1. The setting for chapter one—the United States in the
1840s and 1850s—almost feels like a character in the
story. How much do you think the times affected the German
immigrants? Would they have been as successful if they had
come earlier or later? Do you think Americans had more
opportunity then than we do now?
2. During the colonial and “Puritan” eras, Americans
accepted drink as a natural part of life. But that changed
after the colonies became the United States. Why do you
think Americans are less comfortable with alcohol than
people in other countries? In the 1850s, did Americans
latched on to drink as a way to attack immigrants, or
because they were uncomfortable with drink and that’s what
they noticed about the Irish and Germans?
3. There’s no way to prove or disprove the story that
Phillip and Jacob rolled dice for ownership of the brewery.
Do you think it’s true?
4. Busch, Pabst, and the Uihleins seized the moment—or
did they? Do you think they became so successful because
they were exceptional men, or because of the extraordinary
times in which they lived?
5. In Chapter Two, the author argues that Americans wanted a
lighter, less filling beer than Europeans did. Do you agree
with that argument? If so, why do you think American tastes
are so different from that of European beer drinkers?
6. All’s fair in love and war—but is that also the case
in business? Was the jury right in finding Otto Lademan
guilty of deception?
7. Saloons clearly played an important role in the lives of
working Americans in the 1880s and 1890s. Do Americans have
a similar social institution today?
8. In the 1880s and 1890s, Americans praised manufacturing
and treasured the huge factories that dominated the nation’s
landscape. Do Americans feel the same way about large-scale
manufacturing now?
9. There’s no way to prove or disprove the rumors that
circulated about the great brewers at the World’s Columbian
Exposition. What do you believe is the truth about that
contest?
10. In Chapter Four, temperance and prohibition re-enter the
story. How sympathetic do you find the prohibitionists’
cause? Do you think their goal of eradicating alcohol was
realistic?
11. In the early twentieth century, many
anti-prohibitionists argued that the federal government
ought to compensate brewers for their lost property. Do you
agree? How does a nation balance the greater good against
private property?
12. Americans themselves never voted directly for or against
constitutional Prohibition. What do you think the outcome
would have been if they had been give the chance to vote?
13. Do you think the history of late-twentieth-century
brewing would have turned out differently if Fred Miller had
not died in a plane crash? Can the life or death of one man
alter history?
15. Many people argue that after World War II, brewers
“ruined” beer by making it weaker and more bland. Do you
agree with the author’s argument that brewers had to do this
in order to survive? Or do you think brewers acted first and
rationalized their actions later?
16. Assess the actions of the Uihleins and the Busch family
in the 1950s and 1960s. Did their bank accounts give them an
unfair advantage over others, or did they simply make better
business decisions than other beermakers?
17. Why do you think American food and drink underwent such
a dramatic transformation in the 1970s? Affluence?
Education? Or some other factor?
18. In what ways do Maytag, McAuliffe, Grossman, and Koch
resemble or differ from their brewing ancestors such as
Busch and Pabst? Do you think the craft brewers had
advantages over the brewers of the 1860s? Or did the
microbrewers have a harder time creating new businesses?
19. What does the brewing renaissance of the 1980s tell you
about the United States? Can you find similarities between
the U. S. in the 1870s and 1880s, and the U. S. in the 1970s
and 1980s? In what ways are those eras different?