Why is wine considered more sophisticated even though the production of beer is much more technologically complex? Why is wine touted for its health benefits when beer has more nutrition value? Why does wine conjure up images of staid dinner parties while beer denotes screaming young partiers? Charles Bamforth explores several paradoxes involving beer and wine, paying special attention to the culture surrounding each. He argues that beer can be just as grown-up and worldly as wine and be part of a healthy, mature lifestyle. Both beer and wine have histories spanning thousands of years. This is the first book to compare them from the perspectives of history, technology, the market for each, and the effect that they have on human health and nutrition.
"Wine results from a shaky art, beer from a stately science asserts Charles Bamforth who guides the reader through the history and production of both from vine to vintage, and barley to beer bubbles. So why is it that in countries such as the United States wine is revered as sophisticated and beer dismissed as common? In pondering such questions Grape vs. Grain offers humorous as well as penetrating insights into two of the world's favorite beverages."
-Kenneth Kiple, Author of A Movable Feast
-Kenneth Kiple, Author of A Movable Feast