Seeing it months and months ago in the University of Minnesota Press catalog, I just knew that Doug Hoverson's "The Drink That Made Wisconsin Famous: Beer and Brewing in the Badger State" would be worth checking out.

The Minnesota-based Hoverson is the author of "Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota," published in 2007, and if that was any hint, then his new book, which he spent more than a decade researching and writing, was bound to be notable.

Then, the advance reading copy landed on my desk in June with a thud and I realized I had no idea just how amazing Hoverson's work would be. Seeing a finished copy in full color only further enhanced that sense.

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