If news reports about the war in Iraq have got you down, let me recommend some reading about a more enjoyable set of hostilities: "Brewing Battles" by Amherst author Amy Mittelman. Mittelman, who holds a doctorate in history (with a focus on alcohol production - more on that later) from Columbia University, recently published this exhaustive tome which touches on numerous aspects of brewing history in the United States. "Brewing Battles" (published by Algora Publishing) peers through a glass brightly at the American brewing industry from colonial days to the present. From the early days of the nation, through the struggles of German immigrant brewers to establish themselves up to Prohibition and the modern craft beer movement, the book leaves no stone - or coaster - unturned in its search for how beer has affected both American culture and government. Mittelman said she decided to write the book for several reasons. "I had done earlier work on the liquor industry and I saw so many areas of change, but also of continuity," she said. "If you look at what brewers said in the 19th century, it's not that different than what they say today and I wanted to explore that. I also felt that the whole nexus of alcohol and government income before Prohibition was fascinating." This nexus to which Mittelman refers is the fact that prior to the institution of the income tax in 1913, the liquor industry taxation provided more than 50 percent of the federal government's internal revenue. It was when she learned this fact years ago, she said, that led her to focus on alcohol production in her doctoral program. With her background, Mittelman could have chosen other alcoholic beverages for the topic of her book, but she believed beer was the right choice. "When I was looking at it, I wanted something with a long historical span and the history of beer appeared more cohesive," she said. "There were also more identifiable players in the beer industry. Beer has a more indispensable everyday image." Mittelman said while she wasn't necessarily surprised by anything during her research for the book, she was amazed by several things. I was amazed how modern those 19th century brewers were in how they approached economic and government issues," she said. "And if you look at the modern period, beer has achieved the goal of those early German brewers to make it a national beverage." The book also looks at how brewers shape changing patterns of American alcohol consumption: What we drink, how we drink and even where we drink. And be forewarned, this is not light reading, nor a book to be read after more than one or two beers. There are footnotes and references that rival the most scholarly of publications. "I wanted to write a book that was easy to read but one that was also well-researched," Mittelman said. Although larger breweries continue to merge and craft brewers make inroads into the market, Mittelman sees little changing in brewing's foreseeable future. "I think we really have had a two-tiered industry for a while now and we'll probably continue to have that," she said. "Going back a long way in 1880s, when some brewers started adding corn to make a lighter beer, there was always a percentage of market that wanted hoppier beers, and that's who the microbrewers are serving today." George Lenker ---- Springfield Republican, February 21, 2008

Brewing Battles is a study of the relations between government and the beer industry, specifically on the impact of taxation and the industry s continuing struggle to keep the forces of temperance at bay. The descriptions of the cultural history of beer, featuring the barons who developed dynastic businesses, add the froth. . . Brewing Battles offers the historian and beer enthusiast alike a competent overview of an important industry. --Business History Review, Harvard University

Attention beer lovers: This one's for you Everyone knows the name Sam Adams - if not the beer then the colonial-era patriot and prominent maltster who encouraged home production and consumption of beer. But fewer are familiar with Colonel Jacob Ruppert. The George Steinbrenner of the mid-20th century, Ruppert owned the New York Yankees from 1914 until his death in 1939. He also owned the Ruppert Brewery, which had million-barrel sales prior to Prohibition and was a leader of the brewing industry during Prohibition and Repeal. Babe Ruth was at his deathbed and over 15,000 people attended his funeral including Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Lou Gehrig. Such tidbits of American breweriana are available in a new book by Amherst historian and writer Amy Mittelman. "Brewing Battles: The History of American Beer" (Algora Publishing, 2007) is a story of the American brewing industry and its leading figures, from colonial days to the present. The chronicle includes the story of the struggle of German immigrant brewers to establish themselves in America, and the more recent emergence of micro-brewers. -- Amherst Bulletin December 14, 2007

Mittelman, historian and writer, provides a detailed history of American beer in this book that spans the early Colonial days to the present. American beer has been influenced by many German and Czech immigrants who brought their brewing expertise to the US and founded many breweries. The important topics of taxation and regulation of alcoholic beverages are comprehensively described. Organizations such as the United States Brewers Organization, which enabled brewers to work cooperatively together, are a significant part of the history. Prohibition, dry geographic regions, and the legal drinking age have all impacted the brewing industry. As young adults began to drive regularly, auto accidents associated with alcohol consumption became an issue, and organizations such as Mothers against Drunk Driving (MADD) were established. Technology issues, such as the sterilization of beer and the development of better containers, are also part of this history. The work contains eight chapters and includes many references for those who want to read original sources. Summing up: RECOMMENDED ALL READERS. --CHOICE Magazine, May 2008

Strange Brew By Sarah Gibbons Since German brewers first attempted to institute themselves in America and effectively created the brewing industry, beer has gone from marginalized to outlawed to mass-produced. For many, the act of drinking beer is no longer in pursuit of effect, but is rather a thing of taste. Amherst writer Amy Mittelman's love of beer extends beyond taste. Inspired by the number of establishments in the area that celebrate beer and make legions of micro-brews available to more discerning imbibers, Mittelman penned Brewing Battles, a comprehensive history of American beer and its journey from humble beginnings to its current iconic status. ---- Valley Advocate February 20, 2008

Amy has taught history at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hampshire College and Mount Holyoke. She has taught nursing at Holyoke Community College, and she worked as a nurse for four years in a methadone clinic.