Miracle Brew: Adventures in the Nature of Beer

by PeteBrown (Author), Pete Brown (Author)

New
Paperback
2018
$10.74

Shortlisted for the 2017 Andre Simon Food and Drink Book Awards Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink on the planet, but few who enjoy it know much about how its four ingredients - malted barley, hops, yeast and water - miraculously combine. We've been brewing and drinking beer for thousands of years, without understanding how or why the brewing process works. In the Middle Ages, yeast was called `godisgoode' because no one had any idea what fermentation was. Malting barley, too, has for centuries seemed genuinely wondrous: it's only in the last 200 years that science has identified and understood how man and yeast work together to gently (or not so gently) persuade this humble grain to give up its sugary stash for fermentation into beer. From the birth of brewing (and civilization) in the Middle East, through an exploration of water's unmurky depths and the surreal madness of drink-sodden hop-blessings in the Czech Republic, to the stunning recreation of the first ever modern beer - Miracle Brew is an extraordinary journey through the nature and science of brewing. Along the way, we'll meet and drink with a cast of characters who reveal the magic of beer and celebrate the joy of drinking it. And, almost without noticing, we'll learn the naked truth about the world's greatest beverage.

Synopsis

Shortlisted for the 2017 Andre Simon Food and Drink Book Awards Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink on the planet, but few who enjoy it know much about how its four ingredients - malted barley, hops, yeast and water - miraculously combine. We've been brewing and drinking beer for thousands of years, without understanding how or why the brewing process works. In the Middle Ages, yeast was called `godisgoode' because no one had any idea what fermentation was. Malting barley, too, has for centuries seemed genuinely wondrous: it's only in the last 200 years that science has identified and understood how man and yeast work together to gently (or not so gently) persuade this humble grain to give up its sugary stash for fermentation into beer. From the birth of brewing (and civilization) in the Middle East, through an exploration of water's unmurky depths and the surreal madness of drink-sodden hop-blessings in the Czech Republic, to the stunning recreation of the first ever modern beer - Miracle Brew is an extraordinary journey through the nature and science of brewing. Along the way, we'll meet and drink with a cast of characters who reveal the magic of beer and celebrate the joy of drinking it. And, almost without noticing, we'll learn the naked truth about the world's greatest beverage.

$10.74

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10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Publisher: Unbound
Published: 14 Jun 2018
ISBN 10: 1783525460
ISBN 13: 9781783525461
Book Overview: A journey into the world of the four remarkable ingredients of beer - Hops, Water, Barley and Yeast - by the UK's most read, recognised and enjoyable of beer writers.

Media Reviews

Manages to make you appreciate the magic of beer even in its most everyday form. * TLS *
[Brown] leavens his magisterial tour of fearsome science and vast brewery history with cheery anecdotes, humor, vivid you-are-there prose and a clever eye for personality . . . His rhapsodies about the meaning of life and the meaning of beer are stirring . . . His expertise and insight will leave you with a glimmer of infinity every time you hold a bottle of it in your hand. * New York Times *
Staggering ... Pete Brown's new work has bowled me over -- Roger Protz, editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide
Entertaining, engaging, and simply fun ... Put down your scientific journals and remind yourself what beer is really all about -- Charlie Papazian, founder of the Association of Brewers
A book full of amazing facts ... combines history, a look at today's vibrant beer world and some very well-explained science about how the four magic ingredients come together to create the world's most popular drink. * Guardian *

Author Bio

Pete Brown is a British author, journalist, blogger and broadcaster specialising in food and drink, especially the fun parts like beer and cider. His broad, fresh approach takes in social history, cultural commentary, travel writing, personal discovery and natural history, and his words are always delivered with the warmth and wit you'd expect from a great night down the pub. He writes for newspapers and magazines around the world and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Food Programme. He was named British Beer Writer of the Year in 2009, 2012 and 2016, and Fortnum & Mason Online Drinks Writer of the Year in 2015. In 2017 he won Best Drink Book at the same awards with The Pub: A Cultural Institution. He lives in London.