This covers the beer industry in the US from the mid 1800's to present day. From the early beginnings of German immigrants hooking beer drinkers on lagers from beer giants like Pabst, Anhueser-Busch, Miller, Best, Schlitz and Coors. Through the anti-saloon days, Prohibition, growth of big beer and the rebirth of craft beer industry in the last quarter century. I like how the author treats all beer makers with the same respect big or small without going down bashing big brewers like I see many passionate craft brew fans do. It's all about good beer in the end. I found this to be an excellent history of American brewing and the ebb and flow from brewing's origins, through the late 1800s, prohibition, the rise of the large brewers, and finishing with a treatise on the origin and rise of craft brewing.The book is very organized and the story is presented clearly. Ogle does a very good job of illuminating the personalities of brewers and their families.The book was published in 2007 and thus is a bit dated, missing recent changes such as the sale of Anheuser Busch to InBev. Still recommended.
What do You think about Ambitious Brew (2007)?
A barley epic supreme, Ogle's work is a nice chronicle of our favorite soda.
—lilbash
an interesting primer on the history of the American beer industry
—gregmax
Great telling of the history that is American beer.
—Wild_Cherry
