Buy Book "Beer. History and science" in Ukrainian

While reading this book, I had the feeling that I was being deceived a little bit. I was expecting to read a light nonfiction about the history of my favorite drink with excursions into history and some interesting stories from that history and a handful of scientific facts so that I wouldn’t feel ignorant in the company of experts. Instead, I got a lot of information on genetics, breeding, physics, and mathematics, presented in a not-so-easy way. The authors describe in detail the genetic links between barley, hops, and their wild ancestors in different parts of the world, scrupulously write out the systematics of yeast, give a whole lecture on water physics, and finish with an attempt to create a phylogenetic tree of beer varieties. The book is very informative, but I can’t classify it as a light sci fi pop that can be easily read with a glass of beer))) you need to use your head and have a basic set of knowledge in genetics, breeding, mycology, fluid physics, etc. In addition, I can’t say that the authors fully cover the topic of the drink itself – the variety of its varieties, flavors, and popular types.

The book is for a very demanding reader. For those who are used to digging for the truth in all matters, literally, to break everything down to the molecules.

The authors have paid great attention to historical facts and research on the emergence of such a phenomenon as the brewing and consumption of an alcoholic (mainly barley) drink, commonly known as beer (although there are other variants). On different continents and in different cultures, people have invented and created a great many brewing recipes, so now we have to study them, cathologize them, and write books about them.

Personally, I was interested to learn what the fundamental difference between ales and lagers is, why craft beer is real and industrial beer is not, why and under what circumstances hops appeared in beer – for me, it has always been synonymous with alcohol, but no, it is a plant that primarily helps to disinfect a drink in which bacteria ferment.

A large section is devoted to molecular biology – all the components are scrutinized to explain how all the compounds interact, which results in a drink with often different and unpredictable flavors. The chapter is difficult and boring to read. The authors honestly suggest at the beginning that those who are not interested turn the pages.

And of course, they did not ignore the topic of alcohol’s effect on the brain and the health of drinkers in general.

The conclusion is that beer should be drunk in moderation, with pleasure and attention to detail.