Tasting Notes with Pete Brown

A special event with the country's leading beer writer, the legendary Pete Brown. Put on in collaboration with the King and Queen on Thursday 12 June.

What would a pint with Neil Young, The Sugababes and Primal Scream taste like? The new book by Britain?s only broadsheet beer columnist explores the surprising scientific impact of sound on our taste buds. Scientists understand less about how we hear music than they do about the birth of the universe; but a new book by Britain?s only broadsheet beer columnist says listening to music can ultimately change the way we taste our preferred pint. 

In a lively, experiential and experimental exploration of popular music and beers, the author delves in to the question of perception and flavour, combining popular science with an entertaining depth of appreciation of sound and taste. His book explains how our senses work, how we appreciate flavour, sound, and the world around us, and shows us that our senses interact in ways we don?t even realise. 

How does this summer?s Glastonbury headliner Neil Young?s classic song Harvest Moon impact the taste of a wheat Belgian beer? What about a surprising Sugababes cover paired with equally unusual American light lager? And why is Sierra Nevada?s Torpedo a match for both The Ronettes? ?Be My Baby? and Billie Eilish?s ?No Time to Die?? 

Across 45 beer and song pairings, Pete?s experimental journey continues with genres across rock, grime, jazz, alt pop, country, folk rock, electronic and progressive trance, with songs from Primal Scream, Joy Division and more matched with an eclectic list of beers.  

Pete, whose last book ?Clubland: How the working men?s club shaped Britain? was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, describes how what began as informal talk above a pub eventually became a much-loved on-stage music festival event, with Pete talking to 1200 people about neuroscience, and now, the subject of his thirteenth book. 

When an Oxford University Professor happened to be in attendance at one of Pete?s self-described ?wind up? events - where he partly wanted to shine a light on the pretentions of wine tasting by showing how beer, food and music should also be taken seriously - the Professor explained that this particular branch of not-quite-neuroscience (he used the term ?neuro-gastronomy?) that Pete?s talk explored was very close to experiments already underway by scientists at Oxford University. 

Come and join us on Thursday 12 June to find out more over a beer!