Jack Hitt, author of "BUNCH OF AMATEURS: A Search for the American Character" (Crown, 2011)
"Christian DeBenedetti's book is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Charlie Papazian, author THE COMPLETE JOY of HOMEBREWING, and MICROBREWED ADVENTURES; founder of the Great American Beer Festival
"Beer is a personal endeavor anyway you look at it. Christian DeBenedetti’s Great American Ale Trail provides a good dose of nourishment, eloquently awakening a thirst for America’s craft brews. Detours, “scenes,” local heroes, beer philosophy, key brews, “best of the rest” and suggested itineraries unzip America’s golden age of beer. It’s the perfect companion for your next road trip!"
Margo True, Food Editor, Sunset magazine; author, THE ONE-BLOCK FEAST
"What a great read this is—packed with places I instantly want to visit and fizzing with fun, enlightening glimpses of the coolest aspects of our nation’s craft-beer renaissance. I can’t wait to take a few of these roadtrips. They promise a whole new way to see and taste America."
William Bostwick, author of BEER CRAFT: A SIMPLE GUIDE TO MAKING GREAT BEER
“Great beers are about places, not just where they're made, but where we get to drink them, and there's no better tour guide than Christian, who's picked the best breweries, best bars, and best bar snacks (Juneau? That'd be the pelmeni) for the thirsty wanderer in all of us. His book is the best answer yet to that eternal question, as old as travel itself: Where can I get a drink around here?”
Dan Dunn, author of "LIVING LOADED: Tales of Sex, Salvation and the Pursuit of the Never-Ending Happy Hour"
"Easily the most thirst-inducing book ever written. Three cheers to Christian DeBenedetti for mapping out the route to beer heaven. It's about damn time someone got around to writing the definitive guide to beer bars in America. I was afraid I was going to have to do it."
Hampton Sides, editor-at-large for Outside magazine and author of Americana: Dispatches from the New Frontier
“From sea to foaming sea, we've become a great Beer Hoisting Nation. And Christian DeBenedetti is our convivial, savvy, and good-humored guide. The result of his dedicated wanderings is a tangy compendium that's part travelogue, part practical handbook, and part cultural history, giving us fresh perspective on the Hop Revolution that has quietly overtaken our land, one pint at a time. Carry this book with you on your own cross-continental travels, and bring it home stained and sour—a field manual soaked with happy memories."
Sam Calagione, President & Founder, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Christian has been an evangelist for and card-carrying member of the craft brewing community for many years. And now, with this book, his encyclopedic knowledge of American brewery geography and mythology is right at your fingertips. There are over 1800 commercial breweries in this country and the average American lives within 10 miles of at least one brewery and a short road trip away from hundreds of them. So get truckin' and explore the vibrant, diverse, craft brewing landscape America is now internationally known for.”
Jim Koch, Founder and Brewer, Samuel Adams
"Christian is the Christopher Columbus of beer, exploring the craft beer scene and discovering new brews, one draft at a time. The tales from his recent journey across the country are an enlightening look into the American craft beer renaissance we are experiencing today. If he had set out on this expedition 30 years ago, his book would have only been a few pages long - and his beer tab, much less expensive."
