Book Club: Craft - An Argument

"Deeply knowledgeable, astonishingly well-researched, startlingly funny… [a] perfect gem."

- The British Guild of Food Writers, naming Craft: An Argument best self-published work at their 2021 awards.

I’ve always been as fascinated as I have been frustrated with the ongoing debate over the “definition” of craft beer. And then, one day in 2019, I picked up a book about “craft” which said nothing about beer but inspired me to look more broadly at the notion of “craft” in general. There were plenty of parallels with the discussions happening in beer, but lots of differences as well. It was those differences that I found most interesting.

As a book, this was far too niche for a mainstream publisher to pick up. I toyed with the idea of doing a “craft” book – getting handmade paper, block letter type and hand-stitched binding and so on, but it was going to be expensive, so I talked a lot about doing it rather than doing it.

And then Coronavirus happened.

Liz and I both work for ourselves, and I do so in the hospitality industry, which was shut down a week before everything else. Our work evaporated into nothing. With no income, and no structure to our lives in this terrifying time, I hatched a plan to write and self-publish this book within 13 weeks, with Liz working as editor, publisher and researcher. So, this is what we did during Coronavirus lockdown. And then it went and won “Best Book” at the North American Guild of Beer Writers Awards in October 2020, and just last week, won "Best self-published work" at the British Guild of Food Writers Awards

I'll be talking through my argument that craft beer is "completely undefinable, hopelessly misunderstood and absolutely essential," followed no doubt by a discussion late into the night.

Want some beer with that ticket?

M feinds at Bath Road Beers have put together a selection of craft beers to accompan the talk. See details at https://bathrdbeers.co.uk/product/pete-browns-craft-an-argument-virtual-book-club-pack/.

Buy a ticket and get a code for a 10% discount!