Hops & Glory - Pete Brown

Pete Brown is one of my favourite beer writers - possibly the best in Europe (since the best in Canada is Nicholas Pashley - Pete loses out on the world title.) At first glance though, I didn't think "Hops & Glory" would have enough of the history or scope to interest me as much as "Man Walks Into A Pub" but I was delightfully surprised.

"Hops and Glory" detail Pete's attempt to recreate the journey from England to India that helped create the now iconic India Pale Ale. Alexander Keith's has long been a staple in Canada, and my first introduction to IPA but not many people know the history and legacy behind the beer.

IPA with it's high hop content was originally created the 18th Century in England to be shipped and sold to the customers of the East India Trading Company. During the long sea voyage south, the beer not only survived without spoiling but underwent an amazing transformation - aging, mellowing and blending to create a brew perfect for the climate and cuisine. It enjoyed many years of popularity in India before it was push out of the market by new brands and it's origins forgotten. Today, the IPA style has traveled the rest of the world and Pete saw it as his mission to bring it back to where it all started.

So he set off on a trip of a life time overseas from Burton England, with a keg of newly brewed India Pale Ale in hopes of tasting the final result in Calcutta India.

The history of IPA, like the history of colonial India, is filled with back room deals, imperialistic superiority and military supression. It is also filled with a desire for home, drunken revelry and amazing fortitude. Through the book we meet a whole cast of brewers, ship crews and travelers as well as the beers they encountered - often mirroring those that Pete meets on his own trip. The author describes the characters and beers with simplicity, vividness and enthusiasm. And that is really what makes this book. At 400 pages, it felt like a fast read but memorable, from his first description of the American Bridgeport IPA to the last taste of the Burton keg.

(It also made me want a beer just to test my own descriptive powers, really*...)

Another aspect I enjoyed about the book was the scale of the task. Just as I'm sure many average people had trouble imagining the long trip in the 1840's, I was intrigued by Pete's own travel logistics: Who travels from England to India by sea anymore? how was it possible? how much would it cost? how long? I was so happy when it all came together (albeit in fits & starts.) Maybe one day I'll let one of my crazy ideas take me on a good adventure.

Cheers!

*Sadly, No IPA in the house. But we do have a Fullers and a homebrew pale now chilling in the fridge.