Book Review: Brian Yaeger, Oregon Breweries

You can write only so many guidebooks to Stonehenge or Machu Picchu, which have remained unchanged for centuries if not millennia, surviving societal collapse and U.S.-backed military coups. Any local beer guide has the opposite problem—breweries are subject to the whims of personalities and economic cycles in ways large rock objects aren't. Which is why the standard-bearing Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest by Lisa M. Morrison feels dated after four years in which so much has changed. Major players like Gigantic and Base Camp didn't exist, Breakside gets less than a sentence and the now-iconic Boneyard RPM IPA isn't mentioned at all.

Enter Oregon Breweries (Stackpole Books, 416 pages, $19.95), a straight-ahead guide with listings on each and every brewery in Oregon from local beer writer (and occasional WW contributor) Brian Yaeger. As one ought to expect from someone who also runs a B&B branded "Beervana," it's full of detailed information about Oregon beer—who makes it, where to get it, and what it tastes like. Yaeger deserves kudos for putting this last element in simple terms. There's none of the pretentious "grown on a south-facing slope" bullshit, as Yaeger describes flavors in accessible terms, relating them to molasses and brown sugar (Arch Rock's State of Jefferson Porter), for example, or Juicy Fruit (Pints' Tripel Whammy).

The real draw of Oregon Breweries, however, is that by providing so much background on breweries, Yaeger offers a fascinating view of the state. The book's introduction offers a thorough account of Oregon brewing history, starting with Liberty Brewery in 1852. This perspective pops up elsewhere in the individual entries for breweries. Boring Brewing's informs readers that the city is named after Civil War vet William H. Boring, not the general mood of Portland exurbs. Pendleton's Prodigal Son Brewery is located in "a former auto dealership, which explains why it's big enough to drive a truck through" and "hosts everything from watching football to B-movie screenings to a Bible study and a knitting group."

Yaeger actually visited every brewery in the state, so the entries provide vivid descriptions of them all (so many McMenamins!) as well as their atmosphere and culinary options. They're also populated by endearing portraits of individuals like Cascade Brewing Barrel House's Ron Gansberg, who "bears a resemblance to Dick Cheney but uses his powers for good."

Some entries are more interesting than others, but with more than 150, they can't all be gems. The book would also benefit from a stronger sense of scale—too many large breweries don't get the space they deserve while many small ones are padded. And it could use another proofreading. But these shortcomings are outshined by the accessibility and sheer breadth of Yaeger's book.

WWeek 2015