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A review by ralovesbooks
Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out by Josh Noel
4.0
Thank you to Chicago Review Press for my free copy!
My small town has a long tradition of craft beer, and as I read this book, I overlaid that history on the timeline of Goose Island's launch, development, and sale. In my town, the annual fall beer festival started in 1998, and the winter festival began in 2014. In the intervening years, so much happened in the world of craft beer, and this book is a clear, interesting take on those events. I appreciated the hometown spin from Chicago Tribune writer Josh Noel, and I felt that the objective journalistic style left the reader to decide if there were any good or bad guys. I love anything behind-the-scenes, and this book was like the most thorough brewery tour. I would definitely recommend it to a beer lover, especially if you have a mind for business.
When I got into craft beer around 2012, I knew not to buy or order Goose Island. "It's really Budweiser," my more savvy beer friends said. We had plenty of selection in my area, so I never perceived a loss. Goose Island was one of a few breweries/beers I knew to avoid because of big beer acquisition, but over time, I lost track. Which ones don't we like any more? The author writes well about how Anheuser-Busch InBev intentionally obfuscated brands and beers to hide how beers were brewed, and indeed, question what really qualified as craft beer. There's another layer of the business end of the operation, with lots of detail about the mergers and acquisitions from that time, including stats on profitability and growth. A lot of that went over my head, but I appreciated the rigor, and I think those details would be of interest to someone who has interest in finance and investment.
My small town has a long tradition of craft beer, and as I read this book, I overlaid that history on the timeline of Goose Island's launch, development, and sale. In my town, the annual fall beer festival started in 1998, and the winter festival began in 2014. In the intervening years, so much happened in the world of craft beer, and this book is a clear, interesting take on those events. I appreciated the hometown spin from Chicago Tribune writer Josh Noel, and I felt that the objective journalistic style left the reader to decide if there were any good or bad guys. I love anything behind-the-scenes, and this book was like the most thorough brewery tour. I would definitely recommend it to a beer lover, especially if you have a mind for business.
When I got into craft beer around 2012, I knew not to buy or order Goose Island. "It's really Budweiser," my more savvy beer friends said. We had plenty of selection in my area, so I never perceived a loss. Goose Island was one of a few breweries/beers I knew to avoid because of big beer acquisition, but over time, I lost track. Which ones don't we like any more? The author writes well about how Anheuser-Busch InBev intentionally obfuscated brands and beers to hide how beers were brewed, and indeed, question what really qualified as craft beer. There's another layer of the business end of the operation, with lots of detail about the mergers and acquisitions from that time, including stats on profitability and growth. A lot of that went over my head, but I appreciated the rigor, and I think those details would be of interest to someone who has interest in finance and investment.