Texas

Salute the swagger of a Texas history timeline that features leading ladies, legendary lawmen, and the braintrust that put humanity into orbit. Celebrate the subtle pleasures of a day bracketed by an Austin breakfast taco and a sunset cruise through Galveston history. Our Texas history books don’t shy away from the state’s shameful excesses either—unconscionable tragedies like the 1910 Slocum Massacre demand an accounting. From a promenade down the San Antonio Riverwalk to a furtive exit from the Texas Chicken Ranch, step out with Texas history. [View all Texas books]

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Pearl

9781625858283

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

"The finest flavored beer in the market. Be sure and try, and you will be convinced. Warranted to be the same at all times. Ask for it, drink no other." In 1887, these were bold words about the City Brewery's new beer with the pearly bubbles, considering how the recent flood of German immigrants to Central Texas brought along expert fermentation. As that business evolved into the San Antonio Brewing Association, XXX Pearl Beer became the mainstay of the largest brewery in the state. Its smokestack formed an intrinsic part of the San Antonio skyline. A regional powerhouse for more than a century, it was the only Texas brewery to survive Prohibition. It also endured the onslaught of a president's scandalous death and Lone Star's fierce rivalry. Grab a pint and join author Jeremy Banas for a tour of Texas's most iconic brewery.

Houston Beer

9781609495374

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

From the early days, and long before Americans had ever heard the term "craft beer," settlers in the Bayou City excelled in the art of ales, stouts and lagers. In 1913, it was a Houston brewery that claimed the distinction of "the world's finest bottled beer" after winning an international competition in Belgium. The unfortunate rise of Prohibition put the industry on hold, but recent years have seen a strong resurgence. At the beginning of 2008, Saint Arnold Brewing Company was the only craft brewery in Houston. Just a few years later, there are five and counting within an hour's drive of downtown. Journalist and "Beer, TX" blogger Ronnie Crocker chronicles Houston's long and surprising history of brewing, tracing everything from the grand legacy of Anheuser-Busch to the up-and-coming craft beer makers and those brewing it right at home.

Celis Beer

9781467144360

$21.99 $10.99 Save 50%

Celebrate the life and libations of Pierre Celis, the Hoegaargarden legend who resurrected witbier and established Austin's first craft brewery.

A former milkman in the small village of Hoegaargarden, Pierre Celis opened a brewery that brought back the extinct witbier style of Belgium and rejuvenated an Old World tradition throughout Europe. Following a devastating fire in his native country, the godfather of witbier set up shop in Austin. Pierre's passion took fresh shape in the form of Celis Beer and influenced an entire generation of hopheads. His daughter Christine revived the brand in 2017, yet another chapter in a story full of fresh starts to venerable institutions. Jeremy Banas raises a glass to a unmatched brewmaster and his belief that beer makes friendships.

Austin Beer

9781626190948

$23.99 $11.99 Save 50%

Austin might be known for its live music, but its beer scene is just as vibrant and historic. As early as 1860, German immigrant Johann Schneider started brewing beer out of a saloon on Congress Avenue, later crafting innovative brew vaults, the first of their kind in the city. Proving that Austin taste buds were thirsty for something more dynamic than a Lonestar, the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first saw a huge boom in craft beer production by native Austinites and transplants alike, creating a culture of local beer advocates, homebrewing enthusiasts and innovators that could only come out of Austin. Join the ladies behind hilarious and informative beer blog BitchBeer.org as they explore Austin beer history, developments and culture--complete with read-along drinking games and local beer pairings.

North Texas Beer:

9781626194328

$23.99 $11.99 Save 50%

Texas is historically a large beer-drinking state. Unlike the brewing heritage of the Central Texas German settlements, the North Texas area--Dallas, Fort Worth and the cities of the surrounding Metroplex--always approached local beers from more of a commercial standpoint. Though local brewing dates back to 1857, early, larger brewers from other states influenced those in Dallas and Fort Worth before and throughout the twentieth century. After the opening of the first craft brewery in the state (and sixth in the nation) in Plano in 1982, North Texas breweries began to flourish in later years and today find a consuming public fiercely devoted to their local brews. Join authors Paul Hightower and Brian L. Brown for a complete yet refreshing look at the history, business and fun of beer in North Texas.