Customer Reviews

Brewing Battles: A History of American Beer

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's hard to change history, so for me, a lot of Mitelman's efforts initially seemed old hat. The more I read, however, the more I began finding good examples in "Brewing Battles" that helped fill, in depth, some of the more generalized history I had relied on for some of my secondary sources for "Beer: A History of Brewing in Chicago and my latest book, Beer & Food: An American History.

Both of these books tend towards a combination of brewing history with a hearty mix of marketing, warts and all, so Mittelman's slant to U.S. brewing history, with a tax and economics approach, was a refreshing change. As an interesting example; Prior to the institution of the income tax in 1913 the liquor industry contributed over 50% of the federal government's internal revenue. Without the new tax revenues from the 1913 taxing laws, would National Prohibition have ever been considered by Congress? Seems highly unlikely. Congress had a new cash cow.

In the same sense, it was the Stock Market crash and the Depression that had FDR willingly agree to Repeal. Beer, wine and booze meant much needed tax revenues. Income taxes, after all, meant little when so many were out of work.

Brewing Battles demonstrates a more knowledgable and expansive approach to colonial and U.S. brewing histories than Maureen Ogle's "Ambitious Brew." Ogle's skipping of 250 years of colonial and early U.S. brewing efforts and the beginning of her story around 1840--because she felt there was no real brewing history prior to 1840--was a big mistake. Her countering of this 250 year deficit with a gushing 100 pages of a mere 30 years of craft beer history made little sense to me, and a good number of book and blog reviewers too.

Mittelman starts at the beginning, where any good history book should.

I highly recommended Brewing Battles: A History of American Beer.

Congrats to Amy for being no doubt one of the few female authors to delve into writing about beer. Unfortunately, her book is terrible. It reads like an academic thesis, full of information but dry, dry, dry. While true I can still remember some facts years later, I think I can best sum up my opinion with the lament, Amy you made beer boring.

This book certainly has a lot of information but the writing style is dry and academic and has you bouncing around among seemingly unrelated facts. I did not ever bother finishing this book and must say there are better options.

If you have any interest in the history of the brewing industry in the United States this book is definitely worthwhile to purchase and read. While perhaps not as detailed as some would like, I found the information well presented and (at least for what I already knew) accurate. So sit back with a cold one and enjoy this interesting and easy read - you may be surprised at what you find out about beer in America.

This book fills in an important part of the missing puzzle piece - what happened to all of the German beer gardens and the thriving brewing industry that once existed before WWI?

I found this book invaluable when researching the mystery of my German ancestor's fortune - George Bessler, who came to Washington, DC in 1866, became a hotelier and restauranteur - and then lost everything.

Mittelman's book illustrates the many forces that caused the demise of the breweries and related businesses. Amy Mittleman's book paints a picture of a robust micro-brewery industry in America pre-prohibition. Based on the fact that in many major cities water was not safe to drink (water treatment plants were generally not built before 1910 in many) then the German's claims that beer was healthy to drink seems to hold water (pardon the pun). At least the beer had been pasteurized.

I hope she writes another book on this topic that covers the current brewing industry, and also delves into the topic of why micro-brewed beer is healthy (antioxidants?). And for that latter topic we'll have to keep doing our own research.

Excellent book. Covers the history with insight and knowledge. Learnt more about brewing in the USA than I ever knew before.

Dr. Mittelman has written a most comprehensive & detailed review of the important role of beer in the culture and politics of the US. Who knew that hidden beneath the head of my favorite brew was so much great history? Well written and researched. If you love beer you'll love Dr.Amy. Best enjoyed over a few cool ones.
Dr. Jerome Raddock

This is a terrific book. Mittelman manages to give us both a serious piece of scholarship and a great read. This book would be of interest to many. Readers of business and political history will discover a fascinating tale. As Mittelman demonstrates, the relationship between brewers and the federal government is much older than generally recognized. In fact, one makes the startling discovery that brewing was one of the country's first modern industries. Readers looking for excellent social history will learn about the changing and complex role of beer in American society. In an admirably concise and clear style, Mittelman manages to discuss everything from women, workers, and Prohibition to changing consumption patterns. Finally, beer lovers will encounter wonderful anecdotes and fascinating details about brands both current and past.

I rarely read a book of this quality. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

This is a terrific book. Mittelman manages to give us both a serious piece of scholarship and a great read. This book would be of interest to many. Readers of business and political history will discover a fascinating tale. As Mittelman demonstrates, the relationship between brewers and the federal government is much older than generally recognized. In fact, one makes the startling discovery that brewing was one of the country's first modern industries. Readers looking for excellent social history will learn about the changing and complex role of beer in American society. In an admirably concise and clear style, Mittelman manages to discuss everything from women, workers, and Prohibition to changing consumption patterns. Finally, beer lovers will encounter wonderful anecdotes and fascinating details about brands both current and past.

I rarely read a book of this quality. I can't recommend it strongly enough.