Secret Life of Beer: Legends, Lore & Little-Known Facts

Rating:
Summary: Not worth your money
Review: Frequently demonstrably wrong, and regularly claims "facts" that do not seem to occur in any other source, casting serious doubt upon their authenticity. Anyone repeating anything from this book runs a severe risk of perpetuating inaccuracies. For example, the claim in the blurb that "Twenty people literally "drowned in beer" in 1814 when a vat in a London brewery exploded" is simply not true - only eight people died, all when buildings collapsed, and the vat never "exploded", one of the hoops broke and it collapsed.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Beer Trivia Book
Review: I still reference this book monthly as I search for little-known facts about beer and brewing history for our homebrew club newsletter. It was an entertaining read and deserves a spot on any true beer drinkers shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely essential reading
Review: If you really want to know ANYTHING about beer and how it relates to those who've consumed it over time, you need this book. Only a fool could pan this work! It's thoroughly researched and insightful. Buy it. Read it. Then drink it in.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This is the most poorly written book I've ever read. It consists of a rambling, incohesive assortment of beer trivia and anecdotes that any beer geek already knows, random literary quotes containing the word "beer" or "ale" (example: "And when I think upon a pot of beer."- Lord Byron), and some eyewitness-type accounts of prehistoric brewing events. Furthermore, Mr. Eames devotes as much or more content to prohibitionist propoganda and factoids than to pro-beer trivia!
I think Mr. Eames and his editor were intoxicated. What a disappointment.