Book Review: Fermenting Revolution
by Siel, Los Angeles on 02.27.07
Want to save the world? Drink beer! Okay -- It's not as simple as that, but Christopher Mark O'Brien's beer book -- Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World -- clearly shows how your drinking habits can affect the world around you.
Open this book while drinking your favorite local, organic beer, and you'll start to feel like you really ARE changing the world while getting tipsy -- and more informed.
Fermenting Revolution covers a lot of ground. We get the history of beer, including its ties to major religions and its principal figures. We see what beer's made of and how it's brewed. We find out how brewing went from being a woman-led, home-based craft to a corporatized consumer item.
Chris sees a huge gender imbalance in the making, marketing, and drinking of beer -- and calls for more female beer makers and drinkers! In fact, if you're a girl reading Chris's book, you're likely to at least consider brewing your own beer -- or even starting your own brewery -- at least for a few seconds.
Fermenting Revolution includes a 24-point action plan on how to drink beer and save the world -- points that go from the very simple -- bringing your own bag to the grocery store for beer transport -- to the very dedicated -- brewing your own beer. Most importantly, drink local, organic, and/or fair trade beers. You'll support local community, encourage craft brewing, allow for sustainable agricultural practices, etc.
What most impresses me about Chris' activism is not the fact that he found a way to combine beer and activism, but that he shows us that activism is simply doing whatever you love to do with an active and critical mind. Activism doesn't mean having to sacrifice a hobby you love; it's using that hobby to fuel your activism.
I first wrote about Chris the Beer Activist here. To find out what he's up to, check out his blog. [This review was original published here. Check out Green LA Girl for more. -Ed]
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- How to Go Green: Cocktails
- Green Eyes On: President Obama, How About Organic Farming?
- World’s First 100 % USDA Certified Organic Bar Celebrates Opening Night
- Book Review: Ten Technologies to Save the Planet
Think globally ... drink locally. Has kind of a nice ring to it.
Nick Kasoff
The Thug Report
I just recently started making my own beer at home. It really is simple to do. If you can boil water and follow a recipe, then your golden. You can find beer making kits online for $50-150 and the cheapest ones will work just as good as the expensive ones, its just the when you pay more, you get a few more tools that make the process easier.
Not only is it easy to make, its also a lot cheaper to make your own. A 5 gallon batch costs something like $20-30 to make depending on the recipe you make.
Hopefully soon I'll be able to start an all Organic batch.