Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renai..., Richard W. Unger
Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renai..., Richard W. Unger
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Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Author: Richard W. Unger

Narrator: John Pruden

Unabridged: 11 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/15/2010


Synopsis

Modern beer has little in common with the drink that carried that name through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was often a nutritional necessity, was sometimes used as medicine, could be flavored with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike, Beer in the Middle Ages and Renaissance presents an extraordinarily detailed history of the business, art, and governance of brewing. During the medieval and early modern periods beer was as much a daily necessity as a source of inebriation and amusement. It was the beverage of choice of urban populations that lacked access to secure sources of potable water; a commodity of economic as well as social importance; a safe drink for daily consumption that was less expensive than wine; and a major source of tax revenue for the state. In Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Richard W. Unger has written an encompassing study of beer as both a product and an economic force in Europe. Weaving together the stories of prosperous businessmen, skilled brewmasters, and small producers, this impressively researched overview of the social and cultural practices that surrounded the beer industry is rich in implication for the history of the period as both a product and an economic force in Europe.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Josh

This book opens with a preface that knows what you're thinking: The mention of the history of beer always brings a laugh or at the very least a snicker. The history of beer for most people is not a serious topic of study. It seems to them frivolous and hardly worth more than a few diverting minutes o......more

Goodreads review by Karen

If you're at all interested in the history of ale, beer and brewing, specifically as it developed in Europe and England from roughly the 1200s through the 1600s, then this book is for you. Richard Unger delivers a well-researched but very easy to read book full of facts and some suppositions about t......more

Goodreads review by Måns

I now have more knowledge of beer taxes throughout history than I ever know what to do with! Informative and well written, yet a bit dry! (Oh the irony of calling a book about beer dry! 😂) If you are used to reading academic texts you'll be fine reading this, if not you'll probably struggle a bit.......more

Goodreads review by Bogdan

Most pages of the book contain information about trading of beer and taxes. There is information about technology of brewing and its evolution, but not as much as I expected. So this book rather about history of trading beer, then about beer history in common......more

Goodreads review by Richard

An informative book. I learned much about the history of taxes and beer. However the major flaw is the author tries to talk knowledgeably abotu beer and fails. He constantly misuses the word quality when referencing beer. In his mind (obviously he is not a very knowledgeable beer drinker) the quality......more