Notes on a Beermat

First published in 2001 to national acclaim, Notes on a Beermat is Nicholas Pashley’s ode to the amber nectar of the gods, a witty meditation on beer and everything that goes with it―from socializing to the solitary pleasures of a beer and a book, to the qualities necessary in a good pub.
    Most books about beer focus on the beverage itself, how to make it and how to buy it. Notes on a Beermat, the only Canadian book of its kind, explains how to drink beer and why it is absolutely necessary. With characteristic wit and charm, Pashley observes, for example, that “to ensure a steady and regular supply of beer, it was necessary to cultivate grain. This in turn transformed early man from the hunter-gatherer to the agriculturist. Even then, beer was making people smarter.”
    Whether you’re out for an after-work drink with colleagues or you’re looking for a seat at your favourite watering hole, Pashley is your guide. His stories about searching for the perfect pub, the best time of day to drink beer and the silliest pub conversation he’s ever had will leave you laughing into your pint.

So this fellow walks into a bar, right? Then he walks into another bar. And yet another bar. Repeat this action for 35 years. And that’s how this book got written. . . .
    This is a book about drinking. Now, we’ve seen a number of books about drinking in recent years, most of them telling either sad or inspirational stories about the perils of alcohol and the overcoming thereof.
    This is not one of those books.
―From Notes on a Beermat

NICHOLAS PASHLEY, born in Sussex, England, is a career bookseller well known for his erudition and sardonic wit. He was the trade book buyer and purchasing manager for The University of Toronto Bookstore for 20 years and also the editor/writer of The U of T Bookstore Review. He has served as a director of the Canadian Booksellers Association and as a juror for the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Awards and the Journey Prize. For many years, he has also been a member of the Campaign for Real Ale. A long-time resident of Toronto and a connoisseur of pubs and publishing, Pashley now devotes his time to hosting literary events and writing his next book.