This was a birthday gift from my sister back in my home state of Vermont. The book does a fine job of chronicling the history, and evolution of the industry, as well as showcasing the different styles and types of ales, porters, sours, IPAs, light, and all the other ever-changing brews. While I knew quite a bit about beer brewing in those green mountains, the back stories to all these breweries were very interesting, and the struggle to establish and keep alive those people's dream businesses made me think of our constant challenge to keep our bookstore's doors open for more than twenty years. The passion and talents that these people brought to these businesses was impressive.
If I could offer one suggestion for the next edition. The book would have been more useful if had included a map or a listing of the breweries and brewpubs grouped geographically ... brewery and pub-crawls would then have been much easier to organize.
The cooperation and and closeness of the people throughout all these "competitors" was inspiring. Maybe you've had a fire, some flood damage, or are just starting out, other brewers are a great source for the loan of equipment, ingredients, and always a helping hand. Many misguided people think of all brewers as just a bunch of beer-bellied good ole boys drinking at work. I recommend pouring yourself a cold one and flipping through this book to learn about Vermont Beer. ( )