A History of Beer and Brewing by Ian S. Hornsey, Royal Society of Chemistry, £39.99/$99, ISBN 0854046305 Reviewed by Jonathan Beard
BEER is so thirst-quenching and nourishing and, alas, so intoxicating. Ian Hornsey, a scientist and brewer, has drunk deeply from the well of knowledge – and become besotted by his learning. What might have been a satisfying 200-page history has overflowed its glass and turned into a bloated 742-page monster.
The History of Beer and Brewing cries out for an editor to point out that four chapters on prehistory are too many, the Magna Carta does not belong here and…
