Boomtowns of the American West

Season 2 opens with a return to the California Gold Rush and Nevada Silver Strike, exploring how these discoveries in the 19th century lured every kind of drifter and dreamer to America’s lawless edge of the world. Through the dusty violence and ominous mineshaft darkness, three writers emerged to capture a brazen, boom-and-bust spirit of the age. Their own drink-soaked stories – some inspiring, some funny, some tragic – have now seeped into the bones of bars, saloons and hotels that remain from northern California to western Nevada; and into a force we call the Literature of the West. 

Om Podcasten

Travel to places where drinking culture and creative legacies collide. This series reveals how the histories of beer, wine and spirits are linked to the work of trail-blazing writers. Roving on both sides of the Atlantic, a veteran journalist follows in the footsteps of a few famous scribblers – meeting cutting-edge bartenders, brewers, distillers, winemakers, novelists and booksellers along the way.