The Story of American Beer

For Christmas from my sister Lisa this year I received a great book entitled Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer. It is a fantastic read. It gives great insight into the business economy in America starting in the mid 1800’s. Not only does it give the details of the biggest breweries in American history, but also insight into the people that made them the biggest. A-B, Pabst, and Schlitz would not have gotten as large as they did if it weren’t for their ambitious presidents, brew masters, and marketers. The book does not just focus on the big guys though, the last third of the book focuses on the micro-breweries that sprung up in the late 1970’s and 1980’s and discussed what made the succeed, fail, and pave the way for future micros. One of the most fascinating chapters is the chapter on Prohibition and how the brewers survived (selling soda pop, ice cream, and non-alcoholic “near beer” among other things). The book is a fascinating read if you have any interest in history, business, or just beer. I highly suggest you read this book. Now, I know what many of you are thinking, history books are boring. Not this one. The narrative is quick, concise, and entertaining. There isn’t anything boring about this book, it was perfect for a guy that lives in a beer town.