Brew Britannia: The Strange Rebirth of British Beer

Explore, create and investigate Wind and Water. Learn about these How punter power pulled the humble pint back from the brink, this is the surprising story of a very British consumer revolt!

Following a cast of bloody-minded City bankers, hippie microbrewers, style gurus, a Python, and a lot of men in pubs, Brew Britannia tells the story of the campaign to revitalise the nation's beer which became the most successful consumer revolt in British history! Fifty years ago the future of British beer looked as bleak as the weak, sweet, bland and fizzy pints being poured, as colossal combines took over the industry, closing local breweries and putting profit before palate.

Yet today the number of breweries is at a post-war high, with over a thousand in operation, membership of The Campaign for Real Ale organisation (CAMRA) exploding in recent years with over 150,000 active members and exciting new developments brewing. In a barn in Somerset, plans are afoot to ferment a beer-cider hybrid with wild yeast that blows on the wind, while in Yorkshire an almost extinct style of 'salty 'n' sour' wheat beer is being resurrected for the 21st century.

Whether you drink traditional, CAMRA-approved 'real ale' or prefer a super-strong, fruit-infused, barrel-aged Belgian-style 'saison', this astonishing story from the authors of popular beer blog Boak and Bailey will have you thirsty for more!