The Ale Master: How I Pioneered America's Craft Brewing Industry, Opened the First Brewpub, Bucked Trends, and Enjoyed Every Minute of It [Hardcover]

Bert Grant (Author), Robert Spector (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Here is a literary toast to Bert Grant, father of America's microbrew industry, and his evangelical passion for the art and science of brewing fine crafted ales. It's all about Grant's fragrant, gas-fired, copper-kettle world, and what has come from it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Homebrewers...will find some valuable tips from a master of the craft....Grant is a fanatic about beer. Thank heaven they still exist -- Ale Street News, Dec. 4, 1998

Product Details

• Hardcover: 142 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935503196
• ISBN-13: 978-0935503197
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,452,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Autobiography of Craft Brewing, July 24, 2005

By 

John Lewis "uneasy_rhetoric" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ale Master: How I Pioneered America's Craft Brewing Industry, Opened the First Brewpub, Bucked Trends, and Enjoyed Every Minute of It (Hardcover)

Bert Grant, a chemist and Canadian beer expert for many years, opened Grant's Pub and Yakima Brewing and Malting in 1982. At the time, according to the book, the only other "micro" breweries were Sierra Nevada and Anchor. Grant's helped to fill the burning need for better beer in the Pacific Northwest, and is widely regarded as the father of the craft beer movement.

Unfortunately, the book, published by regional publisher and corporate publisher Sasquatch Books, is more narcissistic corporate brochure than legitimate autobiography. Nevertheless, Grant has much to say about beer and the beer making process, lets us in on why he does not like American beers like Budweiser or Coors, and gives a few tips for home brewers - something he still does, even though he owns one of the most celebrated craft breweries.

Fans of craft brews might enjoy the book if they can get past the blatant mirror gazing. There were times during the book that Grant took most or all of the credit for developments I can't help thinking were not entirely his. Reading the book, one may get the impression that the North American beer industry would be a nirvana of hoppy goodness, if they had just listened to Bert, for he can do no wrong. For example, he recounts in very little detail that he was fired from Strohs for revealing corporate secrets. He does not admit to doing so, but freely admits to doing a little moonlighting as a beer consultant. That still sounds like a conflict of interest to me.

On the other hand, the book contains a detailed but understandable explanation of the beer making process and of how the various elements - yeast, hops, barley - combine (or don't combine) to create good beer. In one section, Grant writes about the difficulties making Grant's Imperial Stout, an excellent, thick stout that takes some getting used to if all you drink is Guinness. He also suggests that the Guinness we drink today is a weak version of Guinness at its best. Many Guinness drinkers know that the beer is low in alcohol (around 4 percent); Grant suggests that it should not be, that stouts, in fact, should be closer to 7 or 8 percent.

There is no question the book is a corporate brochure, but hopefully it will spark some interest in the craft brewing movement and a real historian can tackle the subject from a less personally involved angle.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Renaissance of Craft Brewing, December 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ale Master: How I Pioneered America's Craft Brewing Industry, Opened the First Brewpub, Bucked Trends, and Enjoyed Every Minute of It (Hardcover)

Bert Grant tells his story, in "The Ale Master", about his love of beer and how he helped to open the eyes of the world to the forgotten industry known as craft brewing. Prior to the 1980's, beer was pretty much a boring product with nearly all beer made in a similar fashion, using some grains and hops, but too many adjuncts resulting in products that are nearly identical in appearance and taste. Grant helped change all of that when he opened the first brewpub in Yakima Washington.

This book is a little too short, but it is an easy read. There are also very lenghty footnotes on nearly every page. It would have been better if, instead of using all of the footnotes, the information would have been integrated into the regular reading.

By reviving the microbrewing industry, Bert Grant has performed a great service to all Americans. Never again will we be forced to choose between bland, bland, and more bland when we face the beer isle.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for beer enthusiasts everywhere!, October 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ale Master: How I Pioneered America's Craft Brewing Industry, Opened the First Brewpub, Bucked Trends, and Enjoyed Every Minute of It (Hardcover)

What Robert Mondavi is to wine, Bert Grant is to beer! This was a fun way to trace the career of one of America's microbrew pioneers while learning a lot about the history of beer in America. Grant's seen it, and brewed it all. Two steins up!