Book Log 2013 #10: The Audacity of Hops by Tom Acitelli

Not surprisingly, given my taste in beer, I really enjoyed this history of craft brewing in America. Starting with Fritz Maytag getting involved with Anchor in the '60s and running through the contractions and rebounds in recent times, Acitelli puts together the story of how a handful of brewers used their passion and knowledge to reverse the trend in brewery consolidation and inspire other brewers to join them in building a small but significant niche among America's beer drinkers.

The book also clearly demonstrates the obstacles that craft brewing had to overcome (and in some cases is still overcoming), from finding capital to getting shelf space to trying to survive the pressure put on craft brewing by industrial brewers to just what exactly craft brewing means (is the Boston Beer Company, which is a top 10 brewer that contracts the work to other breweries, a craft brewer?).

One idea that came up, and is worthy of greater exploration, is craft beer's place in the wider development of quality American food and drink. The 1970s were a banner decade for this, between craft beer, improved California wines, and restaurants like Chez Panisse that emphasized local, quality ingredients. There are good books on each topic, but something synthesizing things would be a pretty good read, too.