How did beer become one of the central commodities associated with the German nation? How did a little-known provincial production standard – the Reinheitsgebot, or Beer Purity Law – become a pillar of national consumer sentiments? How did the jovial, beer-drinking German become a fixture in the global imagination? While the connection between beer and Germany seems self-evident, A Nation Fermented reveals how it was produced through a strange brew of regional commercial and political pressures. Spanning from the late nineteenth century to the last decades of the twentieth, A Nation Fermented argues that the economic, regulatory, and cultural weight of Bavaria shaped the German nation in profound ways. Drawing on sources from over a dozen archives and repositories, Terrell weaves together subjects ranging from tax law to advertising, public health to European integration, and agriculture to global stereotypes. Offering a history of the Germany that Bavaria made over the twentieth century, A Nation Fermented eschews both sharp temporal divisions and a conventional focus on northern and industrial Germany. In so doing, Terrell offers a fresh take on the importance of provincial influences and the role of commodities and commerce in shaping the nation.

"Terrell has provided a very well written book, with smooth transitions from one chapter to the next... Terrell's study demonstrates the significant economic and cultural influence of Bavaria, reminding us that the Reinheitsgebot is a (very recent) promotional fairy tale...Terrell's study will undoubtedly lead to further discussions on the temporal and spatial authority of "German" brewing traditions, not only at German Stammtische, but also within the ever-growing field of translocal and global commodity history." - Jana Weiss, H-Soz-Kult

"Recommended. General readers, advanced undergraduates through faculty, and professionals." - Choice