We Make Beer: Inside the Spirit and Artistry of America's Craft Brewers

by Sean Lewis

An eye-opening journey into craft beer–making in America, and what you can find in the quest to brew the perfect pint
Sean Lewis was living in Boston when he first set foot inside the Blue Hills Brewery. He was writing for BeerAdvocate magazine about America's craft brewers, and the then-fledgling Blue Hills was his first assignment. Lewis was immediately struck by the spirit of the brewers he met there. That visit would lead him first to an intensive study of beer-brewing, and later to a nation-spanning journey into the heart—and the art—of American beer making.

What Lewis found along the way was a group of like-minded craftsmen—creators who weren't afraid to speak their minds, who saw their competitors as cherished friends. A group who takes sheer joy in their work, and who seeks the same kind of balance in their lives as they do in the barrels they brew. He shared pints with pioneering upstarts like Paul and Kim Kavulak of Nebraska Brewing Company, and talked shop with craft beer stalwarts like Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada and bombastic innovators like Greg Koch (the "Arrogant Bastard" behind Stone Brewing Co.). He found, in them and others, a community that put its soul into its work, who sees beer-making as an extension of themselves.

We Make Beer is not just a celebration of American brewing, but of the spirit that binds brewers together. It's about what you can discover in yourself when you put your hands and your heart into crafting the perfect pint.

Genres: Nonfiction, Beer, Business, Food and Drink

213 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2014

Reviews

[Einreich Aldorfer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, so this book took me quite some time to finish, but only because every time I picked it up, its unscrupulous and pandering style was too nauseating to carry on for more than a few paragraphs. I only finished it as a matter of duty, and ultimately this book is objectively a farce and piece of trash. I can't even tell if this pile of horse-dung was satirical in some places or not, especially with the "photograph" taken in the 1500s! A word to the wise: never purchase or support anything from M. Lewis, whose writing style suggests he is a shill for beer magnates like Budweiser; it seems this book was born out of a magazine article/propaganda commission rather than through the author's own passion. One can tell he does not give 2 cents about beer; only making money off writing about it. This one is an obvious pass, making for better fire kindle than reading material.

[Steve Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This provides some insight on an industry I enjoy and appreciate so much - the craft beer industry. It's an industry that has developed, prospered, and continues to expand so suddenly that it's very interesting for me to begin reading perspectives and insights from those behind the scenes. This particular one is different - I can't really make full sense of how each section is put together and formed into a book, but I do know it's written by someone who enjoys and appreciates the industry. I connected to that and feel much the same, so it was interesting for me to read through. I'll continue to look out for more books on this topic.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think some of these other reviews are over the top on their hatred for this book and apparently the author. On the surface this is a collection of observations from various breweries in the US. At a minimum I read of some breweries I didn't know, so I learned something.

What I'll probably most remember about this book though are 3 passages that bothered me as a beer drinker and as a human. The beer industry is made up of a lot of men. This book is almost entirely about men making beer. Fine. I think it would have been more interesting to cover different types of brewers and why they make beer. However when finally there is a woman that is part of one of the brewer stories, why is it necessary to call out that she is "pretty." Okay so that was one reference that perhaps warranted some side-eye and we can move on. However later in the book we get this gem of a sentence: "Paul served it to us the way a young man shows off his pretty new girlfriend." Sean Lewis should spend some time understanding the damage that the objectification of women has on society

Finally, there is a section in the book discussing a brewery in Austin. Apparently it was established in a not-quite-yet gentrified part of Austin yet. The money quote here is "it built up and pushed out all the crack whores". Keep it classy Sean.

This book has some potential discussing interesting brewer stories. Its a shame that's not what I'll remember.

[Matt Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice insights into what the life of a brewer actually looks like

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the writing style rather off-putting. It felt ragged in many places, though I'm not entirely sure I can be more specific. Little fact-checking errors (that photograph is for SURE not from the sixteenth century, I promise) and grammatical infelicities detracted from my immersion in the book. I thought we hopped around a little too much. (Yeah, hopped around... I crack me up.) I didn't get a real feel for the individual brewers, and I didn't get a clear picture of the process either. Interesting but not compelling.

[Fred · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writer lost me on the very first paragraph of the first chapter, and I am basing my review on his ineptness as a journalist. Complete garbage.

No photograph exists from the 1500s because photography did not exist then. No existing photograph is "hundreds" of years old. Hell, the brewery itself was founded in 1777, and also isn't as old as he's claiming.

F you, Sean Lewis. You're a hack and a liar. And also a pretty bad writer, based on the intro chapter.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book We Make Beer, author Sean Lewis discusses the art of craft beer brewing. The book is an unusual choice due to my lack of beer drinking. I am a teetotaler, so I don't partake in alcohol often. On the other hand, the chemistry of beer brewing interests me. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a city once famous for its breweries.

All I know about beer is a little history. I know it developed in Ancient Sumeria. I realized the water wasn't safe to drink in many areas, so alcohol drinking flourished. Water would spoil on long sea voyages. IPA means India Pale Ale.

I never heard of Lewis, but he writes sports articles and articles on beer. The book covers small breweries and the camaraderie among the group. Lewis starts in Massachusetts and talks to the local brewers there. He moves to California, where they have a lot of craft breweries.

I enjoyed the book. I don't understand the aggregate score, though. Did the author do something unsavory? Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Will Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book & it’s insights into the craft beer industry. I will say the writing is like a series of columns instead of coherent chapters. Maybe it’s the way this info needs to be presented or maybe it’s the authors background as a reporter. Either way I found it to not be a bad read.

[Josh Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read. It was cool reading about Old Forge Brewing (Danville, PA) being talked about. The book takes place throughout 2009-2011. The craft beer scene is much different now, with some of the breweries mentioned having since closed. Not something I'll return to.

[Andrew Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to read. Tell's about the author's journey through beer and visiting different breweries.

[Paul Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice stories here, but not terribly interesting.

[Joseph Raborg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book about some of the up and coming breweries in the early 2000’s. The book starts out rather interesting and then becomes repetitive around the middle.

[Caity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as part of Goodreads First reads program.

I am not a beer drinker, in fact I pretty much hate the stuff but i was interested in this book partially because of a history class I once took that detailed some of the process of brewing beer and partially because I have several friends who brew as a hobby and talk about it quite a bit. This book was very interesting and informative. It gave plenty of background information on brewing without seeming like it was dumbing anything down or interrupting the narrative of the book. The book discusses several brewing companies weaving their stories into the overall history of brewing provided. It is a quick and easy read without skimping on information. I would recommend it to anyone who either wants to build up a basic knowledge of brewing or who like to learn more about some of their favorite brewers. Overall it is a very fun book as well as packed with information about how the craft brewing industry works.

[Mike Barat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This may be the worst book I have ever read in my life, in spite of liking the concept of visiting of a bunch of craft beer breweries and writing about it. I know many people that own businesses, and they all have funny stories and interesting stories, and ideas about the business that went wrong, as well as great stories about ideas that went better than the business owner excepted, especially when the business owner first started his or her business. However all we get from writer Sean Lewis is boredom, and even more boredom. Congressmen and Congresswomen I'm begging all of you of both parties, please pass a bill into law to prevent writer Sean Lewis from ever writing a book again. This I admit this is only a gut feeling. I get the feeling that some of stories in this book never happened. Again that's not scientific, it's only a gut feeling. Whether that's true of not, this book is still perhaps the biggest waste of ink in history.

[Madlyneon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book via Goodreads's First Reads Giveaways. That was in July. It has taken me this long to realize that I will never finish reading this book.

This book is difficult to pin down. Not enough research to call it a history on the craft beer movement. Not enough technical trivia and delightful tidbits to call it a behind-the-scenes looksie on the ins and outs of running a brewery. And definitely not enough charisma from Sean Lewis and his origin story from sports writer to beer writer to home brewer to brew-master apprentice to warrant a publishing deal.

Quit before I reached chapter 2.

[Caleb Coy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely written by someone who is used to writing blurbs & columns. The narrative winds all over with no clear path, and points are often repeated multiple times. Individual chapters feel like they were written completely separate, with no attention paid to detail overlap or the the flow. The writing isn't bad, and the anecdotes are interesting, but far from a must read.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting look into the world of beer brewing on the smaller scale. I really liked that the author went so far as to actually work at one of these brewery's to gain some kind of perspective into the craft beer world. A nice book for anyone interested in a very refreshing beverage that millions enjoy. Cheers!

[Smitty Werbenjagermanjensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Versatile Book
You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, book-kabobs, book creole, book gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple book, lemon book, coconut book, pepper book, book soup, book stew, book salad, book and potatoes, book burger, book sandwich.

I suppose-you could read it as well

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, a huge thanks to Goodreads for me winning this book. Truth be told I didn't enter to win this book for myself, but for a friend who actually brews. Having read it before giving it away, I am very glad I did. This is a very accessible book about the brewing, small pub industry.

[Uberman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is one steaming, heaping and incoherent, rambling pile of dung. Seriously! There is no clear structure, no rising and falling action/climax, and no actual conclusion. It is more like a magazine article, or, more appropriately, a turd. Writing is not your forte, Sean Lewis. Please stop.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting coverage of the American craft beer industry. Minus one star for not getting very good geographic distribution, but lovely coverage of the breweries on which he focused.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a fun read for people like us, who travel to visit breweries! We've been to at least 6 of the breweries profiled in this book.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a very long magazine article. You can tell that Lewis is passionate about the subject and has gone to great lengths to share his thoughts on the crafters of beer.

[Maddie]

Nope not forcing myself to finish. This writing has no attention to details, historical inaccuracy and is simply not compelling