

You can purchase the book from Amazon here: Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey

You can read more about it on GoodReads here: Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey (GoodReads).

Paul R. Kan

Paul R. Kan is the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise which was a North American Guild of Beer Writers’ award winner and a #1 new release on Amazon’s Books on Beer. He has written for Good Beer Hunting and is Editor-at-Large at The Beer Thrillers. Along with beer reviews, book reviews and interviews, he also writes about the interesting ways beer intersects with people and society. His current book project is Red, White and Brew: The Beers and Battles that Shaped America. He lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

ʻOi kau ka lā, e hana i ola honua (While the sun yet shines, do all you can).

Paul R. Kan Articles

The following are articles that Paul R. Kan has written here for The Beer Thrillers:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

Book Review: The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs (Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher)

B. Kline — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:15:31 +0000

The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

Homebrewing

Homebrewing is a fascinating and rewarding hobby that allows beer enthusiasts to create their own unique brews from the comfort of their homes. The process involves combining basic ingredients—malted grains, hops, yeast, and water—in specific ways to produce a wide variety of beer styles. Homebrewing offers an incredible amount of creative freedom, as brewers can experiment with different ingredients and techniques to craft beers that match their personal tastes and preferences. This DIY approach not only deepens one’s appreciation for the art and science of brewing but also provides a sense of accomplishment with each successful batch.

The journey of homebrewing typically begins with selecting a recipe and gathering the necessary equipment and ingredients. Beginner brewers often start with extract brewing, which uses malt extract to simplify the process. This method requires less equipment and shorter brew times, making it accessible for newcomers. As brewers gain experience and confidence, many transition to all-grain brewing, which involves mashing malted grains to extract fermentable sugars. All-grain brewing offers greater control over the beer’s flavor and body, allowing for more nuanced and complex brews. Essential equipment for homebrewing includes a large kettle, fermenter, airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, and bottling supplies.

The brewing process itself is a blend of science and art. It begins with mashing, where crushed grains are soaked in hot water to convert starches into sugars. The resulting liquid, called wort, is then boiled, and hops are added at various stages to impart bitterness, flavor, and aroma. After boiling, the wort is rapidly cooled and transferred to a fermenter, where yeast is added to begin fermentation. During this stage, which can last from a few days to several weeks, the yeast consumes the sugars in the wort, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Monitoring and maintaining proper fermentation temperatures is crucial for ensuring the desired characteristics of the final beer.

After fermentation, the beer is typically conditioned for a period to develop its flavors and carbonation. This can be done in bottles or kegs, with the addition of a small amount of sugar or pressurized CO2 to create carbonation. Patience is key during this phase, as conditioning can take several weeks, but the wait is usually well worth it. Once conditioning is complete, the beer is ready to be enjoyed. Homebrewers often take pride in sharing their creations with friends and family, and the feedback received can be invaluable for refining future batches.

One of the most exciting aspects of homebrewing is the community that comes with it. Homebrewers are a passionate and supportive group, often eager to share tips, recipes, and experiences. Many cities have homebrew clubs where members can exchange knowledge and sample each other’s beers. Online forums and social media groups also provide a wealth of information and camaraderie. Whether brewing solo or with a group, homebrewing is a hobby that fosters creativity, learning, and a deeper appreciation for the craft of beer making. It’s a journey filled with experimentation, occasional challenges, and the ultimate reward of enjoying a beer that’s truly your own.

Growing Hops

Growing hops is a rewarding endeavor for homebrewers looking to infuse their beer with fresh, homegrown ingredients. Hops are the flowers of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus), and they play a crucial role in brewing by adding bitterness, flavor, and aroma to beer. The first step in growing hops is selecting the right variety based on your climate and the flavor profile you desire. Popular varieties like Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook are favored by many brewers for their versatility and distinctive characteristics. Hops require a sunny location with well-drained soil, and they thrive in temperate climates with long days during the growing season.

Once you’ve chosen your hop varieties, the next step is planting. Hops are typically grown from rhizomes, which are root cuttings taken from mature plants. Plant the rhizomes in early spring, about 4-6 inches deep, and space them about 3 feet apart to give each plant plenty of room to grow. As hops are vigorous climbers, it’s essential to provide a sturdy trellis or support system for the bines (the stems of the hop plant) to climb. Regular watering, especially during dry periods, and mulching around the base of the plants can help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.

Caring for hops involves regular maintenance to ensure healthy growth and a bountiful harvest. Hops can grow up to 20 feet in a single season, so training the bines to climb the trellis is crucial. Pruning the lower leaves and shoots encourages airflow and reduces the risk of disease. Hops are susceptible to pests such as aphids and spider mites, as well as diseases like powdery mildew. Regular inspection and prompt treatment with appropriate organic or chemical controls can help manage these issues. By late summer, the hop cones will begin to ripen, and you’ll know they are ready to harvest when they feel dry and papery, and the lupulin glands inside the cones are a vibrant yellow. After harvesting, the hops should be dried and stored properly to preserve their qualities for brewing.

Book Review: The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

GoodReads Blurb:

Grow a beer garden! Enhance the flavor, aroma, and personality of your homebrew by cultivating your own hops, herbs, and malt grains. With expert advice on choosing and maintaining the best plants for your needs, Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher show you how to turn a small patch of backyard, or even a few window boxes, into a renewable brewing supply store. Discover the satisfaction that comes from brewing tasty beers using fresh homegrown ingredients.

GoodReads – The Homebrewer’s Garden

The Homebrewer’s Garden by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher is an essential guide for any homebrewer looking to elevate their craft by cultivating their own ingredients. This comprehensive manual covers the entire process of growing, preparing, and utilizing hops, malts, and brewing herbs, making it a valuable resource for both novice and experienced brewers who wish to take a hands-on approach to their beer-making.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its detailed and practical advice on gardening techniques tailored specifically for brewing ingredients. The Fishers draw from their extensive experience to provide step-by-step instructions on planting, nurturing, and harvesting hops and other plants. They also include information on soil preparation, pest management, and seasonal care, ensuring that readers have all the tools they need to successfully grow high-quality ingredients. The authors’ passion for homebrewing and gardening shines through, making the text engaging and accessible.

Beyond gardening, The Homebrewer’s Garden delves into the preparation and use of these homegrown ingredients in brewing. The book offers a wealth of recipes and brewing tips, demonstrating how to incorporate fresh hops, malted grains, and herbs into a variety of beer styles. The inclusion of unique brewing herbs like yarrow, juniper, and coriander adds an exciting dimension for brewers looking to experiment with flavors and create distinctive brews. This holistic approach, from garden to glass, empowers homebrewers to craft beers that are truly their own, imbued with the flavors and aromas of their own gardens.

In conclusion, The Homebrewer’s Garden is an invaluable resource that combines practical gardening advice with creative brewing techniques. Joe and Dennis Fisher have crafted a guide that is not only informative but also inspiring, encouraging homebrewers to explore the full potential of their craft. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your brewing process with homegrown ingredients, this book is a must-have addition to your brewing library.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
My LibraryThing Rating: ***1/2
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.75 (as of 4.30.24)

Homebrewing Recipes

We are circling back to include more homebrew articles. We have gotten some requests for recipes, so we have decided to write them up and post them here. Be sure to check for other Homebrew articles and recipes as well!

Homebrewing Articles

The Ultimate Guide to Homebrewing: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices for 2024

Other Book Reviews

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Book Review: Brewed in Japan (Jeffrey Alexander)

paulrkan — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 13:31:40 +0000

Brewed in Japan by Jeffrey Alexander

Of the many cool things that Japan has—anime, cars, Godzilla—beer vending machines should be included on the list as well. They’re easy to use and are almost everywhere, from rural communities to large cities. The machines are everywhere, from train stations to alleys, offering all brands and types of Japanese made beers.

It was a long road for Japan to have beer as easily available as a sports drink. In fact, there was nothing inevitable about beer being made in Japan at all. Brewing was how tea, sake and soy sauce were made. Beer did not come to Japan until very late in its history, during the 1800s. Once it arrived, beer slowly became enmeshed in Japanese society and culture with brands that are now recognized around the world.

Before Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo became global brands, beer was what the resident foreigners in Japan drank. As Jeffrey Alexander writes in his book, Brewed in Japan, Europeans and Americans imported and brewed small batches to remind themselves of their home countries. But the first reaction of the Japanese to beer’s taste was…harsh. A high-level official in the Japanese emperor’s court named the drink “bitter horse-piss wine.”

Despite the strong reaction of some Japanese consumers, beer as an imported drink became fashionable as an exotic Western item when the nation opened itself to trade from the rest of the world. Germans were key to Japan’s embrace of beer, but only after the Dutch and the Americans had made crucial inroads. The Dutch were the first to bring beer to Japan and made it available to the Japanese when playing newly fashionable games of billiards and badminton. Japanese soon began to buy beer to drink after meals, viewing it as an aid to digestion. Drinking beer as a refreshment grew quickly among the Japanese consumer with the establishment of domestic brewing in Japan. An American, William Copeland, (a Norwegian immigrant who was born Johan Martinius Thoresen) helped lay the foundation for brewing beer in Japan during the 1870s. His Spring Valley Brewery adhered very closely to the reinheitsgebot of German brewing traditions and would eventually become Kirin Brewery.

Charting these beginnings and moving through to today, the author uses his Japanese language skills to plow through company records from Japan’s breweries and documents from governmental archives to reveal how beer, primarily lagers, steadily displaced sake as the preferred Japanese drink. The development of a uniquely Japanese “dry” style of lager is also covered and how it launched Japan as a powerhouse beer exporter. The book also includes some rare examples of printed vintage Japanese beer advertisements; the artwork on the cover of the book comes from a 1920 Sapporo beer poster. This level of in-depth research makes the book an exceptionally valuable resource.

Although it is an academic book, it is largely an accessible read with many fascinating parts. The sections on the early Japanese dependence on German brewing traditions and ingredients as well as the American occupation of Japan after World War II are especially absorbing. An updated edition of the book might include more about Japan’s craft beer industry. With over 600 craft breweries, the Japanese desire for beer styles other than lager has been slowly cutting into the market share of the historically dominant, larger domestic breweries.

Japanese craft beer is available in many parts of the United States, but it is hard to find, while Japanese rice lager was a brief trend among some American craft breweries. As the history of beer in Japan has shown, there are few barriers for Japan to continue to create new beers and bring them to the world.

Paul R. Kan

Paul R. Kan

Donate to Maui wildfire relief; get a free book. Paul is offering to send a free copy of his book, Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise, to anyone who makes a donation of any amount to help Maui relief. It’s on the honor system, and people can e-mail Paul at paulrkan@gmail.com, after they’ve made a donation to provide their address. If you’re looking for a beer-related way to support, Maui Brewing has a relief fund that is soliciting donations.

(Please also read Paul R. Kan’s other article about Hawaii and beer here: From Central PA to the Pacific: A Beer Lover’s Hawaiian Journey An Interview with Alexander B. Gates.)

Paul grew up in Hawai’i and knows its unique culture, traditions, and history. He is the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise, which the North American Guild of Beer Writers awarded second place for Best New Book of 2021. He currently lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Paul R. Kan Articles

The following are articles that Paul R. Kan has written here for The Beer Thrillers:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Book Review: Beer and Society: How We Make Beer and Beer Makes Us (Eli Revelle Yano Wilson and Asa B. Stone)

paulrkan — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:04:01 +0000

Quick Note

Quick note from Ben (B. Kline) of The Beer Thrillers. Paul R. Kan reached out to me a few weeks ago asking to write this book review for the blog. He is a co – owner of Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. We were thrilled to have him reach out to us and chose the blog to write his article. We are looking forward to having him write more articles in the future here at The Beer Thrillers. I will give a quick shout out to Burd’s Nest Brewing, and post their links, and then will follow his book review, followed by a small bio he has written about himself, and then the normal wrap – up we do here on the blog.

Burd’s Nest Brewing Company

Burd’s Nest Brewing Company is a micro brewery based out of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. On Untappd they are listed as having 91 beers with a global average rating of 3.46 (as of 9.23.22). Their Untappd description is currently blank. Their social media links are:

I would like to thank Paul R. Kan for reaching out to us, and writing the following book review.

Book Review: Beer and Society: How We Make Beer and Beer Makes Us – By – Eli Revelle Yano Wilson and Asa B. Stone

Think for a moment. Where did you drink your last beer? What kind of beer was it and were you with anyone else? The answers to these simple questions lie at the heart of the new book, Beer and Society: How We Make Beer and Beer Makes Us. Whether you were drinking the newest IPA release at a craft brewery with some friends; having a Bud Light alone at home while watching a game or doing something totally different says a lot about you and the way you look at beer.

Exploring how beer gives people more than a buzz but a sense of identity as well are the book’s authors- two sociology professors at University of New Mexico who are also certified Cicerones. Their credentials as both academics and beer experts make the authors well-positioned to write this book. And like tasting a new beer, this book has many nuances and subtleties that some people will appreciate while others may not.

The authors explain how beer is more than a drink; it’s also a social identity. “Whether we intend it or not, our choice of beer signals to others about what kind of person we are and what else we stand for.” (p.5). If your last beer was a hazy IPA at your favorite craft brewery with a group of friends, then you may be communicating to others that you support local businesses, value quality beer and can afford to go out for beer. However, the person who prefers to drink Bud Light alone while watching the game may view you as a bougie elitist.

Social identity is more than just an academic way to say that we use beer to judge ourselves and others. Social identity has concrete meaning for those of us who are in the craft beer business. As an owner of Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, PA, I want to appeal to the social identity of as many people as possible. Yes, we’ll always have one of our IPAs on tap, but we’ll also have cans of Yuengling Lager in our beer fridge. In our area, not everyone likes beer with a bolder taste, nor can they afford the price. It’s more than economics. Because of our taproom’s large, open and light space, many people use our brewery to express their social identity through live music, art shows, yoga classes, history talks, and college seminars. Many people in our community are introduced to our beers through these events. Our social identity has become “serving beer to serve the community.”

When the authors begin to define “community” as part of social identity in chapter 3, “The Social Organization of Beer” the book becomes more controversial. The authors’ discussion of the larger economic and social forces surrounding beer production and consumption may strike the reader as a product of today’s political debates. The chapter raises questions like, “Why do we see disparities of race and gender and, more implicitly, class among those employed in the U.S. beer industry? Put simply, why is the craft beer dominated by ‘bearded White dudes?’” (p.60) It is true; 92% of breweries are owned by men; only 2% are solely owned by women; and only 1% of breweries are owned by African Americans. The authors spend a lot of time on the gap in BIPOC and LGTBQ+ representation in the brewing industry, but the authors acknowledge that it is shrinking.

Beer and Society at Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle Pennsylvania

As a brewery owner who’s a clean-shaven-only-half-Caucasian-dude, I wrestled with this chapter. I know that I don’t look like most craft brewery owners. But that’s never been a personal or professional issue for me. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in the multi-ethnic state of Hawai’i. However, another part of the authors’ research does reflect what I see—“no brewer or brewery owner we know or have talked to for this book thinks that denying someone a job based on their race and gender identity or appearance is okay.” (p.63). I have not felt the sting of discrimination in the industry and the ownership of my brewery is dedicated to providing a welcoming workplace (and taproom) for all.

Where craft breweries have felt a sting is from the business practices of multinational corporate breweries. Part of the social identity of any craft brewery is its independence. In chapter 4, “The Business of Beer,” the authors cover how “Big Beer” (like AB-ImBev and SABMiller) responded to the market threats from the exploding number of craft breweries by buying out some of them, purchasing ingredient suppliers and securing exclusive long-term contracts with malting facilities. This has challenged the ability of smaller craft breweries to maintain their independence, or just stay in business. Big Beer used these tactics before COVID, rising inflation and supply chain constraints; today the pressures on craft brewers are even more acute. Small breweries like mine can pass along only so much of the costs to our customers before the price of each pint is out of reach.

Departing from the heavy topics in previous parts of the book, chapter 6 “Beer Cultures” was the most fun. The authors examine how people in various countries enjoy beer differently, especially in the ways people toast. In Japan, it is considered rude to make eye contact when toasting. Meanwhile, many French, Spanish and Germans believe that not making eye contact while toasting is a bad omen and results in seven years of bad sex. (No offense against the Japanese, but I’m not going to take any chances when I make my next toast).

All in all, the book is a well-written journey through the terrain of what beer means to people and how people give meaning to beer. Ironically, the book’s prominent discussion of diversity, equity and inclusion topics makes it a product of beer and society. Ten years ago, a book like this would have had trouble finding a publisher, but interest in these topics has become prominent and craft beer is now much more a part of consumer demand. Beer and society will continue to shape each other. Let’s toast (while making eye contact, please) to the positive evolution of both.

Paul R. Kan Bio

Again, thank you Paul for reaching out to us to have your book review posted here. Here is the small bio he sent with his book review:

Paul R. Kan is co-owner of Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is also the author of Hawai’i Beer: A History of Brewing in Paradise which was a 2021 North American Guild of Beer Writers’ award winner and the #1 new release on Amazon’s Books on Beer.

Some Other Book Reviews

If you are looking for other book reviews here on The Beer Thrillers, here are some more we’ve covered:

Thanks For Reading

Thank you everyone for reading, and thank you Paul R. Kan for the great book review. Hope you all enjoyed it and enjoyed your time here at the blog. Be sure to check out Burd’s Nest Brewing Company in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and be sure to like and follow The Beer Thrillers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc; and do the same for Burd’s Nest Brewing Company. Be sure to follow and subscribe here to the blog to get alerts as soon as our posts are uploaded.

Cheers!

-Paul R. Kan

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!