Interested in the history of American beer from circa ~1840-Present? Check out Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle.
The book chronicles the growth of the American beer experience during the 19th century, discusses the "temperance" movement that essentially brought about the prohibition era and the end of American beer's 1st golden age. The book also discusses the growth of the craft brewing industry and the influence of homebrewers in reviving an industry drowning in American style premimum light lagers.
One of the most interesting finding from Ogle's research, in my opinion, is the deconstruction of the myth that the big brewers intentionally started using cheaper additives like corn and rice, post-prohibition, to drive down costs, eliminate competition and flood the market with bland, flavorless, lousy swill. Ogle points out that this myth is simply not true. She discusses how a) "big brewers" started using rice and corn in the 1800s!, b) the use of additives was in response to an American palate that was becoming much more bland itself (we no longer needed big, flavorful beers as Americans to "fill" us up. We were booming, food was plentiful, and beer needed to be refreshing, NOT filling any more), and c) the use of corn and rice was actually MORE EXPENSIVE to use in the 1800s. As Ogle points out in a podcast with James Spencer on Basic Brewing Radio, there are several reasons to dislike the big brewers, attempting to deceive the American public and pass off a cheap quality product is not one of them.
Two quick notes:
1. Ogle has/had no affiliation to ANY brewery, beer, or industry representative. She, in fact, knew little about beer and was not even a beer drinker before starting her research. Individuals who claim that she is some sort of a puppet of the big brewers are incorrect.
2. This book really highlights some of the major players in the history of American beer (Anheuser-Busch, Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz, etc.)...and rightfully so. After all, these major brewers had a great deal to do with the growth and expansion of beer brewing in the US.
Ambitious Brew is filled with historical information of many of the individuals who have helped shape the brewing industry in the US. Us homebrewers and craft beer lovers will be happy to hear that the likes of Ken Grossman, Jim Koch, Jack McAuliffe, and Charlie Papazian are all included as important parts to the new era of the American beer drinking experience.
Be wary of any reviews of this book coming from individuals who have not read it. You can not appreciate its content unless you have read it. That seems simple enought but I have read far too many reviews of this book from people who haven't even picked it up! For me, this book was also a nice diversion from the typical home brewing books that we have all read which start off in the first 75 pages explaining to us what malt, hops, and yeast are. That sort of information has its place but you will find none of that in this book. For anyone looking for some sound, unbiased information and history about American beer, check this book out.
The book chronicles the growth of the American beer experience during the 19th century, discusses the "temperance" movement that essentially brought about the prohibition era and the end of American beer's 1st golden age. The book also discusses the growth of the craft brewing industry and the influence of homebrewers in reviving an industry drowning in American style premimum light lagers.
One of the most interesting finding from Ogle's research, in my opinion, is the deconstruction of the myth that the big brewers intentionally started using cheaper additives like corn and rice, post-prohibition, to drive down costs, eliminate competition and flood the market with bland, flavorless, lousy swill. Ogle points out that this myth is simply not true. She discusses how a) "big brewers" started using rice and corn in the 1800s!, b) the use of additives was in response to an American palate that was becoming much more bland itself (we no longer needed big, flavorful beers as Americans to "fill" us up. We were booming, food was plentiful, and beer needed to be refreshing, NOT filling any more), and c) the use of corn and rice was actually MORE EXPENSIVE to use in the 1800s. As Ogle points out in a podcast with James Spencer on Basic Brewing Radio, there are several reasons to dislike the big brewers, attempting to deceive the American public and pass off a cheap quality product is not one of them.
Two quick notes:
1. Ogle has/had no affiliation to ANY brewery, beer, or industry representative. She, in fact, knew little about beer and was not even a beer drinker before starting her research. Individuals who claim that she is some sort of a puppet of the big brewers are incorrect.
2. This book really highlights some of the major players in the history of American beer (Anheuser-Busch, Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz, etc.)...and rightfully so. After all, these major brewers had a great deal to do with the growth and expansion of beer brewing in the US.
Ambitious Brew is filled with historical information of many of the individuals who have helped shape the brewing industry in the US. Us homebrewers and craft beer lovers will be happy to hear that the likes of Ken Grossman, Jim Koch, Jack McAuliffe, and Charlie Papazian are all included as important parts to the new era of the American beer drinking experience.
Be wary of any reviews of this book coming from individuals who have not read it. You can not appreciate its content unless you have read it. That seems simple enought but I have read far too many reviews of this book from people who haven't even picked it up! For me, this book was also a nice diversion from the typical home brewing books that we have all read which start off in the first 75 pages explaining to us what malt, hops, and yeast are. That sort of information has its place but you will find none of that in this book. For anyone looking for some sound, unbiased information and history about American beer, check this book out.
