New Book Covers Cincinnati's Modern Brewing History
(Prohibition to the Present)



Second of Two Volumes to be Released
November 30, 2001


For Immediate Release

Contact: Sudhaus Press at (608) 373-0256 or (608) 774-7420
Author E-mail: deutschmeister@sbcglobal.net


(October 22, 2001 - Cincinnati, Ohio)– For decades, generations of Cincinnati residents were loyal to their local brewing industry, generating record beer sales and helping to build hometown breweries into major employers. There were no Budweiser, Schlitz, or Pabst advertisements at Crosley Field, home of the Cincinnati Reds. Instead, the scoreboard and signs beyond the outfield walls were painted with bright publicity for Hudepohl, Wiedemann, and other area beers. Scorebooks promoted Schoenling and Red Top, among other Cincinnati brews. The games were called on radio by Waite Hoyt, who also served as pitchman for Burger Beer, the radio (and later television) sponsor of Reds baseball. Local beer was a way of life in Cincinnati as it was across the U.S.A. In those days, nationally brewed and marketed beers were largely viewed as “out-of-towners” that didn’t offer a serious challenge to the fresh, often less expensive local brands. But by the 1980s, most of the famous Cincinnati breweries had become nostalgic memories, as national producers overwhelmed them with big budget advertising campaigns and greater industrial efficiency. Bigger seemingly became better, and by the 1990s local beers had largely fallen out of favor with consumers and retailers, who mistakenly viewed them as cheap alternatives to the apparently more exciting, heavily advertised national brands. Then came the introduction of microbrews and craft beers. Would Cincinnati’s brewing industry experience a renaissance in the process?

The rise and fall of Cincinnati’s once mighty beer industry is a fascinating tale, one filled with excitement, intrigue and nostalgia. Timothy J. Holian tells the whole story in Volume Two of Over the Barrel: The Brewing History and Beer Culture of Cincinnati (St. Joseph, MO: Sudhaus Press, 2001). Volume Two is the followup to the highly successful Volume One, which was released to critical acclaim last November. This first text covered Cincinnati’s beer tradition from its humble beginnings around 1800 until the onset of national Prohibition. Volume Two picks up where the first book leaves off, leading the reader first through Prohibition and its long-awaited repeal in 1933, past the troubling war years, and then into a period of substantial post-war growth.

The 1940s and 1950s were glorious decades for several local brewers, but the good times would not last. Holian recreates for the reader the complete story of this decline, right up to the present day. He has packed the second volume of Over the Barrel with 400 pages of extensively researched, fully documented text, along with hundreds of color and black and white photographs, rare documents, and other illustrations, many of which will bring back fond memories for history buffs, beer lovers, and just about anyone who ever lived in Cincinnati.

Author Timothy J. Holian, a resident of Greater Cincinnati from 1965 to 1995, is a Senior Lecturer of German at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and holds multiple degrees from the University of Cincinnati. Holian has long been a scholar of German-American history, with a special focus on Cincinnati cultural history generally and the brewing industry specifically. In addition to Volume One of Over the Barrel (Sudhaus Press, 2000), his previous literary work includes a 1996 book, The German-Americans and World War II: An Ethnic Experience, now in its second printing from Peter Lang Publishing (New York).

Volume Two of Over the Barrel includes 392 pages of extensively researched, fully documented text and some 400 contemporary illustrations. The author takes an in-depth look at area beer culture and a behind-the-scenes examination of many of Cincinnati’s most famous breweries and the people who ran them. As was the case with Volume One, Over the Barrel Volume Two far outpaces previous work on its subject matter and is a must-read for anyone interested in the American brewing industry, Cincinnati history, or beer in general, as demonstrated by advance praise from award-winning writers in the field:

"In Volume One of his opus on Cincinnati brewing history, Tim Holian painted a rich and colorful picture of Cincy's beer culture before the dark days of National Prohibition. Now, in Volume Two, Holian shines again as he masterfully chronicles the Queen City's breweries from Prohibition right up to the present. Unquestionably, these two volumes of Over the Barrel represent the most ambitious study of beer and brewing in a single American city ever undertaken." (Carl Miller, author, Breweries of Cleveland. Winner, American Breweriana Association Excellence in Literature Award, 1998)

"Over the Barrel Volume Two is a thorough research work on the complex and rich brewing history of Cincinnati from Prohibition to the present day. Clear and with close attention paid to detailed factual information, it depicts at the same time the human side of the decline and renaissance of the city’s beermaking tradition. Like Volume One, it is a must-have for any history enthusiast." (H. James Maxwell, author, Hometown Beer: A History of Kansas City's Breweries. Winner, American Breweriana Association Excellence in Literature Award, 2000)

Holian has spent the past quarter century researching Cincinnati’s brewing industry and beer culture. There has never been a more complete chronicle of the subject. In connection with this project, Holian was given exclusive access to the vast archives of the Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Company, Cincinnati’s last surviving old-line beer company. He also utilized the holdings of the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Kenton County Public Library, and various private collections. Over the Barrel Volume Two will be available via mail from Sudhaus Press (1809 Excalibur Drive,  Janesville, WI 53546); by phone at (608) 373-0256 or (608) 774-7420; and from a variety of Cincinnati-area bookstores and other retailers. More information on the Over the Barrel project, including book excerpts from Volume One as well as Two, rare photographs, and local brewery histories, can be found at the Sudhaus Press web site: www.sudhauspress.com.

The retail price of Over the Barrel Volume Two is $29.95 per copy; quantity discount information for wholesalers and retailers is available from Sudhaus Press upon request. Members of the media and book trade are encouraged to contact the author through Sudhaus Press with questions or comments; to arrange interviews and personal appearances; or to obtain copies of Volume Two for review and publicity purposes.