Craft beer brewer Sloan Krause is embracing her new life with fervor. While she was disappointed in the dissolution of her marriage, and her having to give up her work at her ex-husband’s family’s brewery, she has discovered a new place to hone her craft. Microbrewery Nitro offers her a chance to work on small batches with owner Garret Strong and to experiment in their small kitchen with small bites and snacks for those who come to drink in their bar.

Their location in Leavenworth, Washington is perfect for a small brewery like Nitro. And Sloan knows enough about flavors to be able to pair them with snacks. So their Christmas small batch of hoppy holiday pine, for example, can be paired with her shortbread cookies with just a touch of pine needle in them, making everyone happy.

But the upcoming election has everyone on edge. Local politician Kristopher Cooper is talking about bringing back Prohibition, effectively shutting down Leavenworth’s craft beer business. And since the city is based on a Bavarian theme, with lots of small breweries and a huge Oktoberfest celebration, the local merchants are not happy with Cooper. They are throwing their support behind his competitor, but that’s not enough for someone, as Cooper ends up murdered.

The main suspect is realtor April Ablin, one of Leavenworth’s biggest supporters. She’s not above dressing up in a Bavarian costume and showing up at events to be a cheerleader for the city and its citizens. But when Cooper ends up dead in her office, killed by the giant scissors she uses to open up new businesses, April is taken in by the Chief of Police. But she has a secret weapon. Sloan Krause is her new best friend. Or, she’s decided to make Sloan her new best friend and to investigate who might have really killed Cooper. Sloan, against her better judgment, decides to help April, if for no other reason than to get her off her back.

But when Sloan starts asking the right questions to the wrong people, will she be able to get back to her kitchen and brewery at Nitro, or will someone vote her out, permanently?

Beyond a Reasonable Stout is the third in the Sloan Krouse series that started with Death on Tap. I am a big fan of this series. I love the idyllic town of Leavenworth, I love the small batch brewery feel, I love the recipe ideas with local ingredients that match up with the brews, and I love these characters. There is a lot of brew-speak in here, so if you’re interested in craft brewing (or even home brewing), then you’ll get a kick out of learning more about brewing and flavors. If you’re not interested, you can skim those and spend your time with the small town warmth and the puzzle solving of the mystery, because that is here in spades as well. I strongly recommend this one for fans of cozies with strong women doing interesting work!

Galleys for Beyond a Reasonable Stout were provided by Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.