Travels with Barley: The Quest for the Perfect Beer Joint

This is not a perfect effort but Wells has written a damned fine book that I think will go down as a beer classic. First of all, he's obviously a good reporter and an honest broker and he does a remarkable job of synthesizng beer's place in both contemporary and historical America. Second, contrary to a statement or two by some reviewers below, Wells is NOT a beer snob and in fact takes pains to explain why Bud got to be so popular and lager came to rule the beer world; he does both without being dismissive of lager or lager drinkers. As a beer geek myself I probably would have liked to have seen a little less travel writing and a little more attention paid to craft beer. But his chapters on yeast and yeast smuggling, home brew competitions and what he calls Extreme Beer are excellent and, by the way, first-class magazine journalism.

I heard Wells speak in April at the Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia. He was hilarious and I bought his book afterward and definitely got my money's worth. He tells a good story (often with humor) and though I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about beer, I learned a great deal. It's pretty evident he cares about the subject. Wells is a nice writer and the book never slows down. You come away with a good sense of beer's place at the American table.

Wells has done a great deal of good for good beer in America while writing with wit and style about God's favorite beverage. But his is a catholic approach, which means it's not just about the craft-brew movement. He does a nice job of bringing readers up to date on how beer achieved its exalted place in contemporary America (as the book notes, it outsells wine and spirits seven to one.) Some chapters really stand out: his take on the Extreme Beer Movement is wonderful and his exploration of the subcult of beer-yeast rustlers is excellent and virtually unexplored territory in beer literature. But Wells also doesn't forget Norm of Cheers in the Bud bars across America and writes with empathy and humor about the America he sees "through the prism of a beer glass."

I'm not much of a beer drinker but this is a terrific book. Wells is an entertaining writer and also a good reporter and observer of human nature. You learn tons about the beer industry but he is clearly most interested in beer people, the quirkier the better. By the time you finish the chapter on Extreme Beer, you will understand practically all you need to know about the microbrew business but also why it attracts the kind of people who could be running companies in Silicon Valley. I had no idea I would want to read an entire chapter about beer yeast but I couldn't put it down. The trip down the River of Beer meanwhile is fun and a nicely paced travelogue. He ends up in one of my favorite cities New Orleans and his essay about its drinking proclivities is very, very funny (and true.) I highly recommend this book. It will make a great stocking stuffer this Christmas.

Wells is smooth writer with a good sense of humor and a talent for telling a good story. I'll admit I'm what he calls a beer geek but you don't have to be a beer geek to enjoy this book. He ambles down the Mississippi River searching for The Perfect Beer Joint but he finds some nice slices of the real America along the way. His encounters with various "Beer Goddesses" are pretty hilarious. He peels off the river and discovers a place called Beervana and people who spend their free time poaching beer yeast. The book is full of good travel writing. And if you do like beer and are interested in the subject, this is a great book to get up to speed on beer in America as it stands today. Wells is a real reporter and the book is filled with stats and observations but never in a dull way. You'll learn about the evolution of the beer joint, why Budweiser rules American beer and why the Mayflower REALLY landed at Plymouth Rock.