Miracle Brew
By Pete Brown
A journey into the four ingredients of beer
Unbound Exclusives
About the book
Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink on the planet, but very few people have any idea what it is made of. We all know that wine is made by fermenting pressed juice from grapes, and cider comes from pressing apples. But what about beer?
Beer is traditionally made from four natural ingredients: malted barley, hops, yeast and water, and each of these has an incredible story to tell.
From the Lambic breweries of Belgium, where beer is fermented with wild yeasts drawn down from the air around the brewery, to the aquifers below Burton on Trent, where the brewing water is rumoured to contain life-giving qualities, this book will tell the full story behind the amazing role that each of these fantastic four has to play. It will travel from the surreal madness of drink-sodden hop-blessings in the Czech Republic to Bamberg in the heart of Bavaria, where malt smoked over an open flame creates beer that tastes like liquid bacon. It will explore the origins of fermentation, the lost age of hallucinogenic gruit beers, and the evolution of modern hop varieties that now challenge wine grapes in the extent to which they are discussed and revered.
Along the way, we’ll meet and drink with a cast of characters who reveal the magic of beer, and celebrate the joy of drinking it. And, almost without noticing, we’ll learn the naked truth about the world’s greatest beverage.
Can you give a more detailed description of the shed's contents?
The shed is going to be a conversation space between my and (mainly) subscribers as the book progresses. I'm going to share some thoughts behind the book, and as I do some of the trips that I haven't taken yet I'll do some exclusive diary extracts. I always take about three times as many notes for a book as I end up using. This will be like getting the DVD extras before the DVD comes out, and there'll be news about illustrations, cover art etc. I might even share a Spotify playlist! Every now and then there'll be a post that's accessible to the public, but most of the content will be available to subscribers only. And it'll be two-way - so long as the questions about pH and chromatographic spectrums don't get too heavy.
Do you have a rough idea for when the launch party might be?
Hi Martin, Thanks for getting in touch. The launch party will be when we have finished copies of the book. At the moment, as the book is still in the crowdfundung stages, we cannot say when this will be. Once the book is funded then we can add it to our publishing schedule and will have a clearer idea of when the launch party will be. We'll be sure to let all supporters of this level know in good time. I hope this helps. Best wishes, Caitlin - Unbound Community Coordinator
Hi Pete, are yoo taking pledges from outside the UK? and if so, how will it work with shipping of the hard-copy books (don't mind paying for shipping, I just want a copy!). Cheers!
Hi Damon, Thanks for getting in touch. We do indeed ship books overseas and there is a shipping cost which is added during the payment process. I hope this helps and thanks for supporting Unbound! Best wishes, Caitlin - Unbound Community Coordinator
Can I amend the pledge to a higher amount at a subsequent date (ie £20 then £30 = £50 or will it be taken as 2x £20 and 1 x £10 pledge if I were to do that?
Hi Brian, Thanks for getting in touch. Yes you can, but we need to do this manually. Please can you contact support@unbound.co.uk with your request and someone will sort this for you. Best wishes, Caitlin - Unbound Community Coordinator
What does the brewery consultancy entail?
Hi Barry, For a brewer, it can be shaped to whatever suits. Given my background as a marketing strategist and brand consultant and my in-depth knowledge of the beer market, particularly cask ale and craft beer, I can help brewers with consumer understanding and insight, brand positioning, overall marketing strategy and communications strategy, through to range development and portfolio strategy - what kind of beers to brew and so on. Really, from a broad range of stuff, we can talk about how a day of my time is best used. It might be to answer a particular marketing problem, or just to have an overall look at the beer market and trends within it. This is something I've done for big corporate brewers, regional brewers and small family brewers and I can provide references and examples. We could discuss specific requirements off-line - either via unbound or the contact form on my bog - before you have to decide whether or not to pledge for it. Cheers Pete
Hi Pete - I love your writing and definitely want to invest in this book but I did wonder what's going to be different about this book than others on the same subject, other than your own take on it? Cheers Owen
Hi Owen, The only books I'm aware of that deal specifically with hops, barley, yeast and water in detail are the excellent 'Brewing Elements' series by the American Brewers' Association. They go into lots of technical detail and are really aimed at professional brewers. My book will tell the story of these ingredients for the general, curious beer drinker. I'm going to be visiting maltings, tasting Burton well water as it comes out of the ground, seeing the yeast propagators where Emil Hansen first isolated single strain brewing yeasts, and brewing green hops beers. As far as I know, it will be the first book to go behind beer in this way and really get up close to the stories of the ingredients that make it. And you're right, it will be my take on the subject - the historical aspects of Hops & Glory and Man Walks into a Pub combined with the travel elements of Hops... and Three Sheets to the Wind, plus a new (for me) element of natural history writing. Hopefully the full extract above gives a pretty good idea of how that all looks together. Cheers Pete
Hi, I have a couple of friends who would love this book. Can you tell me how I go about ordering more than one copy? And would it be possible to put both their names in the back of the book? Many thanks Cath
Hi Cath, Thanks for getting in touch. We have now created a 'Drink with a friend' level which has 2 copies of the book included. If you pledge at this level you can also add two names in the back of the book. If you're interested in buying more than 2 copies please contact us via unbound.co.uk/support and we can work something out for you. Best wishes, Caitlin - Community Coordinator
I would love to get the hardback as a gitf for a relative who is fond of both drinking and brewing beer - but I don't need a copy for myself. Is there any way I could get his name in the book instead of mine? I can't afford the 'drink with a friend' option, especially as I don't want the book myself. Otherwise I suppose I'd have to wait till it's published but I might miss the publication date! Thanks, Liz
Hi Liz, Thanks for getting in touch. You can indeed add someone else's name in the back of the book. Once you have pledged you can do this in your account page and information on how to do this is on our FAQ page: https://unbound.co.uk/faq. You can also either have the book sent to your own address or straight to your friend. Just set the address before completing your pledge (you can always update this later.) If there is anything else we can help you with please get in touch via unbound.co.uk/support. Best wishes, Caitlin - Community Coordinator
Hi, do you have any estimation about when the book is going to be published? Thanks
Hi Jorge, I'm still writing the book - have been all over Europe and the US researching it these past few months and still have visits to make to the Czech Republic, Germany and Australia in 2016. We're looking at issuing copies to subscribers before Christmas 2016, then publishing publicly a couple of months after that.
Hi, do you have an idea whether the book will be published before Christmas 2016? Many thanks!
Hi Marcus, I'm afraid not! We've just finished final edits. Now we have copy edit to do (spelling and grammar) layout and design, and printing. It's due to be published in time for Father's Day 2017 but subscribers should get their copies earlier than that.