I’m writing a book on the history of Asheville beer

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me reference the book I’m writing a few times recently. But, here, for your delectation, is the official press release.

The History Press is pleased to announce the forthcoming title:

 Asheville Beer

An Intoxicating History of Mountain Brewing

Anne Fitten Glenn

Asheville has grown from a town with a taste for mountain moonshine to an international destination for beer lovers, renowned as Beer City, USA, in fewer than twenty years. Eleven established breweries operate within the city limits and another five call Western North Carolina home. At least six more are in the planning stages, including beer giant Sierra Nevada Brewing, which recently chose the area as a locale for their new East Coast brewery.

The history of ales and lagers in Asheville starts with a murderous downtown rampage by a drunken desperado at the turn of the 20^th century and runs through the region’s explosion into a beery Mecca offering the gamut from sophisticated gastro-brewpubs to grungy warehouse breweries. It includes the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald writing at The Grove Park Inn while downing up to 30 beers a day. It includes one brewery pouring thousands of gallons of “not right” beer into the city’s sewers, a burgeoning brewery on the wrong side of the tracks (literally), one that fought a small town’s laws to open, and more.

 Foreword by Zane Lamprey, host of Drinking Made Easy.

 Asheville Beer will be published by The History Press in the Fall of 2012.

Media review copies, high-resolution photographs and interviews available upon request.

 Contact Katie Parry at 843.577.5971, ext 113 or katie.parry@historypress.net.

 Anne Fitten Glenn has been writing about beer and the beer business since 2005, although she’s been drinking beer for a lot longer. She currently writes the Brews News for Asheville’s newsweekly, Mountain Xpress, as well as frequent articles for CraftBeer.com, the national Brewers Association’s on-line magazine. She also developed and teaches Beer Education classes to servers and to the beer-loving public. She lives within walking distance of several of Beer City’s breweries.

I’m more than excited about telling stories and tales of beer and the beer biz from round here. Contact me if you have a relevant beer history tidbit. Meanwhile, I’ll be sitting here in front of my laptop, writing and drinking beer.