My Beer Year: Adventures with Hop Farmers, Craft Brewers, Chefs, Beer Sommeliers & Fanatical Drinkers as a Beer Master in Traini

A love note to beer--appreciating the history, craftsmanship, and taste of craft beer as told by a woman striving for beer-expert status.

As a journalist spurred by curiosity and thirst, Lucy Burningham made it her career to write about craft beer, traveling to hop farms, attending rare beer tasting parties, and visiting as many taprooms, breweries, and festivals as possible. With this as her introduction, Lucy decided to take her relationship with beer to the next level: to become a certified beer expert. As Lucy studies and sips her way to becoming a Certified Cicerone, she meets an eclectic cast of characters, including brewers, hop farmers, beer sommeliers, pub owners, and fanatical beer drinkers. Her journey into the world of beer is by turns educational, social, and personal--just as enjoying a good beer should be.

LUCY BURNINGHAM has written about craft beer and beer culture for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Sunset, Epicurious.com, Men’s Journal, Imbibe and multiple Lonely Planet titles, including Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest and Food Lover’s Guide to the World. She has worked as a journalist for the past 15 years and holds a master’s degree in nonfiction writing from Portland State University. Lucy has given presentations and conducted beer tastings at food and drink festivals, Powell’s Books, and more. She is a member of the Pink Boots Society, the beer industry’s professional organization for women. She hopes that one day her homebrew will be good enough to share with friends.