Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer [Paperback]

Pete Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

In Man Walks into a Pub, Pete Brown takes us on a journey through the amazing history of beer, from the first sacred sip of ancient Egyptian bouza to the last pint of lager on a Friday night. It’s an extraordinary tale of yeast-obsessed monks and teetotaling prime ministers; of exploding breweries, a bear in a yellow nylon jacket, and a Canadian who changed the drinking habits of a nation. It’s also the story of the rise of the British pub, from humble origins through an epic, thousand-year struggle to survive bad government and misguided commerce.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Pete Brown tells a remarkable story: a stream of fascinating facts, etymologies, and pub–related urban phenomena.” -- The Times Literary Supplement

From the Publisher

In Man Walks into a Pub, Pete Brown takes us on a well–lubricated journey through the amazing history of beer, from the first sacred sip of ancient Egyptian bouza to the last pint of lager on a Friday night. It’s an extraordinary tale of yeast–obsessed monks and teetotaling prime ministers; of exploding breweries, a bear in a yellow nylon jacket, and a Canadian who changed the drinking habits of a nation. It’s also the story of the rise of the British pub, from humble origins through an epic, thousand–year struggle to survive bad government and misguided commerce. The history of beer in Britain is a social history of the nation itself, full of catastrophe, heroism, and, yes, hangovers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan UK (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330412205
• ISBN-13: 978-0330412209
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEER, it's lovely!, January 17, 2009

By 

Joel (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer (Paperback)

Reading this book won't cure a hangover, or make you more attractive to women, but it will make you feel less guilty about enjoying your beer - in moderation, of course! The close relationship between beer and civilisation is expounded here in informative, entertaining and often hilarious fashion. The author has a very personable style of writing: I now know a lot more about beer, but I feel I know a little bit about Pete Brown, too.

Readers should note that the history is largely UK-centric, but this doesn't detract from the story and the pub photos on the cover of my copy capture the feel of this book perfectly. The recent advertising campaigns mentioned in the text can mostly be found on youtube.com and they're well worth viewing.

If, like me, you read and enjoy this title, remember it the next time you are having a quiet one with friends at your local: reflect for a moment on the history in the glass you are holding in your hand - and drink up!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't know it all by drinking, November 27, 2009

By 

Black Peter (St Paul MN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer (Paperback)

Wow, so many things I never knew about beer. From it's medieval beginnings to British pubs opening in bombed out buildings during the Blitz to the buy outs, conglomerations and watering down in the tail end of the 20th century. Peter Brown tells the tale as only an enthusiastic beer drinker (as opposed to a beer enthusiast) could tell it. I took a break from my labors of searching for decent beer during the 90's, I emerged in the 21st century to find a world filled with world class beers brewed in the "neighborhood". That was in Texas, Oh forget about Wisconsin. Texas knows beer, while home to only 5% of the population it consumes 20% of the nation's beer. Even their Michelob is better than yours.. Now that I live in St Paul I realize that this is the state of American beer. High quality pushed pints brewed in the basement of the pub you're in, bottled beers brewed right down the street. Enjoy the Renaissance people, crack open one of your favorites, crack open this book and appreciate what a long journey it was to your glass.. The only down side? No "man walks into a pub" jokes..

4.0 out of 5 stars Very BBC humor, June 24, 2008

By 

A.M. Giftgiver "Rose" (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer (Paperback)

I got this for my uncle whose an avid beer drinker, mostly american. I thought he'd find it humorous to read about the land of pints by an avid british beer drinker. I read the list of words used to describe intoxication, very funny. Many words I might use if one can recall them. I believe he enjoyed it.