June 2, 2000 -- Ever found yourself in an unfamiliar city looking for a decent bar where you can buy a decent beer? Happens to me all the time, and I'm one of the people other people question when they are put in that situation! So I'm positively delighted about the appearance of The Beer Lover's Guide to the USA, a new book by veteran beer voyagers, Stan Hieronymus and Daria Labinsky.

A husband and wife team of journalists -- that means they really know how to write, folks! -- Hieronymus and Labinsky have combed the country in search of the best bars and brewpubs the US has to offer, logging the kind of travel miles that makes a reluctant driver like myself cringe. The reason they have done this, as near as I can figure, is because they delight in well-kept, expertly served, flavourful ales and lagers. Either that or they're insane.

So say that you are in Vestal, New York, wherever that is. Thanks to the Beer Lover's Guide, you know that a fine pint may be had at the Ale House on Vestal Parkway East, selected from their 36 taps worth of mainstream domestics, craft brews and imports. In Seal Beach, California, you know to check out the Belgian beer selection at The Abbey on Main Street. And in Lubbock, Texas, you can choose from one of three Hieronymus-Labinsky recommendations: Bash Rip Rock on Main, Cricket's Draft House on Broadway or the Hub City Brewing Company on Avenue G.

There aren't a lot of frills in this book, and neither should there be. All the basics are there, though: name, address, phone number, hours, food selection, whether or not a place has a non-smoking section, and a mini-description of what they offer. There is even a four star rating system, although in the introductory section, Hieronymus and Labinsky note their reluctance to use the ratings lest they be misinterpreted, and express their certainty that this is exactly what will happen. My suggestion would be to read the descriptions and ignore the ratings; one man's (or woman's) dream bar is another's nightmare.

I should make mention here of the fact that I know and like both Hieronymus and Labinsky. But in no way that relationship be seen as colouring this review. This is a great and useful book by two talented and apparently indefatigable researchers and writers. If you travel at all in the United States and care about the beer you drink, you should have a copy of this book. Period.

The Beer Lover's Guide to the USA

by Stan Hieronymus and Daria Labinsky

St. Martin's Griffin, New York, 2000

$14.95 ($22.99 in Canada)

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