On a high-desert plateau of the Snake River Plain in southwestern Idaho, Boise, the "City of Trees," began as an encampment on the Oregon Trail along the Boise River. Natives were soon after displaced, and by 1864, a town site was platted north of the river, abutting the garrison at Fort Boise. Early settlers found livelihoods as merchants, supplying miners in the Boise Basin, where gold was discovered in 1862. Boiseans experienced difficulty accepting a municipal government and had to wrest territorial status from Lewiston in northern Idaho. Through decades of irrigation and commerce, they grappled with isolation and a scarcity of goods and amenities, which produced a remarkably resilient and vibrant population. From the railroad in 1880s to statehood in 1890, the interurban, and the airplane, rocket, and computer chip-making eras, Boise continues to grow and thrive.

Herman Ronnenberg, a historical archaeologist and brewery expert who participates in major brewery clubs and publishes regularly on the topic, offers something for everyone from scholars to casual beer aficionados. He traces the evolution of techniques, equipment, raw materials, and architecture over five centuries, discusses informal production outside of breweries, and offers detailed information on makers marks, patents, labels, and beer containers that allows readers to identify items in their own collections.