It's no secret that beer, particularly craft beer, inspires fanatical interest. Two recently published books: The Oxford Companion to Beer, edited by Garrett Oliver, and Chicago by the Pint: A Craft Beer History of the Windy City by Denese Neu, exemplify the obsession. From lengthy, well researched essays about every element of beer and beer production, to little known facts to impress your Chicago brew loving bar mate, these books have it all. More

Not too long ago, New York City was a difficult place to find good fresh beer. A British expat tried to change that in the mid-1980s, and he succeeded for a time, though his pioneering brewpub is nearly forgotten today. Richard Wrigley teamed with a number of partners to convert a former ConEd substation into Manhattan's first functioning brewery since 1965, and the first post-Prohibition brewpub east of the Mississippi—and initially, things went well. More

Garrett Oliver has been brewing at the Brooklyn Brewery since 1994. He's known not only for his flavorful beers, but also for his eloquent writing on craft beer and his genius for finding delicious food and beer pairings. We're big fans of his book, The Brewmaster's Table, and were thrilled that he was willing to answer a few of our burning questions. More