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Our Big News

Brew Britannia cover 1963.
How our book might have looked if it had come out in 1963. (Not the actual cover or even a working design — just a bit of fun!)

We can now confirm that our book project isn’t just a mad fantasy on our part, and is, in fact, to be published in the summer of 2014 by Aurum Press. (Assuming everything goes to plan, fingers crossed, and so on.)

The working title is Brew Britannia: The Strange Rebirth of British Beer, and it covers the period 1963 to the present. Aurum are best known for their books on popular culture and that’s more or less the way we think about beer.

The intention, if you haven’t gathered as much already from our blog posts and Tweets, is to tell the story of how we got from a point in the sixties where there was a genuine sense that we might end up with one great combine making a handful of weak, poor quality beers, to today’s far more diverse market.

On the way, we’re going to give a detailed account of how the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW) and the Campaign for Real Ale were founded; the impact of home brewing on the ‘real ale revolution’ of the seventies; how ‘craft beer’ (as a cultural phenomenon) was born out of ‘real ale’ and as a reaction to it; and how beer made the transformation from working class daily drink to middle class talking point.

We’re trying, at every turn, to question assumptions, and to avoid referring to the same old sources, or to at least find the originals of those sources for ourselves, which is as frustrating as it is fun. We’re particularly pleased to have tracked down and conducted new interviews or corresponded with many key players.

In the meantime, we’re going to continue posting on the blog any historical nuggets we find that don’t fit in the book, along with the usual ponderings, articles and reviews.

The funny thing is, at the beginning of 2012, we didn’t have any ambition whatsoever to write a book about beer. Strange how things turn out, isn’t it?

16 replies on “Our Big News”

Can I just say feck off you bastards the beer book market’s crowded enough already many congratulations, well done on getting the deal, and I greatly look forward to reading the book.

I’d have echoed Martyn’s erased comment, but, as you’re starting at 1963, you won’t be trampling on my toes. Based on the outtakes, I’m really looking forward to the book. Enough to pay for a copy myself. It’ll be a nice companion volume to “Government Intervention in the Brewing Industry”.

Very much looking forward to reading this. And, like Martyn, I love the book cover!

What they said (minus the feck part :)), and don’t change a whit for that cover, it’s perfect as it is! Retro styling to the max and the perfect ironic counterpoint.

Gary

I’ll buy a copy before I slag it off so you at least you get to laugh all the way to the bank.

Congrats & well done & stuff.

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