Attention craft beer lovers: There is now a guidebook to North Carolina breweries.

“North Carolina Craft Beer & Breweries” was released this month by John F. Blair, a small publisher in Winston-Salem. The book’s most telling detail about the Tar Heel state’s dynamic beer scene is this: Five of the breweries on the book’s soon-to-be-open list are now open.

Among them is author Erik Lars Myers’ Mystery Brewing Co. in Hillsborough.

Myers, 35, a craft beer blogger (www.topfermented.com), will celebrate the book’s publication with a launch party and book signing at his brewery Thursday night. If you cannot attend, Myers has several upcoming book signings and events at breweries and beer stores throughout the Triangle.

Myers wrote the almost-300-page paperback to be approachable to the craft beer novice and engaging to the beer nerd. For the former, it contains a short history of beer in North Carolina, a guide to how beer is made and a primer on the various beer styles. For the latter, it offers two to three pages on 48 breweries, featuring an interview with the brewer or owner and capturing what makes each brewery unique.

The book is an essential resource for anyone wanting to explore the state’s beer scene or plan a few suds-inspired road trips this summer.

“I want to entice,” Myers says. “If the book makes people go and taste more beer around the state, my job is done.”

Weigl: 919-829-4848