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testpattern's review against another edition
3.0
Enh. Brown spends way too much time denying any pretensions to expertise or intellectualism, writes a well-researched, coherent history of beer drinking amongst the English, and generally manages to be interesting or amusing about half of the time. It only actually gets really worthwhile when he starts discussing marketing and advertising, where his background in those fields makes him a little more compelling. The chapter on chain theme pubs is actually thought-provoking if you actually care about things questions like, "Why do people go to one bar, and not the other?" It's my industry. You don't have to read it. I'm just saying.
sfian's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Remember the history books you were forced to read at school? The ones that covered the history of the British Isles and their involvement in various conquests and wars, with brief asides reflecting on what was going on elsewhere in the world?
Take those books, re-write them in a chatty, yet still detailed, and sometimes witty style. Then weave the events around something you are interested in (for example beer) and you get this highly entertaining and educating volume. Some of the facts I knew before (maybe not fully), others were of the "that's so obvious I can believe I hadn't realised" variety, still more had me scrambling for my nearest device and Google-provided verification.
I laughed. I read bits out to the missus. I took photos and sent them to my drinking buddy (he's from Gloucester, so one picture was particularly appropriate...) Best of all, though, I was educated both in the history of beer and its styles and, yes, I now realise that I'm a bit of a beer snob.
shnuggs's review against another edition
2.0
I read Pete Brown's second book first and it was a lot more fun than this one. The second book details his travels around the beer-drinking world - my kinda trip! This book is the history of beer and the pub - yawn. There were some interesting factoids - the Heineken special yeast was "kidnapped" and held hostage at one point - but mostly it was pretty boring stuff. Still, it made me want to pack up and head to England for more pub experiences. Mmmm, beer.
and_abelard_reads's review
5.0
An expansive and engaging history of Beer and it's drinking in England that doesn't take itself too seriously, written by someone who clearly loves his subject. Plenty of material for beer fans or social historians to enjoy (perfect for historians who like beer).
I should have guessed Brown was from Barnsley.
I should have guessed Brown was from Barnsley.
stephend81d5's review
4.0
humourous and funny look at the history of beer and also looking at the social and politics of the modern day world of the pub but well worth reading though
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