“There is an incredible amount of totally new information in this book, even for those of us who know the history of how quickly hops came and went in Wisconsin. However, it will sit on the easy-to-reach section of my hops bookshelf because of what we learn about the lives of the farmers who cultivated the hops and the laborers who picked them. Somehow, Jennifer Jordan convinced ghosts to share their secrets.”

Stan Hieronymus, author of Brewing Local

“In Beer Ghosts, Jennifer Jordan invites the reader to view the complex multinational brewing industry through the door of a simple 19th-century Wisconsin farmhouse. The work of thousands of young women who picked hops in Wisconsin and the farm families who hosted them was an essential step without which the refreshing beers of Milwaukee and beyond would not have been possible. Digging deep into diaries, census records, and newspaper accounts, Jordan’s creative research and engaging writing tell a very personal local story in a fascinating global context. I’ll never look at a glass of beer in quite the same way again!”

Doug Hoverson, author of The Drink That Made Wisconsin Famous: Beer and Brewing in the Badger State

“From Beer Ghost’s opening pages, Jordan draws readers into the remarkable and unknown life of Ella Seymour. Ella emerges as a representative of a broader, forgotten cohort of skilled women laborers. Through their stories, Jordan restores visibility to the women who powered agricultural production, industrial growth, and the everyday economies behind brewing culture. They emerge as the true protagonists of the 19th-century American beer story. With meticulous research, she reconstructs a world in which women take center stage, ensuring they are no longer absent from history but are recognized for the essential roles they played.”

Liz Garibay, Executive Director, Beer Culture Center