 But why the history of beer in particular and not wine or spirits or drinks in general? There's something specific about beer, it sounds like. Well, and at the American History Museum, my colleagues and I, we research food history as well. We research the history of winemaking and also distilling. My focus, though, on the history of beer and brewing really came about with the recent phenomenal growth in the brewing industry that's come to be known as the craft beer movement.