Book Review!
I first heard of this in the midst of gathering news of my friend Michael Agnew's progress on his soon to be published book on the breweries of the MidWest. Odd that the subtitle of Shepard's book contains the name of Michael's business/blog/website, etcetera. Not odd is that it's a very easy alliteration to formulate in the mind. It's probably occurred to thousands of writers, professional and amateurs for years and years. And it appears countless times within this volume.
So, I'm going to begin this review of the volume with a random series of notes, notings, jotting and tidbits of the mind. Here goes…..
Thing 1: The title is a misnomer, of sorts. This is not "Minnesota's best", it's all of them. {Edit: I am wrong. Borealis Fermentery didn't make the cut, but it was only released two months ago.) It is so comprehensive that it includes breweries that are still not up and running and haven't sold a single beer to a single customer. That is how you stay somewhat current. Also, it includes beers from southern Wisconsin as well as Iowa, and a sentence or two about the Dakotas. The author, as well as the publisher, is from Wisconsin, and he has already published a book about the breweries of Wisconsin. Are these entries so necessary? Would they miss those 20 pages?
Does ever-loving Wisconsin really need to encroach on Minnesota's turf once again? Get over yourself, Wisconsin! You're not all that! Gaaah!
I need to calm down. I'm reaching for a good….Minnesota brewed beer! (Schell's Stage Series #5, Czech Dark Lager.)
okay…okay…I'm good.
Thing 2: The first chapter is called The Best of Minnesota's Best. Why bother with the book, if you're going to start out with the Cliff's Notes?
Thing 3: Error on page xii: Dave's BrewFarm is not solar powered, it is wind-powered. Unless I've missed the solar panels at every visit, and ignored Dave and Pam every time they talked about the (non-existent) solar power.
Thing 4: page xiii: This advice is given: "Scan various websites to learn about events, festival, special keg tappings,…" I agree! Various websites are the best. I suggest you log on to www.various.com and search keywords "Keg" "tapping" "Festival" "beer and food menus" and "etcetera".
(By the way, I know I am being mean and sarcastic, and will try to keep it to a minimum, but, come one, give one example, if not more specifics. I know he's done some research, but show it, okay. Tell us what website, what newspaper or magazine, so we know how to find them.)
Thing 5: This book is written for tourists, designed for vacations. Every entry has a history of the brewery, breakdown of the beers (with Shepard's notes, where possible, and other notes when not, including space for "your ranking"…in addition, every first page includes spots for the date of visit and a signature from the "Brewery owner, brewmaster, or waitperson".), menu (where applicable, "things to see and do in the area", brewery rating, and directions.
The brewery rating is where I find faults. Space is given for "your rating", as well a series of mugs to indicate Shepard's as well as his notes to explain the number of mugs. But his assignment of mugs and assessment of breweries seems capricious and perhaps conditional on the mood of the day, as he awards different mugs for the same standard. For example, for Surly, he gives 4 mugs for Brewery Atmosphere with these notes: "This is a working brewery that feels like one. There is a small tasting area and gift shop, but Surly's location and no-frills buildings are all part of it's character, if not charm."
For Harriet, two mugs, and this: "This is a working brewery in the garage of a former towing company." Ouch! Now, I can't blame anyone for waxing poetic about Surly, but come on, did Jason step on his shoes that day or what? Keep in mind that the taprooms hadn't started up yet, but he did write in the text earlier, this: "Sowards has an appreciation for music. Regulars often hang out back in the brewhouse area where a few old chairs, a sofa, and a table provide a near perfect place to enjoy a Harriet beer while listening to Soward's collection of vinyl jazz records." Well, Sowards collection of rock, country and bluegrass records, and my collection of jazz, but my point is that that is, even before the transformation of the taproom, reason why the atmosphere should be rated higher, and that is is more than "A working brewery in an old towing company." And what brewery isn't "a working brewery?"
(I finally get it. By working brewery, he means production brewery and uses this phrase to oppose it to a brewpub that has a restaurant and bar.)
Wait, while I find other examples for my argument….Boom Island gets 4 mugs for atmosphere, even though they didn't sell a keg or bottle until December, 2011, and have never opened to the public. Great if authors and reporters like it, but if no one else enters the atmosphere, how do you judge it so highly?
Also, he give 3 mugs for Location, with this: "Named after Boom Island, …blah, blah, blah…Brewery Itself is located in a rather plain industrial warehouse." Harriet gets 2 stars, with this: "Located southeast of Minneapolis, blah, …Building is rather plain looking." So, Boom Island gets an extra star for the name? Like I said, capricious.
Oh, here's another, in the Flat Earth chapter: 4 mugs for atmosphere. "This is a working brewery. This is especially fun on tasting days, enjoying beers with the crowd of Flat Earth fans!" Not that they didn't deserve this, but two extra stars, one more than Surly. Those must have been some great fans! ! ! Did he get a parking ticket the day he visited Harriet, or what?
Thing 6: There's a chapter on Pour Decisions. That's not a real problem, but an author shouldn't write about future plans as if they'd already happened. "The debut of this ….brewery in Fall 2011 showcased two beers." Didn't happen. They get a mug more than Harriet in Atmosphere for their handcrafted sample room bar which is exactly what Harriet had in 2011. Was the fact that he was in the city, not a quaint suburb or a majestic forest somehow influencing his judgement? Did the Pour Decisions guys just wink at him right, show him some leg, or what?No one has paid a dime for a Pour Decisions beer yet, it's still yet to be. Maybe a "scheduled to…" in there somewhere was needed.
Why do I rail against his less than stellar rating of Harriet's atmosphere, is it because I DJ there and am friends with them, or just because of the caprice? All that, but also because it is a really cool atmosphere, especially now.
Thing 7: One visit to a brewery is referred to as an "okay experience." No professional writer should speak like a bored teenager.
Thing 8: There's a chapter on bars at the airport. Come on! If you're traveling, get out of the airport, get on the light rail and take it to a bar in Minneapolis. Maybe later, take a cab to Saint Paul, but, come on! These bars get included just because they're in the airport? Also, it includes the Leinie's Lodge, now closed, and an appendix of other noteworthy bars in other airports. So, write a book about airports!
Thing 9: The appendix about websites does not include MNbeer.com.
Thing 10: page 83, Town Hall chapter, there was no "Hay City Stage" there until it moved downtown. It was "Hey City Stage." I think the owner's name was Hey. "Hay City" sound so hick. We may as well stick straw in our teeth.
Thing 11: In the Fulton chapter, I am now sad about the name of their newish pale ale, The Ringer, which I thought was a baseball reference, until Brian Hoffman told me it was from Walter, John Goodman's character in theBig Lebowski, and their second beer named from something Walter said. (You guess the first.) It was supposed to be named after Jim's dog. Aw. Sad.
Thing 12: page 104, Steel Toe chapter, Provider gets 4 mugs, and Size 7 gets 3. No sense here.
Thing 13: page 115, Summit chapter, under "Other Summit beer you may wish to try" (this is where he puts beers he hasn't taken notes on), he includes "Dusseldorf-style Altbier", which hasn't been brewed in over 10 years. This makes me think he did a ton of research on the internet, but not much follow-through. Also, Scandia is listed as having been added in 2007 (I'm sure it was a few years earlier), but it was also dropped several years ago.
Thing 14: page63: "Harriet Brewing's core beers include a Belgian Abbey and a Belgian Dubbel and are self-distributed by Sowards to select daft accounts." I would take personal offense at such a characterization, but I think he meant "draft."
I could go on forever about piddling stuff like this, and I'd miss some, as well. As much as I might notice those errors when it comes to breweries I am familiar with, there are bound to be with those that I don't know as well. But, no book is perfect, there are goofs in any endeavor.
It's a great effort for what it is, and as up to date as you can get at the time of publication.
No comments:
Post a Comment