When I came of legal drinking age in 1981, Budweiser was still truly the king of beers. During my college years, I must admit that I enjoyed more than my share. (On a special night, my motley college crew might spring for Michelob or Molson Golden.) After graduation, I took a cross-country road trip with some buddies and landed in San Francisco. There, someone handed me an Anchor Steam—the first craft beer that had ever passed my lips. I can't say that I appreciated it at the time. But it showed me that beer could have, well, flavor. This was confirmed again the next year during a trip to England. By the time I moved to San Francisco in 1990, the first salvos of the microbrewery revolution were being launched all around the country. Soon, I had bid farewell to American lagers and hitched the fortunes of my ever-expanding waistline to steam beers and pale ales, porters and IPAs.
I wrote Fifty Places to Drink Beer Before You Die for people like me who appreciate a good pint and all the camaraderie that can come with it.
"What makes a destination a place where you have to drink beer before you die?" you might ask. A city with a rich and influential brewing history? A community that's embraced craft brewing and has attracted other like-minded souls and made it their own? The availability of a celebrated brew that's simply not distributed anywhere else? Or a special setting—be it a renowned nineteenth hole or celebrated lodge—where a cold beer allows a chance to recount a special day? The answer would be yes to all of the above and an abundance of other criteria. One thing I knew when I began this project: I could not assemble this list alone. So I followed a recipe that's served me well in my first twelve Fifty Places books—to seek the advice of some experts. To write Fifty Places to Drink Beer Before You Die, I interviewed a host of people closely connected with the brewing world (and several aficionados associated with other areas of endeavor) to discuss some of their favorite spots and experiences. These experts range from craft brewing pioneers (like Jim Koch, Steve Hindy, and Gary Fish) to celebrated beer writers (like Don "Joe Sixpack" Russell, Joe Wiebe, and John Foyston) to professional athletes (like Tommy Moe and Terry Simms). Some spoke of venues that are near and dear to their hearts, places where they've built their professional reputation; others spoke of places they've only visited once but that made a profound impression. To give a sense of the breadth of the interviewees' backgrounds, a bio of each individual is included after each essay. ("Places," in this context, does not generally reference specific pubs or breweries, but to regions that have a thriving craft beer culture or are celebrated for activities that are nicely complemented by a good beer.)
Wonderful beer-drinking venues can take many shapes and forms. For some, it may be a cool, drizzly city with a host of snug pubs serving British-style ales by a crackling fire; for others, it could be a sun-drenched festival where one can sample hundreds of beers with tens of thousands of like-minded folk. While Fifty Places to Drink Beer Before You Die attempts to capture the spectrum of experiences, it by no means attempts to rank the places discussed. Such ranking is, of course, largely subjective.
In the hope that a few readers might embark on their own beer-tasting adventures, brief "If You Go" information is provided at the end of each chapter, including phone numbers/websites of some recommended breweries/brewpubs/pubs in the region described. The "If You Go" information is by no means a comprehensive list, but should give would-be travelers a starting point for planning their trip. (Many pubs and breweries have an active social media presence and will regularly provide updates on what beers are pouring and what's coming down the pipeline.)
Thanks to the incredible proliferation of craft breweries the world has seen in the last ten years, one no longer needs to travel to Germany to find a decent Weissbier or Oregon to imbibe a hop-heavy IPA. Yet a trip to any of the "beervanas" discussed here can create memories for a lifetime. It's my hope that this little book will inspire you to embark on some new tasting adventures of your own.
Craft beer is about quality, not quantity. I encourage you to drink responsibly. If you do enjoy a few, please don't drive.
