{"product_id":"9781771513203","title":"Tapping the West: How Alberta's Craft Beer Industry Bubbled Out of an Economy Gone Flat","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"If you love craft beer, you’ll love this book.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Tomato\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\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","brand":"Heritage Group Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46407990903025,"sku":"9781771513203","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/5433\/7265\/files\/9781771513203_p0.jpg?v=1765204314","url":"https:\/\/shop.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781771513203","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","version":"1.0","type":"link"}