Make mine a pint!

Watch online on demand on The Reaction!

Thursday 5 August 2010, 18:00 for 18:30-20.30
The Library, The Chemistry Centre, Burlington House

Paul Hughes, Director of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, considered 10,000 years of beer evolution, from a dietary staple to a social lubricant. 

Whilst the origins of beer have been lost in prehistory, one of its undoubted successes was due its reliability as a potable source of water. One highly publicised example of this was the apparent immunity of the employees of the Broad Street Brewery during the breakout of the 1854 cholera epidemic. 

This presentation reviewed the historical development of beer, and explored the underlying features of beer production and composition that have helped to make beer a safe alternative to water. Additionally, we considered the ongoing debate concerning beer and health, as beer has evolved into an elective choice for consumers.

Watch this lecture on demand on The Reaction.