The American Craft Beer Cookbook

The title for this enterprising collection of 150 recipes is a bit misleading. Many of the recipes do not call for an ounce of beer. Rather, the purpose of the book is to showcase the transformative cuisine being undertaken by brewpubs across the country. Holl, a self-proclaimed “drinks journalist,” reports back from his visits to literally hundreds of establishments, offering salads, sandwiches, soups, seafood, and burgers, while providing eatery profiles and food-beer pairings along the way. The news is good. While it is made clear that the U.S. is currently in a golden age of beer making, the diversity of food offerings and the level of creativity put forth by brewery chefs are what stand out. There’s pomegranate trout from the Fort Collins Brewery in Colorado, roasted venison saddle with Samuel Adams chocolate bock mole from Boston, and chopped Reuben salad with a sauerkraut vinaigrette from the Sutter Buttes Brewing Company in Yuba City, Calif. And for dessert there is a classic beer float, a hearty pumpkin pie made with Harpoon winter ale, and a modernist deconstructed banana meringue pie. Among the handy indices Holl includes are a short list of beer festivals and a lengthy scroll of must-visit locales to keep in mind when planning the ultimate beer road trip with, as the author suggests, a designated driver in tow. (Sept.)