The original India Pale Ale was pure gold in a glass; a beer specially invented, in the 19th century, to travel halfway around the world and arrive in perfect condition for a cold drink on an Indian verandah. But although you can still buy beers with 'IPA' on the label they are a pale imitation of the original. For the first time in 140 years, a keg of Burton IPA has been brewed with the original recipe for a voyage to India by canal and tall ship, and the man carrying it is Pete Brown, Britain's best beer writer.

Brazilian pirates and Iranian customs officials lie ahead, but will he make it that far, having fallen in the canal a few miles out of Burton? And if Pete does make it to the other side of the world, what will the real IPA taste like? Weaving first-class travel writing with assured comedy, this is both a rollicking history of the Raj and an entertaining, groundbreaking experiment to recreate the finest beer ever produced.