Beer, its history and its economic value as a national beverage

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About this book

"Beer, its history and its economic value as a national beverage" by F. W. Salem is a historical and economic treatise written in the late 19th century. It argues that pure, well-made beer is a temperate, healthful alternative to distilled spirits and should be supported by sensible regulation. The work combines history, brewing science, public policy, and social economics to advocate adopting beer as a national drink. The opening of the book presents a clear thesis—“Beer against whisky”—claiming prohibitory laws fail while accessible, pure beer advances true temperance. It then surveys beer’s long lineage from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome through medieval Europe: monastic brewing, early regulations, and famed beer centers and figures (such as the brewer-statesman Jacob van Artevelde, the folkloric Gambrinus, William Penn, and General Israel Putnam).