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Her thousands of Instagram followers know her as @BeerBabeJess<\/a>, and while career copywriter and creative director Jess Merritt has gone a long way towards realizing her goal \u201cto build bigger tables\u201d within the craft-beer community via social-media, she may be poised to make her biggest impact as the author of her soon-to-launch publication, Rethink Everything You Know About Craft Beer. As the title implies, this latest offering from Rethink Everything Books aims to reshape skin-deep perceptions of the artisanal suds subculture, doing so by sharing personal stories Merritt has curated from more than 20 brewers, brewery staffers, consultants, fans and others associated with the beverage industry. \u201cThe book reframes beer as a connector, showing how community, not the product itself, is the most important ingredient,\u201d said Merritt during a recent sit-down in advance of a book-release event taking place at Seek Beer Co.<\/a> from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 8. (And if you miss her there, she will also be on-site signing books at the 2026 San Diego Beer News Awards<\/a>, taking place at Harland Brewing<\/a>\u2019s Scripps Ranch taproom from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.) Read on for more about the book, its contributors and how to procure a copy.<\/p>\n What is your personal journey in craft beer? When did the idea of writing a book come to mind and how did you go about doing it? Please share some nuggets from the books to give potential readers an idea of what to expect? What was it like having the support of so many on this project? Where can people purchase your book? Seek Beer Co. is located inside the CRAFT by Brewery Igniter facility at 3052 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 103 in North Park<\/p>\n \t\t
I\u2019ve been working in the advertising and marketing field for nearly 20 years. In 2018, I launched a craft-beer Instagram account and blog. What started as just a creative outlet soon grew into opportunities for fundraisers, brand partnerships and media passes to events around the country. While moonlighting as Beer Babe Jess, I\u2019ve been hosted at hotels, breweries, restaurants and beer festivals, and will even be hosted as a guide for a group trip to Munich later this year. My motto is \u201call for beer and beer for all\u201d. It\u2019s my goal to shine a light on unique establishments, experiences and craft beer all over the world, and invite everyone to the table.<\/p>\n![\"Rethink](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/merritt_01-576x1024.png\")
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I was asked by my friend Lindsey Meyer to contribute to another book in the Rethink Everything series: Rethink Everything You Know About Networking. My chapter of that book is centered around the power of unhinged authenticity, and how I grew my craft-beer social-media network. It was such an exciting opportunity to join that group of co-authors and be a part of the book release. I met the mastermind behind the series, Kyle Draper, at an author event, and he asked me if I\u2019d be interested in bringing a book about rethinking craft beer to life. I looked at him and replied: consider it written. From there, it was off to the races, pinging all of my industry connects and asking if they\u2019d share their stories.<\/p>\n
What I love about this book is that it\u2019s a glimpse inside unique worlds, if only for a few pages. Across these chapters, you\u2019ll meet 23 voices, each offering a personal lens into their corner of craft beer. Some stories are witty, some are gritty and some are quietly profound. All of them are human. You\u2019ll hear from a brewery owner who started brewing on his grandma\u2019s stove, a beertender who helped launch a diversity scholarship, an influencer who saw COVID lockdown as an opportunity to get creative with can-art photography at home. Read individually, these stories stand on their own. Read together, they reveal something bigger: this culture was built on care and community.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been connected to most of the co-authors in one way or another, but now it almost feels like we\u2019re fam. I\u2019m a bit of a softie, but I\u2019d be lying if I didn\u2019t say my heart is incredibly full, and I\u2019m so proud and appreciative of each and every contributor. They saw the vision and said \u201cyes\u201d. They trusted the process and shared their incredible stories \u2013 and for that I\u2019m so very grateful. This book wouldn\u2019t be what it is without them.<\/p>\n
The book will be available on Amazon.com in time for Women\u2019s Month, March 2026. We\u2019re also pitching it to a few local book stores in a couple of cities, so stay tuned for more on that. If there are any breweries who would like some copies on their shelves, drop me an email<\/a>. I\u2019d love to talk.<\/p>\n