The Great State
of Maine Beer Book

Will Anderson
Anderson and Sons Publishing Co.
$22.95, Soft cover, 180 pp.
ISBN 0-9601056-8-9

Every now and again a name resurfaces that gives you pause-"Oh, that's what happened to . . . ." Often as not, it leads to a pleasant memory. Such was the case when a new release, The Great State of Maine Beer Book came across the review desk.

Author of the book, Will Anderson, could rightly lay claim to a spot among beer writing nobility. In fact, he rates mention on anybody's list of notable American beer writers. He was busy producing beer books long before craft brew was fashionable and when many of today's beer writers weren't of legal drinking age. A lively and humorous writer, his entertaining look at beer covers long forgotten breweries, beer personalities, little known beer facts and a wealth of photos and drawings.

A popular phrase advises always to open with your strengths, and Anderson does just that. As in previous works, his sketches and vignettes guide the reader down Maine's foamy coast with the skill of a windjammer captain. Along the way, he recounts enough of Maine's beer tradition to capture your interest without sacrificing it to the detail of a comprehensive history.

Nowhere can distain more quickly ensnare a beer writer than a discussion of Prohibition. It even leads history writers in harm's way, and in Maine the task becomes more complex because of the state's odd flirtation with temperance throughout the 1800s. Anderson avoids that trap in a unique way. He briefly mentions the state's recurring attempts to outlaw alcohol and how it inhibited the development of Maine's brewing industry.

The story then turns to the rise and fall of its small breweries and the role of beer trucked in from neighboring states -- or as they say in Maine, "from away." Addressing national Prohibition, he simply has the reader follow a path of year-by-year newspaper clippings through the long, dry experiment. This results in a lively dance -- rather than struggling match -- across the road of national abstinence.

Following the history section he provides capsule profiles of the state's new brewing heritage: microbreweries and brewpubs. Nearly half the book addresses the facilities, personalities and stories of the microbreweries currently operating. His look at the last 12 bewing years offers entertainment equal to his histories, but in the long run their inclusion might be questionable. Why risk the effort on such volatile information? It could quickly date an otherwise fine work.

What flaws does the book present? The index runs a brief one page and, from a historian's view, the lack of a bibliography seems a critical oversight. But these observations can be forgiven in light of the author's reputation. However, for all the book offers, its variety also points to its shortcoming. Though Anderson's engaging prose kindles the imagination and fires the appetite for more, it unfortunately reads in the manner of a fine Chinese meal. It feels a little lacking a short while after the feast. Was it image of substance? Then again, does it matter? It was great while it lasted. The Great State of Maine Beer Book deserves a spot on any beer enthusiast's book shelf.

-- Gregg Smith