He was overweight, barely able to surf, in chronic pain and in the doghouse... A Year Without Beer is the journey of a man standing at the crossroads. The choice was to be this person for the foreseeable future or to change habits, the habit being drinking way too much, way too often. Written in real time over a three-year period, this is the journey of failure, heartache, hope and hard work into a seemingly impossible goal of achieving three hundred and sixty-five days of sobriety in order to get a life back. A Year Without Beer is a collection of funny stories, tips and tricks to cut back or give up, all whilst still maintaining a social life and contact with friends and family that don't mind a drink. Or three.

As a journalist spurred by curiosity and thirst, Lucy Burningham made it her career to write about craft beer, traveling to hop farms, attending rare beer–tasting parties, and visiting as many taprooms, breweries, and festivals as possible. With this as her introduction, Lucy decided to take her relationship with beer to the next level: to become a certified beer expert. As Lucy studies and sips her way to becoming a Certified Cicerone, she meets an eclectic cast of characters, including brewers, hop farmers, beer sommeliers, pub owners, and fanatical beer drinkers. Her journey into the world of beer is by turns educational, social, and personal—just as enjoying a good beer should be.

Each chapter begins with a description of a beer style, with recipes for every level of brewer--from extract to all-grain.

With the explosion in craft beers and interest in seasonal cuisine, A Year in Food and Beer perfectly fills a niche. Boasting 40 enticing recipes and more than 100 beer-pairing suggestions, it instructs readers how to identify flavors in specific beers and how to complement those with gourmet foods and cooking techniques by season.

No ordinary collection of must-taste beers, A Beer a Day looks to unearth the links between beer and the world we live in--our history, traditions, customs, and culture. Readers are guided through the maze of labels, selecting beers that don't just taste great, but also have a story to tell. The simple page-a-day diary format includes an easy reference for the beer, its country of origin, the day's date, and its linked event. For each day, a beer is recommended that draws attention to events that have taken place or that still take place on that day. From seasonal beers produced to celebrate such occasions as Valentine's Day and Halloween, to those honoring the good and the great from history, A Beer a Day has a beer for every story and a story for every beer.

One of the most important but little-known aspects of early American history is the role of beer in our country's founding and formative years. This definitive account of beer's impact on people and events that shaped the birth of a nation will astonish readers. Beginning with the pre-colonial era and ending with America's emergence as an industrial power, this book is a fresh and swiftly flowing adventure.