Brewing Arizona
360 pages, 10 x 10
200 color photos, 70 black and white
Hardcover
Release Date:17 Oct 2013
ISBN:9780816530472
Brewing Arizona
A Century of Beer in the Grand Canyon State
By Ed Sipos
The University of Arizona Press
“Sergeant… there is a brewery here!” shouted Private Lutje into the tent of his commanding officer. His regiment had just set up camp outside of Tucson. It was spring. The year was 1866. And the good private had reason to be shocked. How could anyone brew beer in the desert? The water was alkaline (when it was fit to drink at all), grains were scarce, bottles were in short supply, and refrigeration was nearly non-existent. But human ingenuity cannot be overestimated, especially when it comes to creating alcoholic beverages.
Since 1864, the state’s breweries have had a history as colorful as the state. With an eye like a historian, the good taste of a connoisseur, and the tenacity of a dedicated collector, author Ed Sipos serves up beer history with gusto. Brewing Arizona is the first book of Arizona beer. It includes every brewery known to have operated in the state, from the first to the latest, from crude brews to craft brews, from mass beer to microbrews. This eye-opening chronicle is encyclopedic in scope but smooth in its delivery. Like a fine beer, the contents are deep and rich, with a little froth on top.
With more than 250 photographs—200 in full color—Brewing Arizona is as beautiful as it is tasty. So put up your feet, grab a cold one, and sip to your heart’s delight.
Since 1864, the state’s breweries have had a history as colorful as the state. With an eye like a historian, the good taste of a connoisseur, and the tenacity of a dedicated collector, author Ed Sipos serves up beer history with gusto. Brewing Arizona is the first book of Arizona beer. It includes every brewery known to have operated in the state, from the first to the latest, from crude brews to craft brews, from mass beer to microbrews. This eye-opening chronicle is encyclopedic in scope but smooth in its delivery. Like a fine beer, the contents are deep and rich, with a little froth on top.
With more than 250 photographs—200 in full color—Brewing Arizona is as beautiful as it is tasty. So put up your feet, grab a cold one, and sip to your heart’s delight.
Sipos' new book serves up Arizona's beer history with gusto. This book is an absolute must for any beer lover based in the Grand Canyon State and its environs.'—AmericanCraftBeer.com
'Painstakingly researched and accompanied by about 250 photographs, this book belongs on the shelf of any beer brewer or enthusiast—or anyone interested in Arizona's story-worthy history.'—Edible Baja Arizona
You can browse this volume for hours while you enjoy taste-testing the latest from your favorite microbrewer.'—W. David Laird, Southwest Books of the Year
‘This book is for every beer drinker who fancies her/himself an informed imbiber and for every relative or friend of a beer drinker who will see this as the perfect Arizona gift.’—Richard Sims, director of the Montana Historical Society
‘Beer has played an interesting and important role in the culture and history of Arizona, and we are fortunate to have recently witnessed the revival of craft brewing, as the industry has come full circle.’—Kevin Kious, co-author of St. Louis Brews: 200 Years of Brewing in St. Louis, 1809–2009
Brewing Arizona is a thoroughly revealing and researched encyclopedia of Arizona's brew history. It's comforting to know that the Wild West celebrated with adequate amounts of local beer in centuries past and has continued celebration today. This belongs on your American history shelf.’—Charlie Papazian, author of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
With record growth and fevered enthusiasm for local craft beer, it would be easy to assume that we are living in an unprecedented moment in Arizona brewing history. Ed Sipos makes a compelling argument to look toward the past. 'Drink Local' campaigns have their roots in Territorial days. The challenges of competing with out-of-state breweries, the harsh environment and the boom-or-bust nature of this brutal and beautiful state have made their imprint on every era of brewing. We are all fortunate that this book is here to provide perspective in this vital time for brewers and beer enthusiasts.’—Rob Fullmer, President, Arizona Society of Homebrewers
Ed Sipos is a past president of the A-1 Chapter of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America and has been the editor of the chapter’s newsletter, the A-1 Can-o-Gram, for more than fifteen years. He has written extensively for Beer Can & Brewery Collectibles magazine.
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Beer and Its Place in History
2 Pioneer Breweries of the Old Pueblo and Southern Arizona
3 Pioneer Breweries of Central and Northern Arizona
4 Dawn of a New Century
5 Prohibition
6 Rebirth of the Brewing Industry in Arizona
7 A-1: The Famous Regional Beer
8 Dawn of the Multinational Brewery
9 End of an Era and the Start of a New
10 The 1980s: The Birth of Arizona’s Microbrewery Revolution
11 The 1990s: Beginning of the Boom
12 The 2000s: The New Millennium
13 The 2010s: The Second Wave of Newcomers
14 A Positive Outlook for Arizona’s Craft Beer Industry
Chronological Listing of Arizona Breweries, Microbreweries, and Brewery-Owned Pubs
Bibliography
Index
