A review by sfian
Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer by Pete Brown

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.