The Other American Revolution – Tom Acitelli Recalls Our Nation’s Hop History

, The Other American Revolution – Tom Acitelli Recalls Our Nation’s Hop HistoryWith today’s booming and constantly evolving craft beer business, it’s easy to forget the challenges the industry has overcome in the last 50 years. Thankfully, we have wonderful hop historians like Tom Acitelli who are on a mission to discover and share their historical knowledge of craft beer’s beginnings. In his new book The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution, Tom chronicles the struggles and successes of building the nation’s craft beer scene. I’ve got to admit, I’ve never been a huge history buff…but this is the kind of historical reading I can get behind!

I recently caught up with Tom at a crowded book-signing event at Watch City Brewing Company in Waltham, Massachusetts. He spoke about his book and what inspired him to write it, and then we sat down over beer and talked craft beer…

Why did you decide to write The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution?

I was looking for a topic that would be a great and fun business story to tell.I feel very lucky it had not been done before.

, The Other American Revolution – Tom Acitelli Recalls Our Nation’s Hop HistoryWhat did you learn while writing The Audacity of Hops about the craft beer industry that you didn’t know before?

It surprised me that in the 90s, there was a lot of tension between craft breweries. There was a lot of cutthroat competition between breweries – where now you don’t see that. Breweries now are willing to help each other out.

What was the first beer you ever tried?

The first beer I ever had was Genesee Cream Ale. My first craft beer was Pete’s Wicked Ale.

If you had to pick a place to go on a beercation, where would you go?

In 2010, my wife and I traveled to Belgium and visited every Trappist brewery. If I had to pick a place in the United States, I would pick North Carolina. I would start in Asheville and work my way east.

What beers would you choose for your dream 6-pack?

I would drink the history of American craft beer. I would start with Anchor Steam Beer. I would then go with Boston Beer Company’s first edition, Sam Adams Lager. My next pick would be New Albion Ale. My fourth beer would be Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’sSierra Nevada Pale Ale. My next beer would be Lagunitas Brewing Company’s, Lagunitas IPA. My sixth and final beer would have to be a beer from one of the first brewpubs in the United States…either Buffalo Bills Brewery,Mendocino Brewing Company, or Yakima Brewing & Malting Co, also known as Grant’s Brewery Pub.

What are you working on now?

I am actually shopping a novel about four guys affected by the Great Recession who move to upstate New York and open a beer bar. It’s sort of a Sideways for beer. Nonfiction-wise, I just finished the proposal for a history of American wine and beer criticism, and how that helped the nation come to dominate both worldwide. I call it Oaky.

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