How beer saved Western Civilization...

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Futureman

Futureman

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...according to Tim Powers, author of The Drawing of the Dark. It's a book of speculative fiction, and a real treat for lovers of European history, fantasy/sci-fi and beer. Here's a snip from a review:

It's an occult-flavoured adventure novel about how beer saved Western Europe from the juggernaut that was the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The hero of the tale is an aging mercenary Irishman by the name of Brian Duffy. Early in the year 1529, just as Duffy is coming to realize he has overstayed his welcome in Venice, he accepts an offer of employment in Vienna. He is to be the exceptionally well-paid bouncer at an Viennese inn which until recently had been a monastery, but which has always been famous for its brewery and its beer -- Herzwesten. But, as is typical in a Tim Powers novel, nothing is quite as it seems at first...

The cast of characters includes the wounded and probably dying Fisher King, immortal Merlin, reincarnated Arthur, the ghost of Finn MacCool, an ancient ship full of only slightly less ancient Vikings on their way to Ragnarok, companies of Swiss mercenaries, legions of Turkish soldiers, spies, wizards, serving wenches, demons and, well, a whole lot more. And everyone wants a taste of that Herzwesten beer. Sure made me thirsty. I had to take the book down to my local pub to finish it.

Copyright © 2000 by Neil Walsh
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I read this several years ago, well before I started home brewing. It's a great summer read, and goes well with a pint.

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Hmm wonder if they have this for kindle...I'll have to check.

If anything could save the modern world, it's certainly beer :).
 
Dang, that sounds like a very fun book! I've heard of this Tim Powers guy, and have downloaded a book or two of his, but forgot I had them and still have yet to read them.

I had actually been tossing around the idea of writing a kind of "Connecticut Yankee" story involving a time-traveling homebrewer who gets sent back in time (exactly point in history not decided). He travels back with his girlfriend, but trouble erupts when he falls for a local girl instead. He also gets framed for murder. But even worse the local monarch has a man-crush on him.
 
That's a terrific storyline. Perhaps his motivation for going back in time is to procure a coveted beer recipe from a monastery? Just a thought.
 
Futureman said:
That's a terrific storyline. Perhaps his motivation for going back in time is to procure a coveted beer recipe from a monastery? Just a thought.
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Oh yeah! Lots of options. I just sort of dreamed up the basic idea and really need to find some compelling plot twists to make it viable. I tend to write a little bit then run out of ideas.

So I want to make this guy an American, and in order to find a recipe from a monastery, he'd have to have a bit of money in order to fly over there to find the info. But he'd have to be in Europe anyway, right, or he'd be brewing with the American Indians...

Language might be a problem though. Even in the best of circumstances he'd have a rough time with English from back then. I might have to make it a Sci-fi story so he could magically understand the languages everyone speaks.
 

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