Whether you're a lush (as Betty White says, "Vodka is a kind of hobby") or a teetotaler, this book will fascinate and entertain (I was laughing out loud at least once every chapter). I particularly recommend the eAudiobook, which I listened to on a long road trip. It made the time fly by, listening in turn to chapters about the history of yeast and the chemical reasons behind hangovers (and their "cures"), to the author's anecdotes about visiting famous breweries and drinking tragically expensive scotch in distinguished New York City bars. The narrator, Sean Runnette, has a pleasingly apt whiskey-tinged, deep voice with lots of variation - the perfect reader, in my opinion.
I love a good pop science book, where the author skillfully navigates the territory of fascinating-but-not-too-technical, and where I can feel satisfied that I have learned new things but not been overwhelmed by things I don't understand, not being a scientist. Author Adam Rogers does just that, with lots of a laughs along the way.
The bar, though, was cool and dry—not just air-conditioner cool, but cool like they were piping in an evening from late autumn. The sun hadn’t set, but inside, the dark wood paneling managed to evoke 10 p.m. In a good bar, it is always 10 p.m.
If you like pop science, especially on audio, I also recommend The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean and the magnificent and magnificently funny A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.