Over-The-Rhine: When Beer Was King

This was easily one of the better written local history books I've read. So many of them are badly written - simple sentences seem beyond them. The author has a light style that floats over the page. He doesn't try to wow us with an expansive vocabulary nor get bog down in a dirge of words.I was disappointed with how he chose to tell the story. The author tells the story of Over-the-Rhine which is nothing without the people of Over-the-Rhine. Yet, we got very little of these mostly men. We don't [...]

One of the things that makes Michael Morgan's Over-the-Rhine: When Beer was King so unique and compelling is that it filters the history of American brewing through a specific lens (a German-inhabited area of Cincinnati), but still manages to touch upon all of those important signposts that characterize the entire industry: massive immigration, xenophobia, religious dogmatism, political machinations, the works. There have been plenty of brewing history books written (and some of them quite excel [...]

A well-researched little book that gleans over some of the early and often buried -- like the subway -- history of Cincinnati. The emergence of a strong German cultural center in OTR, and the decline that is still being reckoned with (with the city's usual flair for class and racial politics) are placed within the context of the city's once prominent brewery history. My only real issue with the book other than it's too short is a reference on page 97 regarding the contentious and politicized tug [...]

Towards the end of "When Beer was King," Morgan notes, "the unquestioning, Toby Keith, pop culture form of patriotism that is common today was essentially invented during World War I." (p. 130) It is quotes like this that make this book such a fantastic read. On its surface, it's the story of a neighborhood in Cincinnati that fell into disrepair generations ago, and would probably only be interesting to someone like me. But at its core, Morgan's book is an important glimpse at what has happened [...]

An interesting book about the brewing history of Cincinnati in the area of the city that was the hub for German emigrants in the 19th century. But it's not only about beer, you learn that cities even back in the mid- to late 1800s were having many of the problems they are having now. In several instances the riots and fighting were worse than what we see today, only then it was the Germans who were the "outsiders" upsetting the Englishmen who arrived their first. Suffice to say, thanks to Prohib [...]

I bought this book because I thought it would tell me more about the great breweries back in the day of Over-the-Rhine (OTR).This book is mostly about the history of OTR. It talks about the German heritage of the neighborhood.This book discusses the living conditions of OTR.Most of the book is about all of the politics and laws back in the day.If you want to learn about the history of OTR, this is the book for you. If you want to learn about the old breweries, then this is not the book for you.

While it was crammed with facts about Over the Rhine, it also contained outrageous grammatical errors. No excuse for this. The author is a college professor which made the mistakes even more egregious. It was difficult for me to finish the book, because I had lost respect for the author. Where in the world was his editor?

Strong overview of the history of Cincinnati through prohibition and the role that beer, brewers and beer drinkers (i.e. Germans) played in its development. As a relatively new Cincinnatian (and a lover of the Cincinnati Beer RenaissanceTM), this was a great introduction to the history of the city. Worth a read for anyone with an interest in the Queen City.

An easy to read primer on Over the Rhine. A bit difficult to keep track of the names and businesses having never been to Cincinnati.Would be fun to read a book on the brewing histories of Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati and the other big beer cities.

Really interesting information!

One of the better regional beer history books. I enjoyed reading it and I use it as a reference as well. I want to visit OTR now that I have read the book. Good work Michael.

Good history of OTR and explanation of its formation & decline. Not too long and with helpful historic pictures.

I learned a lot about Cincinnati history that I honestly had no idea about. A rather informative, enjoyable, and quick read.