Customer Reviews

Beer for Pete's Sake: The Wicked Adventures of a Brewing Maverick

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished this book and thought it deserved plugging for a couple of reasons. First, even though this book was clearly not intended as a "how-to" treatise, it has THE BEST introductory overview of the brewing process and, more importantly, the various factors involved in brewing and how they affect the final product that I have yet read, surpassing every homebrew how-to book in this important regard. These other books tend to either be too general or too detailed in addressing these issues, so that the most basic general principles the reader needs to appreciate to understand brewing can often get lost, but Pete nails most of them dead-on in his brief coverage of the matter. For this portion of the book he deserves at least a FOUR-star rating. The rest of the book is fun and informative without going into too much detail for the sake of detail, a common failing of many beer books, making for a quick and lighthearted read. His interest in beer lore has enabled him to bring together many anecdotes concerning beer in a single volume which one would probably have to look all over the place to find. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography which was interesting to read in and of itself. In fact, I was so impressed with the book and so dissapointed that is ended as soon as it did that I am going to write Pete and ask him to recommend some particular titles for further reading enjoyment.

I would rate this book overall at FOUR Stars and intend to seek an autographed copy to add to my collection.

Interested in learning more about the microbrewing/brewpub business, I have been reviewing success stories such as the stories of Dogfish Head, Brooklyn, and Redhook. While none of them offer a true game plan for success they all had good anecdotes on things they did right or wrong.

I had hoped that this book would provide additional insight. Alas, it did not. The book was filled with a myriad of beer trivia; beer history, beer myths, and so on. It wasn't however filled with the wicked adventures of a brewing maverick as advertised. There are many chapters that digress into self-indulgencies like cigars and barbecues and really has nothing to do with Pete's Wicked Ales.

If you're interested in an easy to read beer history and trivia book check this one out at your local library. If you are looking to learn from the people who made it check out the aforementioned books.

Pete Slosberg, the "Pete" of Pete's Wicked Ale, started as a homebrewer and became a craft or "micro" brewer. This biography starts well, but ends up chatty and full of self-congratulatory anecdotes. Slosberg has a good discussion of beer types and why brewers shouldn't worry too much about what category their beer is in. Not much useful information on the business side of craft brewing. Slosberg repeats a number of stories about beer origins and phrases, most of them reprinted in other books. Definitely recommended for brewing aficionados.

Pete Slosberg is a great brewer. His ales are tasty and his ideas on changing the face of brewing in america are legendary. On the down side, Pete is not a writer. Beer for Pete's Sake covers the spectrum of beer today, but just barely scratches the surface of any subject. If you really want to read this book my recomendation is, wait for the paperback.

This is a great book for everyone to read. Even a nonbeer drinker will find the stories and information interesting. It was also a fun book and an easy way to learn about beer.

This is a very inspiring book of Pete's adventures in beer. Beside his wonderful story you'll learn a lot about beer and other age old traditions. A great read for any beer geek.