The Audacity of Hops: The History of America's Craft Beer Revolution

by Tom Acitelli, Tony Magee (Foreword by)

Overview

Discover the underdog story of how America came to dominate beer stylistically in The Audacity of Hops, the first book on American craft beer’s history. First published in May 2013, this updated, fully revised edition offers the most thorough picture yet of one of the most interesting and lucrative culinary trends in the US since World War II. This portrait includes the titanic mergers and acquisitions, as well as major milestones and technological advances, that have swept craft beer in just the past few years.
 Acitelli weaves the story of American craft beer into the tales of trends such as slow food, the rise of the Internet, and the rebirth of America's urban areas. The backgrounds of America’s favorite craft brewers, big and small, are here, including often-forgotten heroes from the movement's earliest days, as well as the history of homebrewing since Prohibition. Through it all, he paints an unforgettable portrait of plucky entrepreneurial triumph.
 This is the "book for the craft beer nerd who thinks he or she already knows the story" (Los Angeles Times), an “excellent history” (Slate) “lovingly told” (Wall Street Journal) for fans of good food and drink in general.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613737088
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/01/2017
Edition description:	Revised edition
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	791,970
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tom Acitelli, a 2016 James Beard Award finalist who has written about alcohol for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Bloomberg View, has written the acclaimed histories of beer and wine, Audacity of Hops and American Wine.  Tony Magee is the founder and CEO of the Lagunitas Brewing Company and the author of So You Want to Start a Brewery?

Table of Contents

Foreword: Everything Conies from Somewhere Tony Magee xiii

Author's Note xvii

Prologue: America, King of Beer xix

Part I

The Last Shall Be First: San Francisco | 1965 3

Do It Yourself: Dunoon, Scotland; Fairfax County, VA | 1964-1968 12

Beer For Its Own Sake: Okinawa, Japan; Portland, OR | 1970 16

Eden, California: Davis, CA | 1970 22

TV Dinner Land: San Francisco | 1970-1971 24

Lite Up Ahead: Munich; Brooklyn | 1970-1973 29

"Brewed Through a Horse": Los Angeles; Chicago | 1973-1978 33

The Most Influential Beer: San Francisco | 1974-1978 37

Chez Mcauliffe: Sonoma, CA | 1976 41

The Bard of Beer: London | 1876-1977 47

Long Days, Longer Odds: Sonoma, GA | 1976-1977 50

Part II

Tipping Points: Boulder, CO; Washington, DC | 1978 57

"Small, High-Quality Food Places": Sonoma, OA | 1978 66

The Bearded Young Man From Chigo: Chico, CA | 1978 69

The Fireman and the Goat Shed: Novato, GA; Hygiene, CO | 1979-1980 73

The West Coast Style: Chico, CA | 1979-1981 78

Mayflower Refugee: Boulder, CO; Manhattan | 1981-1984 83

How the Brewpub Was Born: Yakima, WA | 1981 88

The First Shakeout: Sonoma, CA; Novato, CA | 1982-1983 90

"That's a Great Idea, Charlie": Boulder, CO; Denver | 1982-1984 94

The Third Wave Builds: Manhattan; Virginia Beach, VA; Portland, OR; Hopland, CA | 1982-1984 97

The Lesson of the Nylon String: Newton, MA; Boston | 1983-1984 109

"This Connoisseur Thing": Manhattan - Estes Park, Colorado | 1983-1985 113

Because Wine Making Takes Too Long: Belmont, GA | 1985 118

More Than in Europe: Boston; Kalamazoo, MI | 1983-1986 120

Beer, It's What's With Dinner: Washington, DC: Portland, OR | 1983-1987 127

Vats and Dogs: San Francisco | 1986-1987 136

To the Last Frontier and Back: Juneau, AK; Amana, IA; Baltimore; Boston | 1985-1986 140

Weeping Radishes, Scottish Lords, And Roller Coasters: Portland, ME; Park City, UT; Missoula, MT; Plano, TX; Abita Springs, LA; St. Paul, MN; Manteo, NC; Vernon, NJ | 1982-1986 147

Here, There, and Everywhere: Denver | 1987 157

Part III

Unhappy Meals: Rome | 1988 163

Second Careers: Brooklyn | 1986 164

Davids and Goliaths: Boston | 1986 167

Five Hundred Miles in a Rented Honda: New Ullm, MN | 1986-1987 170

New York Minutes: Brooklyn; Manhattan | 1987-1988 171

The Revolution, Televised: San Francisco; Cleveland; Chicago | 1987-1990 174

A Manifesto and Arnold Schwarzenegger: Venice, Italy | 1990 180

The Value of Gold: Utica, NY | 1991 183

"The Tyranny of Fast Growth": Baghdad, Iraq; Marin County, CA | 1991-1994 185

Finding Role Models, Defying Labels: Philadelphia; New Glarus, Wl; Burlington, VT; Fort Collins, CO | 1991-1983 191

Ghosts Around the Machines: Washington, DC | 1993 195

Cherry Brew and Naked Hockey: Manhattan | 1992-1993 197

In Prime Time: San Francisco | 1994 199

Critical Mass: Durham, NC | 1995 203

The Potato-Chip Epiphany: Kailua-Kona, HI | 1993-1995 210

The Brewpubs Boom: Denver; Palo Alto, CA | 1993-1995 214

Suds and the City Brooklyn | 1995 218

Attack of the Phantom Crafts: Denver; St. Louis | 1994-1995 221

"Buduook" and the Bull Beer Market: Seattle; Portsmouth, NH; Frederick, MD | 1995-1996 225

Last Call for the Old Days: Hopland, CA; Portland, OR; Portland, ME | 1995-1997 233

Big Beer's Biggest Weapon: Kansas City; Merriam, KS; Chico, CA | 1996 238

The French Lieutenant's Coat: Brooklyn | 1996 243

To the Extreme: Rehoboth Beach, DE | 1995-1997 246

The Total Package: Petaluma, CA | 1995 251

Boos: Boston; Pittsburgh | 1996 255

The Movement's Biggest Setback: New York; Philadelphia | 1996 262

Lucky Bastards: Los Angeles; San Marcos, CA | 1996-1998 272

A Tale of Two Breweries: White River Junction, VT; Philadelphia | 1996-2000 278

The Great Shakeout: Nationwide | 1996-2000 283

Victory Abroad, Defeat At Home: Palo Alto, CA; Boston | 1997-2000 285

Part IV

Plotting a Comeback: Atlanta | 1998-2000 293

"Mcdonald's Versus Fine Food": Manhattan | 2000 298

Craft Beer Logs On: Boston; San Francisco; Atlanta | 1999-2001 300

Growing Pains Again: Brooklyn; Cleveland | 2000-2003 308

Still the Latest Thing: Guerneville, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Houston | 2002-2005 318

Crushing It: Lyons, CO | 2002 324

With Gusto: Manhattan; Boulder, CO | 2003-2005 328

A Great Passing: London | 2007 334

Beer, Premium: Durango, CO; New Orleans | 2006-2008 337

Exit the Godfather: San Francisco | 2009-2010 345

Big Crowds and the New Small: Santa Rosa, CA | 2010-2011 351

"The Albion Brewery": Sonoma, CA; Denver | 2011-2012 355

Forty-Two Hundred and Counting: Nationwide | 2012-2018 358

"Drink Socially": Santa Monica, CA; Roosevelt Island, NY | 2010-2016 361

Graft Beer Turns 185: Pottsville, PA | 2014-2016 365

Conquering Europe: Fraserburgh, Scotland; London; Rome; Grimstad, Norway; Moscow | 2002-2015 373

The Stockholm Affair: Stockholm; Hallertau, Germany; Berlin | 2013-2016 379

Lessons from Heraclitus: Azusa, CA; Amsterdam | 2014-2016 383

Big Beer Feasts: Chicago; long Island; Los Angeles; Tempe; Seattle; San Diego | 2011-2018 386

Billion-Dollar Worries: San Diego | 2015-2018 390

"The Future Will Not Be Like the Past": Nationwide | 2015-2016 397

Epilogue 403

Acknowledgments 409

Notes 411

Bibliography 459

Index 463

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is the story of how the “Kingdom of Beer” was returned to the drinker by little guys and gals who loved beer. It’s about the nurturing of the beer epiphany in a time when word of a revolution in the making was passed on one glass of brew at a time. The Audacity of Hops is an absorbing reflection on what goes into every glass of homebrew and professional craft-brewed beer in America. Impassioned millions have taken the kingdom back.” —Charlie Papazian, author, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and the founder of The American Homebrewers Association

 

"Everyone who cares about good beer owes Tom Acitelli a huge thanks: his history of American craft beer is lively, substantive, and thoughtful. It’s time to celebrate—and I’m buying the first round.” —Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer

"The Audacity of Hops chronicles the rich history of America's craft brewing revolution with deft portraits of the resourceful pioneers, the innovative brewers and the intrepid entrepreneurs who are changing the way the world thinks about the wonderful, inexpensive beverage, beer." —Steve Hindy, cofounder of Brooklyn Brewery, coauthor of Beer School

“This book is a delightful read, painstakingly researched, often humorous, and filled with stories that breathe life into the birth of our industry.” —David L. Geary, president of D. L. Geary Brewing Company.

“This is a highly quaffable and enjoyable craft beer book.  You can crack open a section or two , pour over it for an hour or so, and familiarize yourself with the moments and luminaries who contributed heavily to the American brewing renaissance.  This is heady stuff.”– Sam Calagione, President and Founder, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

“[Tom Acitelli]’s thorough research into the craft beer revolution tells a great story and shows how a ragtag yet purposeful group of passionate individuals can build an industry. He did an amazing job capturing the voice of the early characters, improbable tales, and astounding passion that makes up the craft brewing community.” —Ken Grossman, founder, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

“All of us in the craft beer business have stories to tell about the American Craft Beer Revolution. Tom Acitelli has woven them together into a fascinating history- adventure story where good beer is the hero. This is an exciting telling of the history of our industry with a happily-ever-after ending for beer lovers all over the world.” —Jim Koch, Founder and Brewer of The Boston Beer Company, brewer of Samuel Adams Boston Lager

“Don Younger, the legendary publican who helped Portland, Oregon, become “Beervana,” once said, “We didn’t know we were making history, nobody does at the time, or we would have written these things down.” Tom Acitelli has discovered an astonishing amount of what did get written down, then done the legwork to find his own story about a new age in American beer.” — Stan Hieronymus, editor and founder of Appellation Beer

Editorial Reviews

This is the story of how the ‘Kingdom of Beer’ was returned to the drinker. It’s about the nurturing of the beer epiphany in a time when word of a revolution in the making was passed on one glass of brew at a time. The Audacity of Hops is an absorbing reflection on what goes into every professional craft-brewed beer in America. Impassioned millions have taken the kingdom back.”  —Charlie Papazian, founder of the American Homebrewers Association and author of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing 

“Everyone who cares about good beer owes Tom Acitelli a huge thanks: his history of American craft beer is lively, substantive, and thoughtful.”  —Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer


"Excellent history of the American craft brewing movement."  —Slate


“The story of America’s beer, lovingly told here, is the story of the maturation and increased sophistication of the American palate.”  —The Wall Street Journal

“Highly quaffable and enjoyable. You can crack open a section or two, pore over it for an hour or so, and familiarize yourself with the moments and luminaries who contributed heavily to the American brewing renaissance. Heady stuff.”  —Sam Calagione, president and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and author of Brewing Up a Business

“[Tom Acitelli]’s thorough research into the craft beer revolution tells a great story and shows how a ragtag yet purposeful group of passionate individuals can build an industry. He did an amazing job capturing the characters, improbable tales, and astounding passion that make up the craft brewing community.”  —Ken Grossman, founder, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

"A lot of beer books come across my desk, but few are as thorough, well-researched and approachable as The Audacity of Hops. Author Tom Acitelli takes a reporter's approach to telling the story of the rise of craft beer in America."  —Evan S. Benn, Esquire magazine beer columnist

"Journalist and beer-lover Acitelli's exceptional document of this remarkable growth profiles the brewers, breweries, and brewhounds that have played a part in today's booming craft beer industry . . . It's an ingenious means of telling a story with so many influential characters, and Acitelli pulls it off, with an eye for detail and a nose for drama."  —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

In 1965, America only had one craft brewery: San Francisco's Anchor Steam. By 2012 there were over 2,000 and growing. Journalist and beer-lover Acitelli's exceptional document of this remarkable growth profiles the brewers, breweries, and brewhounds that have played a part in today's booming craft beer industry. Acitelli talks to dozens of brewers and beer enthusiasts in order to share his tale, deftly weaving multiple narratives into a larger whole, incorporating the stories of homebrewing, the Slow Food movement, the evolution of America's drinking habits, the rise of brewpubs, and the role of beer evangelists like Englishman Michael Jackson and Jim Koch, giving readers a 360-degree view of the subject by chopping it into short, digestible chapters. It's an ingenious means of telling a story with so many influential characters, and Acitelli pulls it off, with an eye for detail and a nose for drama. He even illustrates how massive breweries like Budweiser and Coors responded to the craft brew trend by creating imitations of iconic styles and trying to pass them off as craft beers. Acitelli knows his material and he's sure to keep readers engaged while they work up a mighty thirst. 29 b&w photos. (May)

Publishers Weekly

The history of craft beer in America is one of successes and failures, of iconic brewers whose brands became household names, and of pioneers whose ventures never caught on. Acitelli's first book is a comprehensive look at craft beer from the 1960s onward, from its birth out of the home brewing movement to ultimately revitalize an industry—and the drinking habits of millions. The author traces craft brewing's passage from an unorthodox business decision to a potentially logical investment. His book provides the histories of dozens of breweries, from familiar names to more obscure, long-shuttered institutions, and takes in numerous industry-wide controversies. The Audacity of Hops will tell you all you need to know about the debate over contract brewing, for instance. And, like books as disparate as Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Michael Azzerad's Our Band Could Be Your Life, this title also documents the point when an underground movement suddenly becomes part of the world it existed to defy. VERDICT This book is an informative, comprehensive look at the roots and evolution of something many beer drinkers take for granted.—Tobias Carroll, Brooklyn

Library Journal

A new history on the resurgence of craft beers and home-brewing in America from 1965 to 2012, tracing the pioneering efforts of individuals coast to coast, as well as their influence worldwide. Former New York Observer senior editor and current All About Beer contributor Acitelli offers a surprisingly engrossing, lively narrative on the tenacity of smaller outfits amid the dominant corporate brands, "a story populated by quintessential American characters: heroes and villains, hippies and yuppies, oenophiles and teetotalers, gangsters and G-men, men in kilts and men in suits, advances and retreats, long nights of the soul and giddy moments of triumph." He covers lagers, pilsners, ales and other beers produced after Prohibition and examines the stories behind their creation. He carefully explores the personages who offered distinctive alternatives to products by Coors, Anheuser-Busch and other mass-produced labels, revealing the challenges they faced, from turning out consistent, signature tastes inspired by historic recipes to reaching wider markets with an independent spirit that often eschewed advertising. In the first section, the author alternates among profiles of some of the early figures in American craft beers--including the owner of San Francisco's Anchor Steam company, Fritz Maytag, and Jack McAuliffe of The New Albion Brewing Company--and their fellow enthusiasts overseas, such as Michael Jackson, author of The World Guide to Beer. In the second section, Acitelli traces shifts in craft beers and home-brewing after Congress legalized the practice (which had been illegal since the 1930s but largely overlooked); the rise and demise of other microbreweries during the 1980s; continuing parallels with the locavore movement; increasing interest from venture capitalists; and related topics. In the third and fourth sections, the author further chronicles hurdles and successes, culminating in a tribute to McAuliffe. An invaluable resource for connoisseurs. General readers will find the topic exhaustive yet accessible.

Kirkus Reviews