This book celebrates 12 of those great regional quaffs, some of which still exist as brand names under large brewers. Each chapter is devoted to the history, players, advertising, breweries, and, of course, the product associated with each brewer. All regions of the United States, as well as Canada, are represented. Brands include Acme, Ballantine, Falstaff, Hamm's, Lone Star, Lucky Lager, Miller, Olympia, Pabst, Rainier, Rheingold, and Schlitz. Archival photography, period advertising, and other breweriana have been sourced from some top collections in the country, illustrating how each brand survived and thrived despite such external factors as wars, Prohibition, and tax hikes, and the ultimate fate of each is explained. About the AuthorBill Yenne is the San Francisco-based author of more than three dozen books, mainly on historical topics. He is also a member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA) and the American Book Producers Association (ABPA), and he is a graduate of the Stanford Professional Publishing Course. Among his beer books are Beers of North America, Beer Labels of the World, Beers of the World and the Field Guide To Breweries, Microbreweries of North America and an MBI bestseller The American Brewery (0-7603-1470-5).- Rare archival imagery from collections around the nation- In 1950, the nation's top ten brewers accounted for 38 percent of annual production. By 1980 that number had risen to 93 percent- The industry went from a high 4,131 breweries in 1873 to a low of 80 in 1983