It's no surprise that a sizable chunk of Christian DeBenedetti's new book The Great American Ale Trail (Running Press, September 2011) is devoted to Colorado's divine beers; indeed, he notes that when John Hickenlooper was mayor, Denver was "the only major U.S. city since Colonial times to be governed by a brewmaster in chief." But the real joy of DeBenedetti's book comes from the constant sense of discovery. For beer lovers near and far, Ale Trail will introduce you to brews you've never heard of around the country—and will likely spur you to want to take one of the suds-centric road trips. Westward ho to Oregon, anyone?

Bonus: The Great American Ale Trail's release party is in Denver at Ale House at Amato's on September 29 at 1 p.m.

Stay tuned: We'll post an update soon on some of DeBenedetti's local favorites. 

Image from christiandebenedetti.wordpress.com