The United States of Beer: A Freewheeling History of the All-American Drink – An Epic Cultural Journey from Immigrant Brewers and Prohibition to Craft Revolution

by Dane Huckelbridge

From the author of “the definitive history of bourbon” (Sacramento Bee), comes the rollicking and revealing story of beer in America, in the spirit of Salt or Cod.

In The United States of Beer, Dane Huckelbridge, the author of Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit—a Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance bestseller—charts the surprisingly fascinating history of Americans’ relationship with their most popular alcoholic beverage. Huckelbridge shows how beer has evolved along with the country—from a local and regional product (once upon a time every American city has its own brewery and iconic beer brand) to the rise of global mega-brands like Budweiser and Miller that are synonymous with U.S. capitalism. We learn of George Washington’s failed attempt to brew beer at Mount Vernon with molasses instead of barley, of the 19th century “Beer Barons” like Captain Frederick Pabst, Adolphus Busch, and Joseph Schlitz who revolutionized commercial brewing and built lucrative empires—and the American immigrant experience—and of the advances in brewing and bottling technology that allowed beer to flow in the saloons of the Wild West. Throughout, Huckelbridge draws connections between seemingly remote fragments of the American past, and shares his reports from the front-lines of today’s craft-brewing revolution.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Food, Beer, Audiobook, Food and Drink, American History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2016

About the author

Dane Huckelbridge was born and raised in the American Middle West. He holds a degree from Princeton University, and his fiction and essays have appeared in a variety of journals, including Tin House, Literary Hub, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and The New Republic. His debut novel CASTLE OF WATER was published by St. Martin's Press in 2017, and his book NO BEAST SO FIERCE was published by HarperCollins in 2019. His next book, QUEEN OF ALL MAYHEM, a biography of the outlaw Belle Starr, will be released in 2025. He currently lives in Paris, France, although he comes back to New York whenever he can.

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book. It is sprightly, well written, and the author does not take the subject too seriously. The book is organized around different regions of the country and their predilections and contributions to the evolution of beer. Among regions considered: New England, New York and the Mod-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, the West, and--finally--the West Coast. Along the way, we get a history of beer, from early origins thousands of years ago. It is fascinating to see the different substances that were used to make beer.

Some things that stand out: The story of Boston Beer Company (producer of Sam Adams as a counterweight to the macrobreweries with their bland product; the story of Anchor Steam in San Francisco and why normal cooling techniques were not used; the Midwest and the dominance of German brewers and their companies--Miller, Busch, Pabst, and Schlitz. And why their beers were so generic--even more so after the end of Prohibition; the decline in competition among breweries in the 20th century--and the increase in competition with microbreweries and more interesting and tasty beers.

Anyhow, an easy and enjoyable read. . . .

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light, short and fun book that, I think, just scrapes the surface of most of the events described. For a book that seems like it was pitched as an excuse for the author to drive around the country drinking different beers, this book is actually fairly well-researched, but it does not seem to rise all the way to the level of a serious work of scholarship.

This seems like a great book to read on a vacation or right when you start getting into homebrew. I'd be very interested to see a much more in-depth version of this book, though, as almost every chapter left me wanting more information.

The one major disappointment in this book is that it stops just short of the explosion of microbrewing and especially homebrewing that has taken place in the past 30-40 years, after changes in the law that made it legal to brew beer locally and deregulated a lot of beer brewing. It seems like a perfect final chapter for the next edition.

3.5 of 5 stars

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to drink what I’m reading. If characters in a book are whiskey drinkers, out comes the Jameson’s.

In this book our writer takes us on a marvelously enjoyable, well researched, and thirst-inducing geographic tour of beer in the USA.

Should anyone need me, I’ll be working my way through the half finished 6 or 12 packs of assorted styles of American brews from basically all over.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short read about the American history of beer. From the world to the US, we have a very diverse beer history. From English ale wives and monasteries to modern day varieties of local beer making we go in a cycle. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves beer.

This was a highly recommended book I got on Kindle Unlimited.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be. I stumbled across this title on BookBub and it cost me a whole $1.99 of my husband’s money. You see, my husband, and his father, are both avid beer enthusiasts. Me, not so much. While they can taste supple notes of caramel and my husband can recall which hops were used, I am limited to stating, “Yep. That’s beer alright.” It’s not that I dislike beer, I just don’t have the true appreciation for it like them.

Enter “United States of Beer”

I was hooked within the first few digital pages and pleasantly surprised at all of the wonderful history. Never did I think I would learn so much about the birth of America in a book about beer. To be honest, saying this book is just about the history of beer is doing it a disservice. The author goes on to discuss women’s roles in beer brewing, how religion played a part in recipes, and the change in the language used to describe the drink.

At times, it was a bit difficult to follow because you’d start out in the 1840s and then jump back to the 1700s and then push forward to the 1900s, which is where the 1 Star was subtracted. But it helped to picture the time line jumps in the Wayne’s World fashion. You know, the doodlee doo doodlee doo thing they did at the end of the first movie. Other than that, this book offers a great overview of pinnacle moments in history and the slow starts of some of today’s big breweries. Along the way, I discovered events in history that I want to read further into such as the prohibition era and the great earthquake of 1906 in San Fransisco.

10/10 would recommend for beer and history buffs alike.

[Ron S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, frothy and fairly satisfying look at the history of beer in America. Don't expect a definitive encyclopedia, or much coverage of the craft beer explosion of the last decade though. Author Dane Hucklebridge is also the author of Bourbon: the Definitive History.

[Mo Coghlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books gives a fantastic overview of the history of Beer in America and the economic and political causes of its evolution. This book has the most clear, evidenced explanation for the growth of American Lagers that I have ever read.

[Joshua Gentzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. It centers around the peoples who brought their version of beer to the US (the Germans, Dutch, and English) and traces the beer we drink today back to the styles made in Europe.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing a fun and quick historical narrative of beer brewing in America. The author, journalist and author Dane Huckelbridge, presents a personalized tale of America’s production and consumption of beer. The book is organized by region, but follows a historic narrative. Thus, Colonial New England’s close association with English brewing roots begins the story and the late 20th century West Coast microbrew renaissance closes the book. In between, the ups-and-downs of beer consumption are well explained. It’s periodic demise thanks to the ease of whisky transportation or temperance’s prohibition along with its inevitable return due to immigration and ease of production animates much of this spirited story. The book tends toward breadth rather than depth, with much name-dropping of famous brewers and breweries. But, it is a good introduction to the centrality of beer in the American experience. Highly recommended for anyone interested in beer brewing and its long history in America.

[Felisa Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is self-explanatory. I enjoyed that this is a book for beer-lovers and history buffs more than it's a book for beer snobs. Huckelbridge has a knack for picking out interesting facts, stories, and details, and thus manages to weave an engaging history that wouldn't bore or alienate the casual reader. He's a good writer, though I was occasionally annoyed by questionable syntax and the sort of folksy/hokey turns of phrase that are common to periodicals. (As a writer for periodicals, I'm guilty of the same, so I can hardly rail on him for it.) My only real bone to pick is that I do not know how you can write a history of American beer and only include about 4 pages on the upper Pacific Northwest. Come visit me in Oregon Dane Huckelbridge--I'll show you some real beer.

[Kevin Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer. The importance of beer in the colonial era and in early Britain had to do with the fact that beer was safer than water since the water was boiled. Early beer was very low in alcohol so it could be consumed in relatively large quantities and by children ("small beer"). Many early brewers were women ("alewives") who brewed for the family. American Indians had alcohol including beer but it was mostly consumed during rituals so they weren't ready for the high alcohol beverages that the Europeans spread around.

[Dennis Garone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the first history of beer in America I have read but certainly the one that seeks the answers to questions I have sought about how we got to today.

Mr Huckelbridge (pardon the expression) bridges a long beer history from the rest of the world to bring us to what is unique and diverse about American’s many phases of beer production and consumption.

While one of the chapters may get a little tedious of the many styles of our Native North American ancestors, I thought he brought home the notion that Europeans were not the only brewers in history.

Bravo to the research and looking forward to a West Coast IPA and toasting to the author.

Looking forward to the Bourbon history.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book 3.5 stars, and since that isn't an options going for 4. This is a decent history of brewing in the United States. Most of it I had known, but there were a few things that I did learn from it. Huckelbridge had previously wrote a book on Bourbon and I did feel he kept getting pulled back to the hard liquor and it was a challenge for him to stick to beer. As he states near the end that one continues to learn more and find information in interesting places.

How did this book find me? It was a selection in an Audible sale that intrigued me.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read! I learned quite a bit about the history of beer in the United States (and beyond). I especially liked the attention paid to different regions throughout the country. I listened to the audiobook, so hearing the descriptions of drinking at a particular bar or getting up during a Yankees game came across a little corny. But I appreciated the personal narrative. An interesting overview of beer's influence throughout American history.

[Philbeert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written story of the history of the US in parallel with beer. I really like the concept of starting in the east and moving west as the country expanded with beer’s impact along the way. I’ve read several booze books at this point and I rarely fail to pick up some new piece of info. Keep them coming!

[Shawn Dvorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informal, free-wheeling history of beer making (and drinking) in the United States. More a collection of individual stories, Huckelbridge covers our history region by region as well as through time.

[Sarah Scherer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best history book I've ever read. I learned a surprising amount! The history story ended before the year I started drinking myself, and I really didn't imagine American beer could go through so many changes over the ages (before I was relevant.) I highly recommend, if you drink beer.

[Caleb Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great listen, if only this audio book came with a sample of each of the kinds of beer mentioned I would have to give it five stars. A wonderful history of how beer and our country has ebbed and flowed freely!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compact, very readable book about beer in America. The author’s writing style is fun and while he’s obviously done his research, it never gets bogged down in too much detail. A definite read for anyone who enjoys beer.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history book that doesn't take itself to serious. Touches on events from ancient brewing methods to colonial era, prohibition, and the rise of the macro and microbreweries, it was like reading book version of a History Channel documentary.

[Cook Memorial Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2016 staff favorite recommended by Mary.

Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...

[Edelweiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beer-centric history of the United States, with some explanations of greater beer history or developments.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

neat little book about how beer influenced American history and travel. makes me want to go for a cold one right now

[Kevin Harber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting account of the origins of the beer industry in America and the impact it's had on various aspects of American history.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful planning allowed the author move forward through time as he moved westward in location.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book
Not to deep
Not to shallow
Not pretentious
Gave some fun insights and factoids

[Dave Wein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually turned out to be an interesting history of America as well as talking about beer. Good read

[William Hoppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re in to beer history at all....this book keeps you turning pages. And even for the most expert beer drinkers out there, it gives you a new found appreciation for the drink.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and hoppy, a good summer lager of a book.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh