Globalization in a glass : the rise of pilsner beer through technology, taste and empire / Malcolm F. Purinton.

ISBN:

9781350327863

Title:

Author:

Purinton, Malcolm F., author.

Personal Author:

Purinton, Malcolm F., author.

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Series:

Food in Modern History: Traditions and Innovations

Food in Modern History: Traditions and Innovations.

Subject Term:

Beer..

Food -- History.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2023

Publication Information:

London :

Bloomsbury Academic,

2023.

Bloomsbury Publishing,

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Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
XX(309174.1)	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

The spread of Pilsner beer from its inception in 1842 clearly shows the changes wrought by globalization in an age of empire. Its rise was dependent not only on technological innovations and faster supply chains, but also on the increased connectedness of the world and the political and economic structures of empire. Drawing upon a wide range of archival sources from Europe, the Americas, and Sub-Saharan Africa, this study traces the spread of industrial beer brewing in Europe from the late 18th to the early 20th century to show how a single beer style became the global favourite through advances in science, business and imperial power. In highlighting the evolution of consumer tastes through changing hierarchical relationships between the British metropole and colonies, as well as the evolution of business organizations and practices, Globalization in a Glass contributes to ongoing debates about globalization, empire, and trade. It argues that, despite the might and power of the British Empire as a colonizing force, the effects of globalization, imperial trade networks, and colonial migration led to the domination of the most popular Continental European style of beer, the Pilsner, over British-style ales.

Author Notes

Malcolm F. Purinton is a visiting lecturer at Northeastern University, USA.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

This book is not simply a commodity history. Building on his 2016 dissertation, "Pilsner in the British Empire," Purinton (Northeastern Univ.) offers a case study of globalization. Unimaginative, family-owned English breweries produced strong ales, and the English brewers were content with their home market, partitioned among tied-house monopolies. Little open to new ideas, they trained their brewers through family apprenticeships. In contrast, the Europeans had brewery schools that shared ideas. German and other Continental breweries were more modern than the English in technology and business strategies. Another contrast with the English breweries: Continental breweries produced low alcohol, highly carbonated, clear, golden-colored lager, a consistent, high-quality product that people often saw as more modern than heavy ales. In the form of Pilsner, first brewed in 1842, lager became the global favorite. German and Czech immigration to the US reveals how Pilsner lager displaced English-style ales in the US. In Latin America, German immigrants established lager breweries. More surprisingly, new trade networks helped Continental Pilsner displace English ales in British colonies and Japan. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --David M. Fahey, emeritus, Miami University (Ohio)

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Reviews (1)

Choice Review