Synopsis: With the publication of “Yooper Ale Trails: Craft Breweries and Brewpubs of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula” by Jon C. Stott and Mikel B. Classen, beer and ale enthusiasts can visit the 29 unique craft breweries and brewpubs of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Choose from among eight different Ale Trails for your personal journey, “Yooper Ale Trails” also explore the backstories of the breweries, brewers and owners, along with tasting notes on each brewery’s most popular beers.
Jon C. Stott, award-winning author of five beer travel books, provides expert guidance for both craft beer aficionados and tourists to enjoy one of 170 locally-brewed lagers or ales after visiting the many scenic wonders of the U.P.:
The tours are arranged geographically from the shores of Lake Huron, across the north of the peninsula close to Lake Superior and then east from the Wisconsin border to the shores of Lake Michigan. Short essays on each brewery introduce you to the brewer’s, the places their beers are served and the flavors of the beers themselves. Complete contact details about each brewery and their available services (food, off-sales, accessibility, etc.), descriptions of beer styles with examples from UP breweries and a glossary of brewing terms. Road maps for each ale trail and photographs of each establishment, making the breweries easy to find.
Critique: A fun and practical resource to plan itineraries with, “Yooper Ale Trails: Craft Breweries and Brewpubs of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula” features a number of black/white photos, five Appendices, and a useful Index. Impressively and descriptively informative, “Yooper Ale Trails” is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Midwest Travel Guide collections. It should be noted that “Yooper Ale Trails” is also readily available to all dedicated beer/ale lovers in a paperback edition (9781615997275, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.95).
Editorial Note: Jon C. Stott (Professor Emeritus of English, University of Alberta) has spent extended summers in the Upper Peninsula for over half a century. He is the author of five beer travel guides, including the award-winning Island Craft: Your Guide to the Breweries of Vancouver Island, as well as two other books about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Paul Bunyan in Michigan: Yooper Logging, Lore, & Legends and Summers at the Lake: Upper Michigan Moments and Memories. He spends the cold, snowy months in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His beer blog www.beerquestwest.com includes frequent updates on the breweries he has visited.
John Burroughs
Reviewer
Yooper Ale Trails
Jon C. Stott
Modern History Press
https://www.modernhistorypress.com
9781615997282, $39.95, HC, 230pp
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