It's an extraordinary tale of yeast-obsessed monks and teetotal prime ministers; of how pale ale fuelled an Empire and weak bitter won a world war; of exploding breweries, a bear in a yellow nylon jacket and a Canadian bloke who changed the dringking habits of a nation. It's also the story of the rise of the pub from humble origins through an epic, thousand-year struggle to survive misunderstanding, bad government and misguided commerce. The history of beer in Britain is a social history of the nation itself, full of catastrophe, heroism and an awful lot of hangovers. 'a pleasant antidote to more po-faced histories of beer' Guardian 'Like a good drinking companion, Brown tells a remarkable story: a stream of fascinating facts, etymologies and pub-related urban phenomena' TLS 'Packed with bar-room bet-winning facts and entertaining digressions, this is a book into which every pub-goer will want to dip.' Express

Section - i: Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgements - ii: Acknowledgements Introduction - iii: Introduction 'You should have seen us last night!' Chapter - 1: 'My liver is full of luck' The ancient history of beer drinking Chapter - 2: 'Pissing under the board as they sit' Two thousand years of British boozing Chapter - 3: 'An oblivion of care' The evolution of the pub Chapter - 4: 'The universal Cordial of the Populace' Science, fashion, and the birth of modern beer Chapter - 5: 'Those who are not singing are sprawling' Pubs in the nineteenth century Chapter - 6: 'The greatest of these deadly foes' The fight for the right to get tight Chapter - 7: 'All the culture that is most truly native' When people stopped going to the pub Chapter - 8: 'Keep the bar open, we'll be down in twenty minutes' The home front in World War II Chapter - 9: 'You will be crushed whether you like it or not' How Carling transformed the business of brewing and drinking Chapter - 10: Saccharomyces carlsbergensis: How lager (eventually) conquered Britain Chapter - 11: 'A diet of Pot Noodles, Mother's Pride and Harp lager' Kegs, casks and the decline of bitter Chapter - 12: 'Drinking the advertising' The age of the mega-brands Chapter - 13: 'It was like anywhere and nowhere' The local goes national Chapter - 14: 'Haven't you got homes to go to?' A sort of epilogue Chapter - iv: Further reading