Modern beer has little in common with the drink that carried that name
through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was
often a nutritional necessity, was sometimes used as medicine, could be
flavored with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh
eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike, Beer in
the Middle Ages and Renaissance presents an extraordinarily detailed
history of the business, art, and governance of brewing.

During the medieval and early modern periods beer was as much a daily
necessity as a source of inebriation and amusement. It was the beverage
of choice of urban populations that lacked access to secure sources of
potable water; a commodity of economic as well as social importance;
a safe drink for daily consumption that was less expensive than wine;
and a major source of tax revenue for the state.

In Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Richard W. Unger has
written an encompassing study of beer as both a product and an economic
force in Europe. Weaving together the stories of prosperous businessmen,
skilled brewmasters, and small producers, this impressively researched
overview of the social and cultural practices that surrounded the beer
industry is rich in implication for the history of the period as both
a product and an economic force in Europe. The book is published
by University of Pennsylvania Press.

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