One of two! Audacity of Hops complete!

Well…I finished the book, The Audacity of Hops. I enjoyed it although it read more of a summary of individual brewery start ups than a fully cohesive narrative. There was an attempt to weave some folks in and out of the story, but the interconnections were thin and felt forced.

With that criticism aside, it was a comprehensive look into the rise of the current craft marketplace since the revival of Anchor in the 1960s. It dipped it toe into more current aspects (Untappd and the recent change in craft brewery definition being two that jumped out at me) and I look forward to the prospect of a revisions years down the line, especially if, heaven forbid, there is another shake out (which we unfortunately seem to becoming primed for).

It’s well written and while the set up of “Person X and Y move to Location Z and started brewing and would become Brewery A” was a repeated trope throughout the book, it never failed to please when the brewery was revealed and was an even better payoff if you knew who the author was talking about before the curtain was pulled back.

I’d recommend it only if you’re interested in the topic and have at least an introductory knowledge of the current big craft players (good rule of thumb, if you recognize the tap handles at your local wing place, you’ll probably recognize all the companies mentioned in the book).

Now…I have one day to pass the Cicerone ingredients test!