Until the 18th century or even later, beer was the staple drink of most men and women at all levels of society. Tea and coffee were expensive luxuries while water might well carry disease. To supply the needs of both owners and servants, every country house with an accessible source of water had a brewhouse, usually close at hand. Although many of the brewhouses still stand, in some cases with the original brewing vessels (as at Lacock and Charlecote), their habitual conversion to other uses has allowed them to be ignored. Yet they are distinctive buildings - as much part of a country house as an ice-house or stables - which need both to be recognized and preserved. The scale of brewing in country houses, which went on to a surprisingly late date in the 19th century (with odd survivals, such as Hickleton in Yorkshire, in the 20th), was often considerable, if small besides that of commercial brewing. Copious records for both brewing and consumption exist. Pamela Sambrook describes the brewing equipment, such as coppers, mash tuns, underbacks and coolers; the types of beers brewed, from strong ale to small beer, and how they were kept; and the brewers themselves, their skills and attitudes. English Country House Brewing, 1500-1900 shows the role beer played in the life of the country house, with beer allowances and beer money an integral part of servants' rewards. Generous allowances were made for arduous tasks, such as harvesting. For celebrations, such as the heir's coming of age, extra-strong ale was provided. This book, which is heavily illustrated, is an important and original contribution to architectural, brewing and social history.

A History of Beer and Brewing provides a comprehensive account of the history of beer. Research carried out during the last quarter of the 20th century has permitted us to re-think the way in which some ancient civilizations went about their beer production. There have also been some highly innovative technical developments, many of which have led to the sophistication and efficiency of 21st century brewing methodology. A History of Beer and Brewing covers a time-span of around eight thousand years and in doing so: * Stimulates the reader to consider how, and why, the first fermented beverages might have originated * Establishes some of the parameters that encompass the diverse range of alcoholic beverages assigned the generic name 'beer' * Considers the possible means of dissemination of early brewing technologies from their Near Eastern origins The book is aimed at a wide readership particularly beer enthusiasts. However the use of original quotations and references associated with them should enable the serious scholar to delve into this subject in even greater depth.

The beer of today—brewed from malted grain and hops, manufactured by large and often multinational corporations, frequently associated with young adults, sports, and drunkenness—is largely the result of scientific and industrial developments of the nineteenth century. Modern beer, however, has little in common with the drink that carried that name through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was often a nutritional necessity, was sometimes used as medicine, could be flavored with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike, Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance presents an extraordinarily detailed history of the business, art, and governance of brewing. During the medieval and early modern periods beer was as much a daily necessity as a source of inebriation and amusement. It was the beverage of choice of urban populations that lacked access to secure sources of potable water; a commodity of economic as well as social importance; a safe drink for daily consumption that was less expensive than wine; and a major source of tax revenue for the state. In Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Richard W. Unger has written an encompassing study of beer as both a product and an economic force in Europe. Drawing from archives in the Low Countries and England to assemble an impressively complete history, Unger describes the transformation of the industry from small-scale production that was a basic part of housewifery to a highly regulated commercial enterprise dominated by the wealthy and overseen by government authorities. Looking at the intersecting technological, economic, cultural, and political changes that influenced the transformation of brewing over centuries, he traces how improvements in technology and in the distribution of information combined to standardize quality, showing how the process of urbanization created the concentrated markets essential for commercial production. Weaving together the stories of prosperous businessmen, skilled brewmasters, and small producers, this impressively researched overview of the social and cultural practices that surrounded the beer industry is rich in implication for the history of the period as a whole.

This is not a recipe book. It is a database of ingredient information that should assist the home or craft brewer in creating their own recipes in order to attempt the replication of commercial beers. Instructions on how to convert the supplied ingredient information into recipes customised to the brewer's own equipment and technique are provided. This book also provides inspiration to brewers wishing to experiment with different ingredients since it gives an interesting insight into how professional brewers have used them in their own brews. Finally, this book should also be of interest to the discerning beer enthusiast who is curious about what goes into their favourite drink. This second edition provides substantially more data than the well-received first edition.

For Craft Beer Drinkers and Homebrewers Alike From early English origins to modern American examples like Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot and Rogue’s XS Old Crustacean, barley wines are a favored style among homebrewers and craft beer drinkers alike. In Brewing Barley Wines, widely respected beer and brewing writer Terry Foster presents the history and development of the style as well as the guidance and expertise necessary to successfully homebrew it yourself. The book opens with an exploration of the definition of the style from its murky past to somewhat arbitrary modern standards. Foster explores the style guidelines given by the Brewers Association (BA) and the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and finds them to be narrow, even faulty, showing that many beers not designated as barley wines­—including some stock ales, Scotch ales, wheat wines, and even double IPAs—can be said to fit the style. Foster then goes on to give a history of barley wine, which saw its first specifically labeled commercial example as recently as 1903, but which has been produced for centuries under a variety of names. Originally an English style, barley wines were not generally brewed in America until the rise of craft brewing in the late twentieth century. But having cemented a foothold in the New World, with many craft breweries having at least one featured example and sometimes several, barley wines are now rarely produced by British brewers due to heavy taxation on strong beers. Foster then examines the ingredients used in barley wines as well as best practices and procedures for brewing them, including how to create and successfully manage the high-gravity worts required for making these beers. Finally, Foster provides a collection of sixty recipes showcasing the variety and range of ingredients explored in the book with detailed instructions for making them at home. Brewing Barley Wines belongs in the library of every craft beer drinker or homebrewer.

Until the widespread harnessing of machine energy, food was the energy which fuelled the economy. In this groundbreaking 2011 study of agricultural labourers' diet and material standard of living, Craig Muldrew uses empirical research to present a much fuller account of the interrelationship between consumption, living standards and work in the early modern English economy than has previously existed. The book integrates labourers into a study of the wider economy and engages with the history of food as an energy source and its importance to working life, the social complexity of family earnings, and the concept of the 'industrious revolution'. It argues that 'industriousness' was as much the result of ideology and labour markets as labourers' household consumption. Linking this with ideas about the social order of early modern England, the author demonstrates that bread, beer and meat were the petrol of this world, and a springboard for economic change.

Traditional Europe had high levels of violence and of alcohol consumption, both higher than they are in modern Western societies, where studies demonstrate a link between violence and alcohol. A. Lynn Martin uses an anthropological approach to examine drinking, drinking establishments, violence, and disorder, and compares the wine-producing south with the beer-drinking north and Catholic France and Italy with Protestant England, and explores whether alcohol consumption can also explain the violence and disorder of traditional Europe. Both Catholic and Protestant moralists believed in the link, and they condemned drunkenness and drinking establishments for causing violence and disorder. They did not advocate complete abstinence, however, for alcoholic beverages had an important role in most people's diets. Less appreciated by the moralists was alcohol's function as the ubiquitous social lubricant and the increasing importance of alehouses and taverns as centers of popular recreation. The study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative evidence from a wide variety of sources to question the beliefs of the moralists and the assumptions of modern scholars about the role of alcohol and drinking establishments in causing violence and disorder. It ends by analyzing the often-conflicting regulations of local, regional, and national governments that attempted to ensure that their citizens had a reliable supply of good drink at a reasonable cost but also to control who drank what, where, when, and how. No other comparable book examines the relationship of alcohol to violence and disorder during this period.

A look at the personal lives of the people who served one of the richest families in Britain.

Rachel Laudan tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of the world’s great cuisines—from the mastery of grain cooking some twenty thousand years ago, to the present—in this superbly researched book. Probing beneath the apparent confusion of dozens of cuisines to reveal the underlying simplicity of the culinary family tree, she shows how periodic seismic shifts in "culinary philosophy"—beliefs about health, the economy, politics, society and the gods—prompted the construction of new cuisines, a handful of which, chosen as the cuisines of empires, came to dominate the globe. Cuisine and Empire shows how merchants, missionaries, and the military took cuisines over mountains, oceans, deserts, and across political frontiers. Laudan’s innovative narrative treats cuisine, like language, clothing, or architecture, as something constructed by humans. By emphasizing how cooking turns farm products into food and by taking the globe rather than the nation as the stage, she challenges the agrarian, romantic, and nationalistic myths that underlie the contemporary food movement.

The most comprehensive guide to the world of beer, with everything you need to know bout what to drink, where, when and why. “The ultimate guide.” —Sports Illustrated Imagine sitting in your favorite pub with a good friend who just happens to have won a TACP Award—a major culinary accolade—for writing the book about beer. Then imagine that he’s been spending the years following the first edition exploring all the changes that continue to shape and evolve the brewing world. That’s this book, the completely revised and updated bible on beer that covers everything: The History, or how we got from the birth of malting and national traditions to a hazy IPA in 12,000 years. The Variety: dozens of styles and hundreds of brews, along with recommended “Beers to Know.” The Curiosity: If beer’s your passion, you’ll delight in learning what type of hops went into a favorite beer and where to go for beer tourism, as well as profiles of breweries from around the world. And lastly, The Pleasure. Because, ultimately, that’s what it’s all about. “A tome worthy of its name.” —Food and Wine “Easily digestible for drinkers of all levels.”—Imbibe “Pick up this book as a refresher or a gift, lest we forget that spreading beer education is just as important as advocating for good beer itself.”—Beer Advocate