{"product_id":"tapping-the-west-how-albertas-craft-beer-industry-bubbled-out-of-an-economy-gone-flat-9781771513203","title":"Tapping the West: How Alberta's Craft Beer Industry Bubbled Out of an Economy Gone Flat","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of a 2020 Gourmand World Cookbook Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe story behind Alberta's craft beer boom. An insider's look that brings together tasting notes, social history, politics, and science.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen Alberta eliminated its laws around mandatory minimum brewing capacity in 2013, the industry suddenly opened to the possibility of small-batch craft breweries. From roughly a dozen in operation before deregulation, there are now more than a hundred today, with new ones bubbling up each month. It's an inspiring story, one that writer Scott Messenger tells in impressive scope.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt a time when Alberta was still recovering from the plunge in oil prices in 2008, deregulation represented a path to economic diversification. Messenger takes readers on the road with him to investigate artifacts left behind by Alberta brewers dating to the late-1800s, to farms responsible for the province's unrivalled malt, and into the brewhouses and backstories of some of Canada's best new beer makers. It's an insider's look at history in the making.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith humour, straight-talking tasting notes, and a willingness to challenge stereotypes, Messenger introduces us to key players in the industry. We meet Graham Sherman of Tool Shed Brewing, who helped spearhead the change in legislation; Greg Zeschuk, whose Belgian-inspired brewery is poised to put Alberta beer on the global map; the sisters behind Northern Girls Hopyard, Alberta's first hop farm; and many more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMessenger winds up his narrative with a good, old-fashioned pub crawl, a fitting finale for the story of an industry that is, at its heart, about having fun with friends. Bringing together social history, politics, and science, \u003ci\u003eTapping the West\u003c\/i\u003e is engaging and balanced--not unlike the perfect you-know-what.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Touchwood Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/05\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781771513203\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.72h x 4.96w x 0.87d","brand":"Scott Messenger","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36668321333404,"sku":"9781771513203","price":19.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_1f80f86d-580e-41b4-8374-9907de516817.jpg?v=1603917251","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/tapping-the-west-how-albertas-craft-beer-industry-bubbled-out-of-an-economy-gone-flat-9781771513203","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}