Author Description

Hopped Up Is A Global History Of Beer Describing How Diverse Local Styles Became Standardized Through Industrialization Into The Light, Crisp Style Known As Pilsner. Beer Is Considered Broadly As A Fermented, Grain-based Or Similar Beverage, Including African Sorghum Beer, Japanese Sake, Bolivian Chicha, And Mexican Pulque In Addition To European Barley Beers. Technological Change And Scientific Brewing Contributed To This Standardization By Allowing Greater Control Over The Fermentation Process. European Imperialism Also Contributed To The Global Spread Of Lager Beer By Equating It With Purity And Dismissing Strong-flavored Alternatives As Uncivilized. Industrial Scale And Imperial Growth Also Contributed To The Masculinization Of Brewing, Which Had Formerly Been A Largely Female Trade Around The World. By The Post-world War Ii Era, Economies Of Scale Allowed The Consolidation Of Brewing Within A Handful Of Firms In Any Given National Market. The Global Brewing Industry Was Consolidated In The Final Decades Of The Twentieth Century Through A Series Of International Mergers That Ironically Displaced Legacy Firms From The Global North With More Efficient Competitors From The Global South. The Craft Beer Movement Seeking To Revitalize Distinctive Local Styles, Although Seemingly In Opposition To Industrial Standardization, Was Itself A Form Of Commodification That Sought To Achieve High Status Through Status Indicators Of Flavor, Local Origins, Sustainability, And Small Batch Production. Indeed, The Concept Of Beer Style Is Itself A Product Of Industrialization-- Provided By Publisher.