Being and ex rugby playing Englishman who enjoyes his pint of good beer, todays show has a real interest. Amy Mittleman's book "Brewing Battles:A History of American Beer" is the comprehensive story of the American brewing industry and its leading figures, from its colonial beginnings to the present day. Although today’s beer industry has its roots in pre-Prohibition business, major historical developments since Repeal have affected industry at large, brewers, and the tastes and habits of beer-drinking consumers as well.