Brewing for Victory By Brian Glover A lively and entertaining popular history of breweries and public houses in Britain, showing how brewers and pubs helped the war effort and maintained morale during the Second World War. ISBN-13: 9780718829285 Specifications: 233x153mm, 224pp, Hardback with b&w illustrations Price: £19.50 • US$42.50 Publication: May 1995 Order this Title Now

About this Book

In this lively piece of social history, Brian Glover relates how the brewers and purveyors of beer of the 1940s were not just providing a brew to help keep people’s mind off the terrors and hardships of war. They also helped fight the worst effects of the bombing of civilian areas, and kept public order by providing a social meeting place, by getting sustenance to the forces on sea as well as on land.

Witty tales and factual retails reveal the difficulties faced by manufacturers of what some in the First World War considered to be the ‘devil’s brew’, taking the minds of the public off the serious business of making war. Brewery fire-fighting teams were always on call to help with the effects of air raids in their areas. Brian Glover shows that by drinking altogether they felt more team-spirit and it helped them relax. Yet the industry survived, even when suffering extensive damage in the Second World War. Brewing beer in shops, petrol rationing, shortages of raw materials, strategies to confuse the enemy, women and pensioners taking over, reduction in licensing hours and the strength of beers, higher taxes: all the problems and the rallying together that typifies the industry during the War are shown in well-researched detail.

Published with the support of the Brewers & Licensed Retailers Association, Brewing for Victory depicts the true British spirit in action, as the public, pubs and brewers worked together to ensure that the nation’s social structure - and its ale - should not be beaten into submission.

Reviews and Comments

"Here is a lively history of breweries and public houses during the War, with a serious point to make as well."
Forces News

About the Author

Brian Glover holds an MA in modern history and has a life-long interest in brewing industry. He was editor of What’s Brewing. He is the author of several books about beer and brewing, and he writes on beer for many publications including The Times, and won the Silver and Gold Tankard award for the second time for his column in the Welsh national newspaper The Western Mail.