The election for city council in Leavenworth, Washington, is coming soon and the race has turned contentious. Leavenworth’s economy relies heavily on the beer industry as the town is well known for its craft breweries, Oktoberfest, and Bavarian Christmas (Christkindlmarkt). Some residents even jokingly refer to it as a “Beer-varian” village. Sloan Krause enjoys her work at Nitro where she and her partner, Garrett Strong, create niche flavors while larger brewers, such as Der Keller (which is owned by Sloan’s soon to be ex-husband and in-laws) have a broader selection. Even the local hotels and smaller shops, such as the nutcracker shops in town, cater to the brewery crowd. Unfortunately, current incumbent Kristopher Cooper intends to make Leavenworth completely alcohol free, something that would devastate the town’s economy, and has made this the centerpiece of his re-election campaign. When he winds up dead, there are a plethora of suspects. Sloan finds herself in the midst of the investigation when one of the locals accused of the crime begs for her help.
I was initially skeptical about BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT and only read it because I like Ellie Alexander’s other series. After all, I am not a beer fan by any means and can’t fathom beer making as a craft. Wow, let me tell you that Ellie Alexander has changed my mind! Who would imagine beer as an ingredient in pancakes (or waffles or French toast!) or that you could brew beer with popcorn or chocolate? My mouth is watering at the possibilities Sloan creates in BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT!
The town of Leavenworth is also a delight! I can’t wait to further explore the shops and browse the Christmas markets of this charming little German-themed town. And oh, the residents are a hoot! I love the various characters Ellie Alexander has created as they are exactly the sort of folks one would like to have a drink with (well, with one exception, the murderer of course LOL).
BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT is the third book in the Sloan Krause series and can be read as a standalone. Ellie Alexander provides plenty of background information and character development for new readers to the series (like me) to thoroughly enjoy the story line. However, there are some ongoing story arcs that have me eager to read the earlier books and even more excited about the next installment in the series! Ellie Alexander always crafts a great story and BEYOND A REASONABLE STOUT is another shining example!
It’s the dead season in Leavenworth, Washington. The throngs of Oktoberfest crowds have headed home, and the charming Bavarian streets are quiet and calm--momentarily. Villagers use the reprieve to drink in the crisp fall mountain air and prepare for the upcoming winter light festival. Soon the German-inspired shops and restaurants will be aglow with thousands of twinkling lights. Visitors will return to the northern Cascades to drink warm mulled cider and peruse the holiday markets. Brewer, Sloan Krause and her partner in crime Garrett Strong are using the slowdown to stock up on a new line of their signature craft beers at Nitro. They’re experimenting with a hoppy holiday pine and a chocolate hazelnut stout. The small brewery is alive with delicious scents and bubbling batches of brew.
Sloan is in her element. She loves the creativity and lowkey atmosphere at Nitro. Only that is soon threatened by the incumbent city councilmember Kristopher Cooper. Kristopher is running for re-election on a platform of making Leavenworth dry. Everyone in beertopia is fuming. Leavenworth’s economy relies on keeping the kegs flowing. Kristopher wants to banish beer, a policy that might just bankrupt the entire village. However, Kristopher turns up dead days before election night. Sloan quickly realizes that his murder isn’t the work of a stranger. Friends, family, and every other business owner had a motive to kill him, including none other than April Ablin, Leavenworth’s self-described ambassador of all things German. Sloan finds herself defending April and trying to sleuth out a killer amongst a group of familiar faces.
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