Holiday Gift Guide: Beer Quest West by Jon C. Stott

Though it covers a relatively small region, it does so with amazing depth. If you’re looking for a gift for someone from or in Western Canada who has a passion for beer, Beer Quest West (Touchwood) will answer all the questions… and then some.

According to author Jon C. Stott, Canada’s two westernmost provinces are home to more than 70 microbreweries. Compare this with the ten breweries that operated in the region in 1980. Of those ten, only four still exist: the large, faceless breweries replaced with a legion of much smaller operations mostly making handcrafted brews.

Beer Quest West is a field guide to those new breweries and brewpubs that have sprouted in the last 30 years. It discusses the many different styles of brews being made in the West and features mini-profiles of a lot of the people behind those beers and ales. Just as important, the book includes tasting notes on a lot of the beers those outfits are making.

If the person you’re buying for not only loves beer but has a thirst to know more about it, Beer Quest West will answer many questions. ◊

David Middleton is art director and art & culture editor of January Magazine.