Red, White, and Brew: An American Beer Odyssey

So you want to be like the guys in Sideways. You know, road-tripping from one purveyor of primo potent potables to another, sampling their wares, maybe even getting laid a time or two. Only there’s too much, um, corksniffery connected to wineries and you’d like a slightly more salt-of-the-earth experience (read: a little more manly). In that case, touring breweries is your ticket to ride, and Red, White, and Brew could very well be your beer GPS.

Author Brian Yaeger made better use of his education than most: He wrote his USC master’s thesis on beer. So if you’d prefer a bullet-point-and-factoid-laden Beer for Dummies-style volume (the printed equivalent of a Coors Light), you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. Yaeger’s book is something to immerse yourself in and savor, not unlike the multitudes of finely crafted American beers he sampled during his tour of 14 U.S. breweries from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon. Beginning at D.G. Yuengling & Son in Pottsville, Pennsylvania (America’s oldest brewery), Yaeger chronicles his travels with a lengthy, narrative style that never seems to ramble—which is astonishing, considering he spent several weeks doing little else but drinking beer.

Something else you won’t get from Red, White, and Brew is in-depth analysis of a particular beer’s hoppiness, the crispness of the finish or the prevalent flavor notes. Yaeger delves into the stories of the people and places behind each regional offering. His interviews with brewmasters reveal a truly unique and entrepreneurial subset of the population. Their passion for their craft should resonate with beer-lovers everywhere.

There are also great bar trivia tidbits here. Pabst never actually won any blue ribbons at beer competitions (it won a few gold medals, though). Yuengling is the 37th oldest family-owned business in America (topping the list is the Avedis Zildjian cymbal company). Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing in 1979 by signing the Cranston Act (which must have made his brother Billy very happy). Here’s hoping that Yaeger has a sequel in him—he’s a great drinkin’ buddy.

—Chris Lathrop