Dec201107
Josh Christie
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Q+A with Josh Bernstein, author of BREWED AWAKENING
Photo credit: Sam Horine
Last month, Sterling Epicure published Brewed Awakening, the first book from Imbibe features writer and beer columnist Joshua Bernstein. Though the world of beer books is already a crowded one, Bernstein’s book definitely stuck out to me as one of the best of the bunch. In fact, here’s what I had to say about the book upon it’s release;
Now, I know that there’s a lotof craft beer books out there. The trick these days isn’t to write about the topic well, but to approach it in a new, interesting way. I went into Bernstein’s book a skeptic (”joy, another *yawn* book about the growth of craft beer”), and came out a true believer.
The genius behind Brewed Awakening is that it doesn’t waste time covering topics explored by dozens of other beer books. Bernstein doesn’t devote chapters and chapters to the fall and rise of good beer in America, the history of brewing, how to homebrew and the science behind beer. Instead, he speeds through them in a couple of pages. The real meat of the book is the here and now of craft brewing, with hundreds of interviews with industry insiders and reviews of plenty of brews.
The book dances from topic to topic, profiling styles new (Cascadian Dark Ale) and old (Gose), and devoting pages to recent trends like barrel-aging and “green” brewing. Where many beer books are devoted to brewing’s history and recent past, Brewed Awakening has both feet in the present of the industry with an eye on the future. It’s hard to say if the writing will feel as vital five or ten years down the road, but right now it’s a comprehensive overview of the craft beer landscape in 2011.
The author was kind enough to take a few minutes away from his book tour to answer a few questions for the Hop Press.
Josh Christie: As the world of craft brewing seems to be exploding in popularity, the number of beer books coming out every year is increasing practically exponentially. How does Brewed Awakening differ from the beer guides and “best beer” books already out there?
Josh Bernstein: When I set out to write Brewed Awakening, I took a long, hard look at the state of beer books. I noticed that there were tons of bucket-list beer books on the market, as well as plenty of books detailing the lengthy history of brewing. I didn’t want to simply follow this template with a few tweaks.
Instead, I feel that the most compelling part of craft brewing are the character that create the beer. Thus, I decided to focus on telling the stories of the brewers, bar owners and drinkers that are driving the revolution.
The short answer is, 18 months from start to finish. But I’ve been covering the craft beer industry for about six or seven years now. I’ve spent that time interviewing hundreds of brewers, bar owners and passionate drinkers, which has given me a great feel for the pulse of craft brewing in America and around the world.
For the book, the trick was making sure the information felt vital. So, I took a bit of a crystal-ball approach with certain trends that I saw as taking off: black IPAs, the rise of ancient styles of beer, saisons, etc. For people that are constantly surrounded by great beer, we often forget that craft beer is still a very small part of the beer landscape. For instance, IPAs are only now really reaching critical mass at supermarkets.
Indeed. Up until the final deadline, I was keeping close tabs on the information in my book. I had to change brewers’ titles, the names of beers, seasonal-release schedules and on and on. But there comes a point when you just have to stop and send the book into the word.
Nonetheless, I feel confident that I created a document that will stay current and vital for several years to come. The thing is, I’ve focused on the stories of the people, and the stories of their struggles, passion and creativity won’t go out of date.
One of the greatest things about craft beer is that it’s fun. Oftentimes, this gets lost in the mix when people focus on the minutiae: ABVs and IBUs, wild yeasts and bourbon barrels. Look, I love this stuff as much as the next beer geek, but beer should enable conversation, not be the sole topic of conversation.
Thus, I tried to interject the subject matter with humor and, hopefully, a fun, engaging voice. For seven years, I wrote a weekly column for the New York Press, where I was able to develop an idiosyncratic writing voice.
Though this is your first book, you came to it an accomplished beer writer, with regular work in Imbibe, Time Out New York, Metromix and The New York Press. How did you get started writing about beer and the beer industry?
I started my writing career covering the bar beat, spending my evenings bending elbows at bars. Over time, I became less interested in spending my endless nights at the bars and I became more interested in what was being served behind the bar—namely, craft beer.
More and more, my stories gravitated to craft beer. I approached the subject matter from a more objective, journalistic perspective, but with a dash of humor and fun. Soon, my gigs at the Press led to assignments from Time Out, then Imbibe and New York and, eventually, Gourmet.com hired me on to man their online beer coverage. One thing led to the next and, over time, my book publishers noticed my writing and, well, the rest is history.
I wouldn’t say that the beer is secondary in Brewed Awakening, but the focus seems to be much more on the people behind the suds. Why did you choose to focus on the brewers rather than the brews?
As I mentioned earlier, the heart of the craft-brewing movement is the brewers and bar owners that are flying in the face of common sense. The industry is made up of a million David-vs.-Goliath stories. To me, these tales are the most engaging component of the craft beer revolution. Yes, that pint tastes terrific, but what was its journey from the brewer’s head to the kettle?
The world of craft beer is, obviously, one filled with one-of-a-kind events and big personalities. What were some of your favorite experiences white researching and writing your book?
Overall, I was struck by just how far and wide craft brewing has infiltrated America. Yes, we talk about cities such as Portland, Oregon, and Seattle with reverence, but it’s spots like leafy Athens, Ohio, where Jackie O’s makes marvelous barrel-aged beers, as well as Worth Brewing in teeny-tiny Northwood, Iowa, and the wild yeast magicians at Hooksett, New Hampshire’s White Birch that are bringing craft beer to cities where it may not been so commonplace. This is not an urban movement. It’s a national awakening of craft beer consciousness.
We were trying to find a way to utilize all the available space on the book. The publisher had the idea to make a poster of sorts, but I struck upon the idea to make the map of selected drafts. To be honest, the map was a bit of a logistical nightmare to make, but I think it turned out super-well in the end.
You can buy Brewed Awakening wherever fine books are sold, including your local independent bookstore, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.
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2 Comments to “Q+A with Josh Bernstein, author of BREWED AWAKENING”
I have to get this book! Thanks for the post. I went to his site and saw the video of him working out to write the book – it was funny and almost made me buy it, but now I will.
Cheers!
[...] the occasional feature for RateBeer, with plans of upping my article output in 2012. Most recently, I interviewed Joshua Bernstein about his excellent new book Brewed [...]