Beer Blast: The Inside Story of the Brewing Industry's Bizarre Battles for Your Money [Paperback]

Philip Van Munching (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 1998

Brewing, a venerable American industry, once was dominated by family-owned firms serving a loyal clientele. In the late 1970s, however, the conglomerates got involved, and the beer wars erupted. In Beer Blast, a veteran of the beer wars (from the famous Van Munching clan, importers of Heineken) shares his wealth of colorful, often amazing stories about the personalities, battles, and follies of the beer biz.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The rise and fall of beer trends--from sports sponsorships to low-cals, and status-conscious imports to creatively crafted microbrews--mirror, in many ways, the larger culture that embraces them. Philip Van Munching, a young journalist who also represents the third generation in his family to toil in the beer business, offers a clever and knowing look at its ups and downs in Beer Blast: The Inside Story of the Brewing Industry's Bizarre Battles for Your Money. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Drawing on his experience as a freelance writer and corporate spokesman for his famous family's business (as the exclusive importer of Heineken), Van Munching starts off by confirming his college roommate's theory: "Sex is not the dominant motivation in life...beer is." He presents here an entertaining, well-written account of the brewing industry. With the vast array of specialty beers now on the market and increased competition from abroad, beer novelty has become more important than brand loyalty, he notes. No wonder the book reads like a war novel (chapter topics include "preparing for battle," "hand-to-hand combat," and "border skirmishes"), except that these wars take place over the bartop. The author gives us a brief history of this highly competitive industry, which provides valuable lessons in how not to run a business. Another look at the beer industry is Robert J. Burgess's Silver Bullets (LJ 5/15/93). This should be popular in marketing and business collections.?Bellinda Wise, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (May 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812930355
• ISBN-13: 978-0812930351
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read, January 24, 2003

By 

Keith Teal (Garland, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beer Blast: The Inside Story of the Brewing Industry's Bizarre Battles for Your Money (Hardcover)

This book was very informative and written quite well. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone that likes to read about industry profiles. I also liked the fact that I did not have to know that much about the beer industry in order to enjoy the book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What You want to know about the beer industry!, May 12, 2001

By 

Sven Isaksson (STOCKHOLM Sweden) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beer Blast: The Inside Story of the Brewing Industry's Bizarre Battles for Your Money (Hardcover)

This book is a great read and an interesting study of the beer industry and its history. The author due to his ties (son of the Heineken importer) provides great insight, but also some thoughtful and usable management and marketing analysis.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bubbly, dry and very palatable, January 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Beer Blast: The Inside Story of the Brewing Industry's Bizarre Battles for Your Money (Paperback)

Philip van Munching's book is less about the history and genesis of US beer - though those bases are very well covered - than it is about the lunacy of marketing, the most bogus science of the last century. It seems extraordinary that global brands are in the hands of so many people who appear this clueless - how the brewing giants ever sell a drop is unimaginable. But PVM tells their tale with a great deal of skill and wit, and - like most of the beers he describes - there's a zesty bitterness to most of the opinions. The best compliment? This is a guy I'd really like to share a beer with . . . .