Material Culture of Breweries

Herman Wiley Ronnenberg, Ph.D., is a retired teacher and freelance historian specializing in the history of brewing and brewers. He participates in multiple major breweriana collecting clubs and publishes regularly on the topic. He has also conducted archaeological field work in California, Arizona, Idaho, Virginia, Alaska, Belize and Peru.

"This solid introduction to the mechanics of making beer places special emphasis on development within the US. By focusing literally on the nuts and bolts of the brewing industry, the author avoids having to explain the science of beer and also the complexities of styles and taste. The copious black-and-white photographs and illustrations enhance the work by depicting machinery and facilities devised for brewing, and the four appendixes provide a chronology of brewing in America, a useful compendium of brewing terms, information for collectors of artifacts, and finally data on archaeological research into earlier breweries. Summing Up: Recommended."-- C. L. Dolmetsch, CHOICE“Overall, the book is well-written and detailed, providing valuable information for those who are looking to begin research on breweries or for those who are looking for more information on more specialized topics covered in the book.... As Ronnenberg describes in the beginning of the book, only two historically researched books have been written about breweries in the United States, and Ronnenberg hopes that this book will inspire historians, anthropologists, and archeologists to begin research on breweries and the industry to help to expand the historical record.” —Museum Anthropology Review

• Introduction; Chapter 1 Overview of Brewing Techniques With Emphasis on Changes in Equipment and Raw Materials: 1500–2000; Chapter 2 Brewery Architectural Developments: 1500–2000; Chapter 3 Makers’ Marks, Patents, Labels, Production Dates, Beer Containers, and Other Evidence;