A Spirited History of Milwaukee Brews & Booze - Hardcover

Hintz, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1540205193 ISBN 13: 9781540205193

Publisher: History Press Library Editions, 2011

Synopsis

Crack open the first complete history of Brew City booze. Discover how Milwaukee's "rum holes" weathered Prohibition and which Jones Island barkeep owned the longest mustaches. Copy down the best recipe involving Sprecher Special Amber, Rainbow Trout and sauerkraut. Sample the rich heritage of Pabst, Schlitz, Gettleman and Miller: the folk who turned Milwaukee into the Beer Capital of the World. And save some room for the more recent contributions of distillers and craft-brewers that continue to make the city an exciting place for the thoughtful drinker.

About this title

About the Author

Martin Hintz has written about one hundred books for various publishers, including Celebrate the Legend: 25 Years of Milwaukee Irish Fest (Milwaukee Irish Fest, 2005); Got Murder? The Shocking Story of Wisconsin's Notorious Killers (Trails Publishing, 2007); Wisconsin Cheese: A Cookbook and Guide to the Cheeses of Wisconsin (Globe Pequot, 2008); and Off the Beaten Path: Wisconsin (Globe Pequot Press, 2008; nine editions). He has published articles in major newspapers and consumer and trade periodicals, including the Chicago Tribune, the New York Post, the Chicago Sun-Times, National Geographic World, Irish Music Magazine, Where to Retire Magazine, American Heritage, Interval, American Archaeology, the St. Petersburg Times, the Wisconsin Academy Review, Billboard, Amusement Business, Midwest Express Magazine, Belfast News, City Lifestyle, Northshore Lifestyle, Dodge Van Magazine, Jewish Heartland, Travel Holiday, Corporate Report Wisconsin, GolfWeek, Milwaukee Magazine, Shepherd Express, the Daily Herald, the Jewish Chronicle, the Writer, Midwest Living, MotorHome, Meetings California, Dig, Michigan Living, Home & Away, M Magazine, the Group Travel Leader, Bus Tour Magazine and numerous others.

Review

Though alcohol first arrived in Milwaukee in the baggage of the early French explorers, the history of drinking in this town is inseparable from the Germans. The beer barons who settled here in the 19th century made Milwaukee America's brewing capital, but immigrants of all backgrounds were happy to tap their product.

Local historian Martin Hintz gives the subject a lively account in A Spirited History of Milwaukee Brews & Booze (published by The History Press). Many of the city's first families were associated with brewing wealth, which they not only used to build mansions, but also to infuse the city with a Central European cultural heritage that survives today in landmarks like the Pabst Mansion and City Hall. Brewery buyouts and consolidations occurred from the get-go. In 1879 Milwaukee was home to 16 breweries; by 1950 the number had been reduced to six. Many of Hintz's stories about the Schlitz, Uihlein, Pabst and Miller clans have been told before, but the author brings the chronicle into the 21st century with recent developments in the former Pabst brewery complex and the MillerCoors merger.

On an encouraging note, Hintz reminds us that what goes around comes around, 'especially when it pertains to Milwaukee's brewing scene.' In the city's earliest days, many taverns produced their own beer, and since the 1980s, microbreweries and brew-pubs have made a comeback in the city that once meant beer." --Milwaukee Express

Edition details

• Publisher: History Press Library Editions
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1540205193
• ISBN 13: 9781540205193
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 162