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"When waves of immigrants arrived in the Midwest in the 19th century they promptly began brewing beer. Not long ago, Milwaukee was thought to be the capital city of American beer and many of the best known national brands emerged from the breweries of the upper Midwest. More recently, as consumers became more interested in variety and freshness, there has been a boom of micro-breweries throughout the region offering a wide range of craft beers. In his Beer Guide to the Heartland, Michael Agnew shows how widespread the boom has been, and how it has been kept booming by breweries' close attention to quality and consumer preferences. Agnew explains the basics of brewing beer, the rise, fall, and rise again of major labels, and describes the offerings of 200different breweries in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The Guide makes it possible for beer lovers to tour breweries near and far, experience for themselves what the different breweries offer, and make their own comparisons. Agnew identifies the breweries' specialties, their origins, their equipment, their capacity, and their brands, many of which are seasonal. He says which breweries allow tours, which sell on site, which have tasting rooms or attached pubs, and whether they also serve food. He doesn't hesitate to recommend the beers he likes best"--Provided by publisher.
List of contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
INTRODUCTION 1
The Rise of the Megabreweries after Prohibition 5
Minnesota's Beer: The History of Grain Belt 9
Brewery Caves Then and Now 13
How to Use This Guide 17
MINNESOTA 18
Twin Cities/Central 21
Northern 41
Southeast 50
Southwest 54
Fermenteries 57
WISCONSIN 58
Madison 61
Milwaukee 71
Northern 81
East Central 85
West Central 98
Southeast 110
Southwest 116
Fermenteries 119
ILLINOIS 120
Chicago Metro 123
Northern 158
Central 163
Southern 170
Fermenteries 173
IOWA 174
Central 176
Northeast 186
Southeast 194
Southwest 198
Fermenteries 200
GLOSSARY OF BEER TERMS 201
BIBLIOGRAPHY 205
INDEX OF BREWERIES BY LOCATION 207
GENERAL INDEX 211
About the author
Michael Agnew writes about beer for the
Minneapolis Star Tribune, Beer Connoisseur, and other publications and is the author of the homebrew recipe book
Craft Beer for the Homebrewer. He blogs at A Perfect Pint, www.aperfectpint.net.
