In Praise of Hangovers (Kindle Single)

"Evan Rail’s Why Beer Matters and In Praise of Hangovers are beer writing taken to a new philosophical plane, beer writing as a matter of musing, personal recollection, philosophical probing all brought together with an erudite and personable writing style. They are essays, elegant in their design, but also robust in the way in which they celebrate beer and its universe."
—Adrian Tierney-Jones

Everyone hates them... and yet just about everyone has them, at least sometimes. In the United States, 11.6 million employees have reported going to work with a hangover within the previous 12 months. Although the first use of the word “hangover” in terms of alcohol only dates to the year 1904, literature is rife with references to what happens after too much booze, from the Book of Isaiah to the poems of James Wright. But for something so ubiquitous and commonplace, so constant and familiar, our miserable mornings after remain relatively unknown, chronically under-researched and almost universally despised.

In this 30-page personal essay — a spirituous blend of philosophy, theology, history and biochemistry — Evan Rail sings the praises of the bad morning, arguing that a well-made katzenjammer can change our world and ourselves for the better, allowing us to find at least some good in feeling very bad.

Drink tons of water, lie down in a quiet place and explore the meaning of misery with this intoxicating follow-up to the best-selling Kindle Single “Why Beer Matters.”