Beer in America: The Early Years

As Gregg Smith tells it, almost everything important in early America happened because of beer. Beer caused the pilgrims to land at Plymouth Rock, beer caused the revolution, Thomas Jefferson made beer, etc. Its a lot like listening to a pothead talk about the greatness of hemp, and how George Washington grew weed. Not that it’s not all true, but the hyperbolae get extreme at times, and aren’t helped by Smith's drowsy writing style.

The best parts of the book are the stories about beer's affect on the history of the colonies, the rise of the prohibition movement, and early colonial beer cocktails. His history of the brewing industry itself is dry, unenlightening, and fairly dull. Overall, most of the book is a decent read.

Buy it here