Evan Rail’s Beer Trails: The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest is a delightful and equally insightful story of his own personal adventure to Kout Na Šumavě, a Czech brewery famous for well-crafted lagers and one of our personal favorites.

This story gives historical perspective to the resurgence of this forest brewery, and how Kout has become the stalwart of Czech lager it is today. As Rail describes his downfalls and triumphs encountered while working his way to this little known corner of the world and his comical experience with Anthony Bourdain, it’s easy to imagine yourself in his shoes, thirsty for this fantastic and at the time little appreciated lager.

Extremely well-written, his language has a simplistic poetic character that comes across as understated and genuine. A highly recommended read, especially for those interested in Czech beer and Czech culture.