The story of the Mackeson family's sometimes bumpy journey from small-town brewers to national fame and a title. This is the story of how the Mackeson brothers of Deal bought a brewery in the small town of Hythe and eventually transformed it into the manufacturer of one of the biggest brewing success stories of the twentieth century - Milk Stout. The drink was a favourite in pubs and shops across the country and famously found its way into the snug in Coronation Street's 'Rover's Return'. But the family's journey was not a smooth one. Four generations from 1801 struggled with economic depression and recession, war, suicide, bankruptcies, a law suit, wastrel and importunate relatives, and premature deaths. There were triumphs, too: delivering the Koh-I-Nor diamond to Queen Victoria, discovering a new dinosaur and finally, in the person of Harry Ripley Mackeson, producing a Lord of the Treasury and a baronet. AUTHOR: Anne Petrie is a well-known local author who here combines a lively tone and authoritative research. Richly illustrated with over 90 pictures, this book is a must for the bookshelves of social historians and everyone seeking to find out more about this fascinating county. 30 b/w illustrations
