
The Brewer's Tale
A History of the World According to Beer
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Narrated by:
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Christopher Sutton
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By:
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William Bostwick
Winner of 2014 US Gourmand Drinks Award
Taste 5,000 years of brewing history as a time-traveling home brewer rediscovers and re-creates the great beers of the past.
The Brewer's Tale is a beer-filled journey into the past: the story of brewers gone by and one brave writer's quest to bring them - and their ancient, forgotten beers - back to life, one taste at a time. This is the story of the world according to beer, a toast to flavors born of necessity and place - in Belgian monasteries, rundown farmhouses, and the basement nanobrewery next door. So pull up a barstool and raise a glass to 5,000 years of fermented magic.
Fueled by date-and-honey gruel, sour pediococcus-laced lambics, and all manner of beers between, William Bostwick's rollicking quest for the drink's origins takes him into the redwood forests of Sonoma County, to bullet-riddled South Boston brewpubs, and across the Atlantic, from Mesopotamian sands to medieval monasteries to British brewing factories. Bostwick compares notes with the Mt. Vernon historian in charge of preserving George Washington's molasses-based home brew, and he finds the ancestor of today's macrobrewed lagers in a nineteenth-century spy's hollowed-out walking stick.
Wrapped around this modern reportage are deeply informed tales of history's archetypal brewers: Babylonian temple workers, Nordic shamans, patriots, rebels, and monks. The Brewer's Tale unfurls from the ancient goddess Ninkasi, ruler of intoxication, to the cryptic beer hymns of the Rig Veda and down into the clove-scented treasure holds of India-bound sailing ships. With each discovery comes Bostwick's own turn at the brew pot, an exercise that honors the audacity and experimentation of the craft. A sticky English porter, a pricelessly rare Belgian, and a sacred, shamanic wormwood-tinged gruit each offer humble communion with the brewers of yore.
©2014 William Bostwick (P)2015 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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Good for a beer lover
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Informative
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Light and Easy, Like A Pilsner
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I would have wished the book were longer if it weren't for a quirk of the narrator Christopher Sutton's pronunciation. He says /k/ and /g/ sounds like he's trying to dislodge a film of mucus from the roof of his mouth. At first it was kind of subtle and didn't bother me, but as the book went on I had to take breaks because that sound was getting on my nerves so much. But other listeners might not even notice it. My dad didn't.
All in all I loved this book and will probably order a paper-and-ink copy soon.
Great exploration from past to present
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Good Beer Stories
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I shall approach every next pint with new knowledge, appreciation, and a touch of whimsy.
Loved it
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Tangy with notes of plum
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The history of beer evolution in England was particularly fascinating, especially the rise and fall of the porter and the influence pale ales had on the world.
Great history of brewing for beer geeks
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Fantastic
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@craftbierian loved this book great history
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