Overview

Beer Terrain reveals the story of the emerging farm-to-glass revolution on the New England and New York craft brewing scene. Just a few years ago, if a brewery wanted to use local ingredients, they were limited to what farmers had on hand for other markets, such as honey or fruit. Today, the region fosters numerous small hop farms as well as several malt houses that use local grain exclusively. As a result, breweries are now able to capitalize on a growing locavore economy by creating beer from here. Small farmers are bucking a stagnant economy by marketing directly to the public as the growing number of both farms and farmers markets demonstrates. The public wants local food, and no drink is more of a meal than the liquid bread in a pint of beer. In recent years, craft brewing has grown at a 15 percent clip. In 2014, there were 2,700 craft breweries in the US with another 1,500 in planning. Not since the 1880s have there been so many breweries throughout the country. As more brewers try to get their brand noticed, the incentive to distinguish one beer from another increases. Tapping the existing local food market by supporting small farms can help garner some attention for these start-ups. In the 19th century, brewers of the Northeast had plenty of local malt and hops to choose from. Now, old meets new in a way that supports tradition and contributes to the future security of our farmlands ...whether its the young mother who began her thriving and unique business by growing barley in her garden and malting it in her kitchen, or the incredible passion for the land of a brewer who began as a farmer himself. Not only does this book tell the story of these people, their products, and the land that supports them, it also serves as a guidebook for readers who want to explore this terrain for themselves. With an extensive resource section that illustrates the connections between the land and the beer, Beer Terrain will be a valuable companion on any New England vacation or staycation.

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9781935874300

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Reviews

The book is in no sense a dry, technical manual. Jonathan and Suzanne have enjoyed their odyssey and convey it from the wonderful People s Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts to the Peak Organic Brewing Company in Portland, Maine.--Richard Morchoe The Sturbridge Times

Craft beer drinkers rarely need an excuse to seek out the latest and greatest brews... One other book to consider is Beer Terrain by Jonathan Cook. The author interviews locally conscious New Englanders in the industry, from a pioneering artisan malt house in Hadley, Massachusetts to a contract brewer telling farmers that heall buy all the organic ingredients they can grow. -- Gary Dzen -- The Boston Globe The book is in no sense a dry, technical manual. Jonathan and Suzanne have enjoyed their odyssey and convey it from the wonderful People's Pint in Greenfield, Massachusetts to the Peak Organic Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. -- Richard Morchoe -- The Sturbridge Times Exceptionally well written, organized and presented,Beer Terrain: From Field to Glass is an impressively informed and informative descriptive overview of the domestic brewing movement throughout the northeast. Thoroughly 'reader friendly', Beer Terrain: From Field to Glass is enhanced with the inclusion of a section devoted to beer brewing Resources. Very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections, Beer Terrain: From Field to Glass could well serve as a template for similar regional-based works related to micro-breweries and the growing do-it-yourself brewing industry. -- Midwest Book Review

Author Information

Jonathan Cook has been brewing beer with homegrown ingredients since 1999, when he and his wife, Suzanne LePage toured New England brewpubs on their honeymoon. Cook runs the chefs garden at the historic Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, Massachusetts and also operates One Acre Farm, raising chickens, hops, and berries.

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