Introduction The World s Favorite Beverage 1
Chapter One Beer in the Ancient World 11
Chapter Two The Brewing Process 33
Chapter Three Dark Ages and Medieval Beer 50
Meet the Beer: Lambic 60
Meet the Beer: Trappist Dubbel 65
Chapter Four The Hops Revolution: Beer Becomes a Commodity 69
Meet the Beer: Bock 83
Chapter Five Empire and Industry: Beer Goes Big 85
Meet the Beer: Porter 94
Meet the Beer: India Pale Ale 97
Chapter Six Science and Politics Transform Beer But for the Better? 100
Meet the Beer: Pilsner 108
Chapter Seven Prohibition and Homogenization Blues: Beer Goes Stale 118
Meet the Beer: American Lager 135
Chapter Eight Drinking on the Shoulders of Giants: Beer Today 138
Meet the Beer: American Pale Ale 146
Meet the Beer: Belgian Wit 157
Acknowledgments 171
Index 172