This substantially revised & updated 5th edn. of this bestseller makes useful & vital information generally accessible for all sectors of the fuel & distilled beverage alcohol industry. It concentrates on processing technology, blending plant science, chemical engineering, microbiology, biochemistry, & chemical engineering with unit processing of alcohol from substrate selection & processing through fermentation to the purification of ethanol & the coproducts distillers grain & carbon dioxide.

What drug provides Americans with the greatest pleasure and the greatest pain? The answer, hands down, is alcohol. The pain comes not only from drunk driving and lost lives but also addiction, family strife, crime, violence, poor health, and squandered human potential. Young and old, drinkers and abstainers alike, all are affected. Every American is paying for alcohol abuse. Paying the Tab, the first comprehensive analysis of this complex policy issue, calls for broadening our approach to curbing destructive drinking. Over the last few decades, efforts to reduce the societal costs--curbing youth drinking and cracking down on drunk driving--have been somewhat effective, but woefully incomplete. In fact, American policymakers have ignored the influence of the supply side of the equation. Beer and liquor are far cheaper and more readily available today than in the 1950s and 1960s. Philip Cook's well-researched and engaging account chronicles the history of our attempts to "legislate morality," the overlooked lessons from Prohibition, and the rise of Alcoholics Anonymous. He provides a thorough account of the scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last twenty-five years of economic and public-health research, which demonstrates that higher alcohol excise taxes and other supply restrictions are effective and underutilized policy tools that can cut abuse while preserving the pleasures of moderate consumption. Paying the Tab makes a powerful case for a policy course correction. Alcohol is too cheap, and it's costing all of us.

"In this innovative book on the attitudes toward and consumption of alcohol, Rod Phillips surveys a 9,000-year cultural and economic history, uncovering the tensions between alcoholic drinks as healthy staples of daily diets and as objects of social, political, and religious anxiety. In the urban centers of Europe and America, where it was seen as healthier than untreated water, alcohol gained a foothold as the drink of choice, but it has been regulated by governmental and religious authorities more than any other commodity. As a potential source of social disruption, alcohol created volatile boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable consumption and broke through barriers of class, race, and gender. Phillips follows the ever-changing cultural meanings of these potent potables and makes the surprising argument that some societies have entered "post-alcohol" phases."--Jacket.

HANDBOOK OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES A comprehensive two-volume set that describes the science and technology involved in the production and analysis of alcoholic beverages HANDBOOK OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES Technical, Analytical and Nutritional Aspects At the heart of all alcoholic beverages is the process of fermentation, particularly alcoholic fermentation, whereby sugars are converted to ethanol and many other minor products. The Handbook of Alcoholic Beverages tracks the major fermentation process, and the major chemical, physical and technical processes that accompany the production of the world’s most familiar alcoholic drinks. Indigenous beverages and small-scale production are also covered to a significant extent. The overall approach is multidisciplinary, reflecting the true nature of the subject. Thus, aspects of biochemistry, biology (including microbiology), chemistry, health science, nutrition, physics and technology are all necessarily involved, but the emphasis is on chemistry in many areas of the book. Emphasis is also on more recent developments and innovations, but there is sufficient background for less experienced readers. The approach is unified, in that although different beverages are dealt with in different chapters, there is extensive cross-referencing and comparison between the subjects of each chapter. Appropriate for food professionals working in the development and manufacture of alcohol-based drinks, as well as academic and industrial researchers involved in the development of testing methods for the analysis and regulation of alcohol in the drinks industry. Divided into five parts, this comprehensive two-volume work presents: INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND AND HISTORY: a simple introduction to the history and development of alcohol and some recent trends and developments. FERMENTED BEVERAGES: BEERS, CIDERS, WINES AND RELATED DRINKS: the latest innovations and aspects of the different fermentation processes used in beer, wine, cider, liqueur wines, fruit wines, low-alcohol and related beverages. SPIRITS: covers distillation methods and stills used in the production of whisky, cereal- and cane-based spirits, brandy, fruit spirits and liqueurs. ANALYTICAL METHODS: covering the monitoring of processes in the production of alcoholic beverages, as well as sample preparation, chromatographic, spectroscopic, electrochemical, physical, sensory and organoleptic methods of analysis. NUTRITION AND HEALTH ASPECTS RELATING TO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: includes a discussion on nutritional aspects, both macro- and micro-nutrients, of alcoholic beverages, their ingestion, absorption and catabolism, the health consequences of alcohol, and details of the additives and residues within the various beverages and their raw materials.

Alcohol: Social Drinking in Cultural Context critically examines alcohol use across cultures and through time. This short text is a framework for students to self-consciously examine their beliefs about and use of alcohol, and a companion text for teaching the primary concepts of anthropology to first-or second year college students.

Scientific research has clearly established that drinking in moderation has many health benefits, including maintaining a healthy heart. Yet, many people do not know that drinking red wine protects the heart more than white wine, while beer, margaritas, and hard liquor are less effective in providing such protection. And while alcoholism is a serious problem requiring medical and psychological treatment, for those who are not addicted, drinking alcohol is not necessarily a bad habit. The problem is to distinguish between drinking sensibly and drinking insensibly. Dasgupta clearly outlines what constitutes healthy drinking and its attendant health benefits, offers advice on how to drink responsibly, and provides insight into just how alcohol works on the brain and the body. After reading this book, readers will enjoy their next drink with a fuller and safer understanding of why they're enjoying it.