Imaginings
stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other imaginative accounts of the natural world
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The Brewing Boom of the Middle Ages
By Richard W. Ungar Until 1200, beer brewing in Europe was largely a small-scale affair. Hops soon changed that. Based on practices in Bremen and other ports along the North Sea coast of Germany, a seemingly minor change laid the foundation for a booming industry in Renaissance Europe, one with a scale and reach unmatched…
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The Reinheitsgebot: Between German Consumer Culture and the European Market
By Robert Terrell On 15 July, 1987, West German federal president Richard von Weizsäcker received a letter from one Andreas Z., which began: “Much has been written about the Reinheitsgebot lately.€
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Empire in a Bottle: Tales of a Beer Historian
By Malcolm F. Purinton “Why don’t you write your literature review about alcohol?€ my African colonialism professor asked me during my master’s degree. “I can do that?!€ I replied. The possibility of researching and writing on the history of beer and alcohol was, honestly, mind-blowing.
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The Global Invention of Lager Beer
By Jeffrey Pilcher “Around the World in 80 Beers.€ It’s an arresting image of the globalization of beer. This map on the PureTravel website depicts each country according to its bestselling or iconic national brand: from Budweiser in the United States and Corona in Mexico, to Tsingtao in China and Oettinger in Germany.
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Un trago amargo—A Bitter Drink: Beer, Water, and Globalization
By Susan Gauss A truck drives down the street in Zaragoza, Coahuila, its loudspeaker reminding residents to conserve water or face fines. Local farmers also feel the pain, as they scale back planting due to a lack of water. Yet nearby, water is flowing well through an aqueduct carrying it to a factory 40 kilometers…
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Welcome to the Taproom
By Pavla Å imková When I started doing research in beer history, I had no idea what I was getting into. I doubt there is a beer pun in the world I haven’t heard yet. People have wished me hoppy holidays. They can barely contain their excitement about interesting beer articles they have just read.