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Brew Britannia: The Strange Rebirth of British Beer Paperback – August 1, 2014

by Jessica Boak (Author), Ray Bailey (Author)

4.3 98 ratings

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At the start of the twentieth century Britain was home to over 6,000 breweries. By 1960 this number had dwindled to 358 and, with the "Big Six" of Munich continuing to increase its dominance, the prospects for British beer looked weak, yellow and fizzy. In 2012, however, UK breweries topped 1,000 for the first time since the Great Depression. Moreover, they are now producing and exporting more varied and inventive ale than ever before. Across the country, evidence of this national brewing renaissance is easy to find: the Campaign for Real Ale has more members than the Conservative Party; beer festivals proliferate with every passing month; the Camden Brewery and Meantime have become international brands, producing acclaimed lagers and IPAs; the ultra-fashionable BrewDog dispenses shots of strange 40%-proof liquids to hipster types; and cyberspace plays host to hundreds of thousands of beer enthusiasts, all debating and virtually savoring the merits of New Zealand hops, or the latest chocolate stout. Brew Britannia will tell the story of this remarkable reversal. Following a disparate group of Trotskyite hacks, eccentric City bankers, hippie "micro brewers" and a lot of men in pubs, the writers behind the acclaimed Boak & Bailey blog promise to reveal how punter power pulled the British pint back from the brink.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Aurum Press
Publication date

August 1, 2014
Dimensions

5.25 x 1 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1781311862
ISBN-13

978-1781311868
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'Brew Britannia is informed, funny, well researched and eminently readable'―Tim Hampson (author of Great Beers and London's Best Pubs)

'A very welcome addition to the national beer library... Brew Britannia is a well-researched, easily-readable pleasure deserving of the attention of a wider readership than keen beer drinkers.'―Jeff Pickthall, Brewery History

'The narrative bounces along and is hard to put down -- a thoroughly interesting read.'―The Brewer and Distiller International

'We need this account, in this form, if we are to fully understand where beer is today, how it got here, and from there, to start to speculate about where it might go next... this is a book that I wish I had written, but was beaten to by people who have in many ways done a far better job than I would have'―Pete Brown, author of Man Walks Into A Pub

'Brew Britannia is a fascinating odyssey through the last half-century of British beer and I would recommend this without a moment’s thought'―Adrian Tierney-Jones, Called to the Bar

‘An excellent guide to the journey British beer has taken in the past half-century, well worth reading whether you lived through it or not, simply to understand where we are now’―Martyn Cornell (author of Beer: The Story of the Pint)

'This is an exhilarating read, well researched, in the main objective, and encompassing the views of many important players in the great beer revival of the past 40 years'―Roger Protz, editor of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, Protz on Beer

'For anyone interested in beer's modern renaissance, it’s a quirky, comprehensive read, filled both with obscure information and more essential facts’―Saveur magazine

'A meticulously researched, detailed account of the ‘rebirth’ of British beer, and how a continual parade of enthusiasts, professional and amateur, helped get British brewing back on its feet... tremendous'―Richard Taylor, The BeerCast

'One of the most important books on beer to be released in the last ten years. If you're even remotely into beer I would advise picking up a copy immediately and getting stuck in straight away'―Total Ales

'Where the book excels, is in the pulling together of a non-linear story of change into a narrative of characters, key people and events. Those that are familiar with the story, and those that are not, and those that have even the most passing interest in British beer and brewing will equally find it fascinating and educational'―Tandleman's Beer Blog

'It’s not just a great book, it’s an important one for the time we live in. My advice is: don’t wait a few years before reading it. The lessons that can be learned from Brew Britannia are best appreciated right now'―Chris Hall, The Beer Diary

About the Author

Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey are the writers behind the acclaimed Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog: www.boakandbailey.com. They live in Cornwall.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aurum Press (August 1, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1781311862
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1781311868
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,094,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,866 in Beer (Books)
- #4,228 in Homebrewing, Distilling & Wine Making
- #30,879 in Great Britain History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 98 ratings

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Jessica Boak
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4.3 out of 5

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Mark R Lindner

Extremely readable, well-researched history of last 60 years of beer in Britain

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016

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Brew Britannia is eminently readable (except for the ultra-tiny endnote numbers) and highly enjoyable. The authors cover the last 60 years of brewing history in Britain and while there are parallels with the growth of craft beer in the US over the last 30 or so years there are also huge differences.

I believe it to be well-researched and well-written, and having read Boak & Bailey’s Beer Blog for over a year now I know that they interact enough with folks who would call BS that we can take it as a reasonably accurate portrait.

In the past two years or so I have read at least seven other British beer books and this was my favorite. This is a partially unfair judgment as some of those read are quite simply historical pieces now. They are also vastly different genres of book so it is perhaps unfair to compare them. [Mark Dredge – Craft Beer World, Pete Brown – Three Sheets to the Wind, Martyn Cornell – Beer: The Story of the Pint, Richard Boston – Beer & Skittles, Michael Jackson – The English Pub (am aware of authorship issues) and Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion, Melissa Cole – Let Me Tell You About Beer. Ian Hornsey’s Brewing, 2nd ed. is probably my overall favorite but that truly is unfair as it is a fairly technical book on the state of brewing knowledge. I do own a couple more Hornsey and RSC books that I hope to read soon (e.g., Hornsey’s Alcohol and its Role in the Evolution of Human Society).

If you are interested in the history of the British beer industry (and prior) then you should read both Cornell’s Beer: The Story of the Pint and Boak & Bailey’s Brew Britannia. Cornell begins in prehistory and comes up to around 2000 but the recent material focuses mostly on industry consolidation (breweries, pub cos) and government legislation (Beer Orders, …). Boak & Bailey are looking at only the last 60 years or so and while they certainly address the above topics they also cover the various consumer movements in far more depth. SPBW is not even in the index in Cornell (although it does appear, at least once, in the book), while CAMRA has 3 entries. In B&B, CAMRA (in multiple name variants) and sub-topics has 6.75 column inches (17 cm) of entries and SPBW has 3 entries but they cover ~11 pages. B&B also focus far more on the independent, smaller, newer breweries. Together they do a great job covering the history of British beer.

If you are more interested in the recent past or want more of a consumer focus or more on the rise of “craft” beer in Britain then definitely read Brew Britannia. It is available in both paperback and ebook and from Amazon US and UK, along with other vendors, of course.

Most of the beer books I read do not necessarily make me want to have a beer with the author/s, and often make me not want to, but between Brew Britannia and their blog these folks are the authors I would most love to have a beer (or three) with.

2 people found this helpful

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Lars M. Garshol

An excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2015

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The book, written by well-known British beer bloggers Boak & Bailey, recounts the story of how the decline of British beer was stopped, and turned around, by a rather unlikely cast of characters. In the 50s and 60s, British beer was going pretty much the same way American beer had gone: toward a few vast breweries turning out indistinguishable products with no character. But before British brewing got there, a counter-reaction from outraged beer drinkers stopped the decline, and a new wave of brewers started reviving British beer culture. As is well known, CAMRA played a large part in this turn-around, but what's interesting about this book is that it brings out many of the other players, too. It actually follows British brewing right up to the present day, so one of the last sections cover Brewdog, for example.

As expected from Boak & Bailey, the result is extremely readable, despite being meticulously researched. In addition to good research, they've also done a very good analysis of the material they've collected, so that the book presents a historical narrative that hangs together and makes sense. This is much less common than it might sound. It's actually downright unusual, and a major selling point for the book. Another selling point is the outstanding quality of the writing, which brings to life not just times past, but also the characters in the story. And some of them are characters indeed. In fact, it made me laugh out loud in several places.

So, in short, a very well written account of the past 5-6 decades of British brewing. If you find this interesting at all then this book is a must-have.

One person found this helpful

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Sleepy Fox

I loved this book

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2016

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I loved this book! A quarter of the way through, if I wasn't already a CAMRA member I would have joined right then. This is one of the greatest beer stories I have ever read. It is unquestionable that Corporations, whether in Britain or America or elsewhere will dumb the product down, increase your cost, and do what is necessary to inflate profits. It is our duty to stop them and keep quality alive and that is just what CAMRA and a number of other entrepreneurs have been doing in Britain (and here minus CAMRA). A really amazing book that no doubt took a lot of research and pounding the pavement. I grew up drinking foreign beer because American corporate beer sucked. The world is in a beer renaissance and hearing the stories of how that came about is enlivening. Cheers.

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HuishHugh

Must have book for those who love beer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2015

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An absolute must for those interested in and committed to British (and geographically wider) ales. A mix of history, social commentary, leavened with some technical detail, a bit of politics, and a lot of humour, this is a brilliant exposition of the fight back against 'the dark days', and the striving back to 'the light' for British beer.
Old enough to have been alive through the whole period covered, and been drinking during the majority of it, it comes close to feeling almost autobiographical: so many 'that's just how it was', 'I remember that' and 'spot on!' moments. There's also a follow up on Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog http://boakandbailey.com/2015/07/the-good-the-bad-the-murky-brew-britannia-one-year-on/ which takes the story another year forward.

Simon G.

An entertaining read about the life, death and rebirth of British beer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2014

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The British relationship with beer is a long and complicated one. It has been with us since man discovered that boiled grains could be flavoured with leaves and fermented if left out for a while. In the 20th century, as with so many things, beer went from being a localised product, via mergers and acquisitions, to being the product of conglomerates who industrialised the process and stripped it of its identity. Boak and Bailey have created a small history of British beer, its makers and drinkers over the past 50 or so years, from the founding of the Society for the Protection of Beers from the Wood, through the birth of CAMRA, the early microbreweries of the 80s and the growth of 'craft' brewing over the last ten years or so. It's well researched, nicely written and clearly the work of people who are interested in the culture and economic truths of beer in Britain.

One person found this helpful

Mr S J Edmonds

From the big (bad) six to a cast of thousands

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2018

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I thought I knew about beer and brewing in this country until I read this - it’s an engrossing modern history of how we got to the current situation of Britain’s brewers and beers being the envy of the world.
Although they don’t take sides, the authors raise very valid points about the merits of the big consumer and trade groups that generates plenty of points of discussion and consideration

Bob Thropper

A great overview of the UK brewing scene

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2014

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This book is a fantastic journey through UK brewing, beers and brewers from the market conditions that created CAMRA to the craft beer scene of the present day. I've generally found that beer buffs tend to fall into one of two camps: the CAMRA clan or the Brewdog brigade and I think you'll find plenty to learn wherever your flavour passions lie.

It's impeccably researched but without being dry.

Thoroughly recommended.

G. J. Dunn

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

Fairly interesting.

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