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Beer: The Story of the Pint, by Martyn Cornell

Published by Hodder Headline

Makes every other book written on beer obsolete. It blows away the dozens of myths and inaccuracies that encrust the history of Britain’s favourite alcoholic beverage, myths that have persisted, in some cases, for 200 years or more. Think Henry VIII banned hops? Not at all – he had his own beer brewer. Think the English word cash comes from the Egyptian for beer? Just not true, despite what other authors try to tell you. Believe porter was invented in 1722 by Ralph Harwood of Shoreditch, London, to match the taste of a popular mixed drink called Three-Threads? All made up years afterwards.

Read the real facts behind these stories, and other fascinating tales, from the narcotic, vision-inducing beers drunk by Neolithic farmers in Britain 5,000 years ago to what Saxon brewers used to do with lupins to try to cure a duff brew; how the Tudor army went off to battle on beer; the date of the first appearance of lager in Britain; how an earlier Licensing Bill tried to ban the barmaid; and how mild, once the most popular beer in the country, fell victim to social ambition.

What the critics said:

This is a magnificent contribution to the history of beer and should be on every aficionado's bookshelf.
Roger Protz, What's Brewing

A fascinating read … as refreshing as a pint of Adnams on a hot afternoon in Suffolk
Manchester Evening News

Thought-provoking [and] engaging account of the history of British beer from the 4th millennium BC to the present day
Giles Kime, Sunday Telegraph

A fabulous book that no one should be without … A highly readable history of the Universe's Greatest Product
Hampstead & Highgate Express

Highly recommended if you like a pint, or even if you have the remotest interest in social history
Newcastle Journal

Incredibly well-researched … a great story
The List, Glasgow


Martyn Cornell was the winner of the 2000 British Guild of Beer Writers Budweiser Budvar trophy for his book Beer Memorabilia, published April 2000. He is a former national newspaper journalist, having worked for The Times and The Daily Telegraph, and is now managing editor of an information company covering the leisure industry. He has written on beer, breweries and brewing for publications including What’s Brewing, the Good Beer Guide, The Imbiber, The Taste and Brewery History magazine. He is a founder-member of the British Guild of Beer Writers and a former committee member of the Brewery History Society. His writings on the history of beer have been quoted in print by, among others, Michael Jackson, author of The World Guide to Beer, and Roger Protz, author of The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Beer.

Available from Beer Inn Print