The original India Pale Ale was pure gold in a glass - a semi-mythical beer from the late 18th century, brewed in Britain to travel halfway around the world, through ocean storms and tropical sunshine, and arrive in perfect condition for a long, cold drink on an Indian veranda. And although you can still buy beers with 'IPA' on the label today, most are, frankly, pale imitations of the original. For the first time in 140 years, a keg of traditional Burton IPA has been brewed for a voyage to India by canal and tall ship, around the Cape of Good Hope; and the man carrying it is award-winning beer writer Pete Brown. Brazilian pirates and Iranian customs officials lie ahead, but will he even make it that far, having fallen in the canal just a few miles outside Burton-on-Trent? And if Pete does make it to the other side of the world with 'Barry' the barrel, one question remains: what will the real IPA taste like? Weaving first-class travel writing and new historical research with assured comedy, "Hops and Glory" is both a rollicking, raucous history of the Raj and a wonderfully entertaining, groundbreaking experiment to recreate the finest beer ever brewed.
Hops and Glory : One man's search for the beer that built the British Empire
Description
Author Description
Pete Brown used to advertise beer for a living before he realized that writing about it was even more fun, and came
with even more free beer. He contributes to various newspapers, magazines and beer trade press titles, writes the annual report on Britain’s cask ale market, sings beer’s praises on TV and radio, and runs an influential blog. In 2009, Pete was awarded the Michael Jackson Gold Tankard Award and named Beer Writer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers.
(No, not that Michael Jackson, the other one.)