Beeronomics: How Beer Explains the World

by Johan Swinnen, Devin Briski

Beeronomics covers world history through the lens of beer, exploring the common role that beer taxation has played throughout and providing context for recognizable brands and consumer trends and tastes. Beeronomics examines key developments that have moved the brewing industry forward. Its most ubiquitous ingredient, hops, was used by the Hanseatic League to establish the export dominance of Hamburg and Bremen in the sixteenth century. During the late nineteenth century, bottom-fermentation led to the spread of industrial lager beer. Industrial innovations in bottling, refrigeration, and TV advertising paved the way for the consolidation and market dominance of major macrobreweries like Anheuser Busch in America and Artois Brewery in Belgium during the twentieth century. We're now in the era of global integration--one multinational AB InBev, claims forty-six percent of all beer profits--but there's a counterrevolution afoot of small, independent craft breweries in America, Belgium and around the world. Beeronomics surveys these trends, giving context to why you see which brands and styles on shelves at your local supermarket or on tap at the nearby pub.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Business, Economics, Food

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2017

Reviews

[Nicole Bishop Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. At first I wondered did beer really have that largely of an impact on the economy/world? Then I read the book and now I know it made a huge impact and the world would be a very different place it had never existed. I'm not a lover of beer or much of a drinker for that matter but I thought this book was very informational and a real eye opener. I don't know the accuracy of the information but I don't really need to. I found it to be pretty cool.

[David Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little romp of economic vignettes that tell fun stories of the history of beer. Not too heavy on the statistics, but academic enough to give the narrative a solid foundation in fact.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting But A Little Dry (like a Brut)

I’m pretty into the world of beer. I also write a beer blog when I’m not working or reading audiobooks. When I saw that there was a book coming out about “How Beer Explains The World” I was intrigued. In execution it was… okay. That’s the proper wording of it. Sure, there are parts that were fascinating and were well thought out and executed but the combination of some misses here and there and a narrator that didn’t work for me made this book fall just a little short for me.

The premises inside were interesting, and I found some of them more intriguing than others. Having graduated from college with a BS in Marketing I had to take my fair share of Economics classes and they can be a bit dry. Beeronomics falls into the same issue but makes it a little easier to learn/listen to by making it about beer. If I hadn’t almost slept through my Econ classes before I probably would have loved to have heard this first.

As I mentioned above, the narration fell a little short for me. I just couldn’t get into his voice and cadence and it would throw me off. I know that others won’t have any issues at all, but for me, it didn’t work.

Overall though, if you are interested in interesting analogies from the beer world to the rest of the world then this book is for you. The audio might work for you too, listen to the sample and see for yourself!

As a part-time amateur designer – I have to mention that the cover really caught my attention. So great job on that. It really made me interested in what the book had to say.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I am a self-professed disliker of beer. Having sampled it many a times in my youth (and this included typical American watered down versions and higher quality craft options when an exchange student to Europe) I just decided it wasn't for me and have enjoyed hard cider in its wake. So it may come as a surprise that I found myself reading a book that delves into the history and both global/local economics of this beverage. I must confess: I had to read it as part of a bookclub offering. I never would have voluntarily read this book otherwise.

Now having completed it (which took longer that it should given its brevity), I have to say that while I learned a bit of trivia regarding the history of beer manufacturing and its evolution, it certainly did not make me more enamored of the beverage. I was even less interested in the marketing and actual economics of the topic but did appreciate the depth to which the authors went through key historical points about beer's development and how its usage has changed over the ages. This book focuses mainly on the US and Europe though on occasion touches upon other world markets of beer, particularly Asia, Russia, and portions of South America. The authors did put forth a well-written work which obviously was researched extensively. I simply was just not interested and this disinterest was never overridden by engaging historical commentaries. I think anyone who has an appreciation of beer and microbrew culture would definitely be better appreciative of this work. I was just the wrong audience.

[Patrick Pilz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeast was not part of the German Purity law, the holy spirit was still in charge during the 16th century of turning sugar into alcohol. It is outright heresy to say anything else. It wasn't until Richard Leuwenhoek watched yeast under his microscope around 1680 that the responsibility changed and the monks lost their advantage with their closer relationships to heavenly powers.

But this is the only blasphemy to be found in the book.

This book is actually very interesting and funny. Every beer aficionado will find interesting facts mixed with wittingly told stories and anecdotes around the history of beer. The authors cannot hide the fact that they are American and Belgium nationals, which is reflected in certain segments of the books. As a German, I feel offended at times, but on the other hand, they honor Hamburg (my birth town) with its bigger contribution to world nutrition than the Hamburger.

I just have to deduct one star for these offenses, in an otherwise fantastic book telling a very condensed history of a certain segment of food production. No, beer is food! You will get your share of smiles reading this.

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway, and have been asked to write a review.

[Riegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received my copy from the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways.***

Offers comprehensive, readable scholarship about how beer culture has shaped entire civilizations. Includes a fascinating overview of today's craft beer industry, which seems to be successfully serving both local independent breweries AND international giants like InBev/Anheuser-Busch. This is unlike any other industry on Earth right now, so there's lots to learn from this industry.

As a beer drinker and a history nerd, I loved it - but others may not prefer its academic tone. Recommended for history folks, beer drinkers, and those thinking about the beer industry.

[N Rizkalla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beer, for sure, is not a simple matter.

So, try to think of the following questions:

What is the difference between microbrewery, macrobrewery, and craft beer?
What is the origin of lager beer?
How did Guinness contribute to the science of statistics?
Why did Ancient Egyptians drink beer with a straw?
Which nation currently drinks the largest amount of beer?
What is the oldest food law that was written 500 years ago and was only challenged after the establishment of the EU? Hint: reinheistgebot!
How did Jimmy Carter contribute to beer industry?

You can get very good beer education in this small book and it will certainly make my next encounter with a beer bottle more intellectual!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up at the end, but the beginning was both meandery and difficult to believe.

The book looks at the history of beer through an economic lens.

The section on how Belgian beers went from being dying peasant beers to global favorites was good, as was the section explaining the economics of America’s craft beer revolution.

The earlier sections were more tedious and less credible. One of the sections early on offers a revisionist history of European economic history, stating that Britain was actually much more protectionist than most historians suggest while France was much less protectionist. France had few restrictions on importing alcohol, while Britain had lots. Maybe, but I don’t know if I would buy this, considering these authors are just repeating stuff that they read, they are not doing original research.

Still, worth the read.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I learn about the history of beer, the more fascinating it is to me. I listened to the audiobook version and liked the narration. I appreciated how the book was structured, too. It's a sprawling history that's streamlined into an engaging narrative. I've read a few "beer books" lately, specifically related to how the recent craft boom came to be (and is progressing). But I'd yet to read a book that really spoke to the origins of beer and the economics involved. I learned a ton.

[Ian McGaffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the economics of beer brewing through history. While some of the correlations may have been portrayed as more causational, the impact regions like Belgium have felt from world class beer manufacturers is of no doubt. Definitely something a business minded beer drinker would enjoy to read.

[Michael J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

How beer was made, where beer was made, who made beer—all are products of taxation, class, and control. Swinnen and Briski expertly move through brewing eras and locales to explore how certain styles came to be, and how a specific kind of brewer was cultivated. Their explanation of how weissbier survived the Reinheitsgebot is particularly engaging.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat scholarly book on the subject. But if you're a real scholar on the subject you'll likely want more depth as the basic facts will already be well-known to you. And for the casual reader, the book could be more readable. Probably just right for a dedicated amateur.

[Rajesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, academic jaunt through beer history with an economic lens. Tariffs, gruit, reinheitsgebot and more all come up. Fun read, if dry for any but the most interested in both topics.

Destined to be read by DD.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although not a fan of all the statics information, I really liked learning about all the history pertaining to the beer industry. Especially overseas which is certainly more colorful then here in the US.

[Suzan Reumers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read with a pretencious title. 3,5 rounded up to four.

Recommended to beer lovers and people with the same quirk to enjoy books on a crazy specific food/drink related topic that tell a bigger story

[Stephanie Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

provided a lot of history and insight on how beer changed the world. some of the historical facts and things were a little bit heavy so I found it best to just tackle little parts of it at a time so I could digest it.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads more like a history book (which could be good or bad depending on your preferences). I liked the graphs/figures included, wish there were more of them! definitely some interesting bits.

[Jadrian Wooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the brevity.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vraiment intéressant et agréable à lire, je ne regarderai plus ma binche de la même façon.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

14 - 2020

[Sara MG]

I read this one for a course I took. The writing was a little hard to get into.

[George Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, particularly for someone interested in Economics and History. Can have moments where the topic matter is a bit dense, though overall pretty approachable

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding the importance of beer throughout history makes sense of so many things.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drier than expected for a book on the economics of beer.

I liked it. The transformation of brewing during the industrial revolutions, the incredible market concentration in America followed but the ABA INBEV takeover and micro brew revolution were my favorite parts. I was also interested in global drinking habits. Who knew the Russians were drinking much more beer and much less vodka?

It's biggest failing is being a little repetitive. It seemed that every time a previously introduced subject came up the authors included an unnecessary amount of backstory. It felt like about 10-20% of the content was repetition. That isn't terrible, but it was irritating.

[Justin Fanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very usefully detailed