Both Webb and Beaumont are accomplished beer writers. Beaumont is known for his prolifc nature across various publications such as Wine Enthusaist, The Celebrator, Whisky Advocate, The Globe and many others. Currently, World of Beer is the best place to get his latest updates. Tim Webb has written a number of highly regarded books about beer and travel - including my favorite companion to my Belgium trip, Good Beer Guide Belgium. He also spent six years on the board of CAMRA and co-authored the well-received Brew like a Monk. This new book - now available - show us what happens when two fantastic writers team up to celebrate a topic they are respectively quite passionate about, and the final product could not have turned out better. 

Credit: World Atlas of BeerThe hardcover version of this book is a signifcant piece of work to behold - at almost 11.5"x9.5" and over 250 pages it will rival most coffee table books in your home - if not in sheer size, then certainly in content. The impressive volume of data, gorgeous photography, infographics, brewery maps, pairing advice, and thoughtful tasting notes for over 500 beers make this one of the most comprehensive yet consise works on international beer that I have seen to date. The great beer writer Michael Jackson would have been proud to feast his eyes on such a masterful work. It is, after all, in his tradition that we continue to publish meaningful and respectful works about the greatest (though oft snubbed and under-appreciated) beverage in the world. 

Neither Beaumont nor Webb is American (Beaumont is Canadian and Webb, British) - and I actually think that is an important aspect to the success of this book. While I, like many Americans, tout the greatness of the big, bold American brews, I am guilty of missing some of the finer points of the subtler brews;

I'm a huge fan of the Brewers Association - Charlie Papazian's non-profit trade org - and they recently posted the Top 50 Breweries of 2011. The list is based on sales volume from small and craft US breweries. An interesting note from the read:

In the last 15 years, craft brewing has gone from one percent of the overall beer market to almost six percent in 2011,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “We attribute a large part of that growth to the many talented brewers who are providing beer lovers with more beer style and flavor choices than ever before.

It's interesting to look at this and see

Summer is long gone, but my memories of Maine could never fade as fast. As August came to close, my wife and I embarked on an epic journey across the great Pine Tree State - from Newry and Lovell to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, to Bangor, then south through Portland and on to Boston (yes I know Boston's not in Maine) - never did the great state disappoint.

Hailing from the metro-sprawl of New York, inundated by the modern "conveniences" of fast-paced, over-saturated living, I too-often take for granted the value of simplicity. Small business, sustainability, neighborly ways, and plain ol' peace & quiet go a long way in many of the towns we visited.

Now... before I get too warm & fuzzy on you, keep one thing in mind: many of these same values contribute to one of my favorite things about Maine: tons of local beer. It seems everywhere we went I had no problem finding something local or pseudo-local on tap. Better yet, when I wasn't drinking local beer, I was drinking great beer. 

The map above helps outline the trip a bit - where these places are located, where our journey took us. Use the map to find links and locations for each of the below.