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SuperiorBrew · 12-24-2007, 04:11 AM

Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer

I really like this book, It does not replace Palmer's or Papazian's classics books for info on how to brew but what it does do is give you info on styles, choosing ingredients & extract brewing. It also touches on AG and kegging.

Its strong point is that it has over 20 categories of beers with several subcategories in each. Jamil tells you what a good example of each beer should taste like, provies keys to brewing that particular beer and provides a recent (last 3 years) award winning recipes in both extract and all grain versions.

Palmer also had Appendix’s on Pitching rates and starters, steeping specialty grains, stovetop partial mashing and priming rates and co2 volumes.

I find myself going to this book constantly to decide what to brew next and then again when I am ready to create the recipe.

**rabidgerbil** · 12-24-2007, 04:21 AM

After listening to all the archived material for Jamil's "radio" show on the brewing network, I put this book on the Christmas list, and if I don't get a copy, it will be my very next purchase.

FatDuc · 01-02-2008, 10:33 PM

I just got this book today as a late Christmas present from my sister!

I'll be going through it in depth shortly....

Beerthoven · 01-03-2008, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperiorBrew

Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer

I really like this book, It does not replace Palmer's or Papazian's classics books for info on how to brew but what it does do is give you info on styles, choosing ingredients & extract brewing. It also touches on AG and kegging.
...

I also really like this book. If you like the radio program and listen for brewing tips as well as recipes, then this book will not let you down. Its like having an edited and condensed transcript of all the shows.

Along with each recipe there is a brewing tips section that describes what you are trying to achieve with each style and pitfalls to avoid.

The chapter on "Brewing Great Beer with Extract" has several useful tips that all brewers will find useful, not just those brewing with extract.

The chapter titled "Brewing These Recipes" lays out Jamil's and John's philosophy/methodology for handling fermentation for both ales and lagers that is informative.

Interestingly, it says "In general, we recommend a single-vessel fermentation for a minimum of 1 week, and not more than 4 weeks, before packaging. Racking to a secondary fermenter is not recommended except for beer requiring a long maturation, such as lagers, or beer requiring a second fermentation, such as sour ales and fruit beers."

SuperiorBrew · 01-03-2008, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beerthoven

I also really like this book. If you like the radio program and listen for brewing tips as well as recipes, then this book will not let you down. Its like having an edited and condensed transcript of all the shows.

Along with each recipe there is a brewing tips section that describes what you are trying to achieve with each style and pitfalls to avoid.

The chapter on "Brewing Great Beer with Extract" has several useful tips that all brewers will find useful, not just those brewing with extract.

The chapter titled "Brewing These Recipes" lays out Jamil's and John's philosophy/methodology for handling fermentation for both ales and lagers that is informative.

Interestingly, it says "In general, we recommend a single-vessel fermentation for a minimum of 1 week, and not more than 4 weeks, before packaging. Racking to a secondary fermenter is not recommended except for beer requiring a long maturation, such as lagers, or beer requiring a second fermentation, such as sour ales and fruit beers."

I also noticed this:

Quote:

we recommend chilling the wort to down to 44º (7º C) and racking the beer away from the bulk of the cold break material before oxygenating and pitching the yeast. The fermentation chamber should be set up to warm slowly over the first 36 hours to 48 hours to 50º F (10º C) and held at that temperature for the rest of fermentation. This results in a clean lager, with very little diacetyl.

And started a new thread on these topics here

**jezter6** · 01-03-2008, 12:38 PM

It's an ok book. I've brewed his extract Robust Porter and it is absolutely fantastic, however his AG conversion seems to be lacking. Even from his own site, the recipe was COMPLETELY different. I'm also not sure I trust his AG conversion guides (IE: just replace the extract with xx pounds of 2-row). Believe me, if you do the extract and AG versions of the same recipe, they come out miles apart, which (IMHO) makes them a different recipe completely.

YMMV

Beerrific · 01-03-2008, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jezter6

It's an ok book. I've brewed his extract Robust Porter and it is absolutely fantastic, however his AG conversion seems to be lacking. Even from his own site, the recipe was COMPLETELY different. I'm also not sure I trust his AG conversion guides (IE: just replace the extract with xx pounds of 2-row). Believe me, if you do the extract and AG versions of the same recipe, they come out miles apart, which (IMHO) makes them a different recipe completely.

YMMV

The all grain version is (almost) exactly what is posted here: http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/Jamil/JamilsRobust%20Porter.htm

It really should be as simple as replacing the base malts, substituting the extract for grain at a given efficiency without changing any of the specialty malts. If you do this and they come out very different I would think it is a process problem or there is something weird going on with the extract.

**jezter6** · 01-03-2008, 12:50 PM

Well, what I meant to say was -

Go find his extract recipe for Robust Porter. Completely different hop schedule than the recipe you linked to.

Seems like if you are making a conversion, you would (attempt) to make them taste the same, just with grains instead of extracts.

**rabidgerbil** · 01-03-2008, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jezter6

Go find his extract recipe for Robust Porter. Completely different hop schedule than the recipe you linked to.

Seems like if you are making a conversion, you would (attempt) to make them taste the same, just with grains instead of extracts.

Can I assume that these two sentences are not connected? Based upon that assumption, then I have to ask, with the recipe FROM THE BOOK, what about the extract to grain conversion is making the recipe taste different? Being that he brews all grain himself, on a B3-1550, I would expect the AG version to be the original version of the recipe, and the extract version to have been the "conversion".

Man I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.

**jezter6** · 01-03-2008, 01:02 PM

Good point. I didn't check in the book's Robust Porter section to see if there were any different conversion notes between the extract and AG that specify if the hopping is completely different in one and not the other.

Most of Jamil's recipes are in Extract, with a conversion guideline for AG, at least from what I saw in the book. That being said, I've been brewing his Robust porter (both version) before the book was out, and they are completely different. If this book presents yet a 3rd "version" of the recipe that is different from what is already released, then I'm concerned about the authenticity of his stuff.

I don't care which recipe was 'first' and which is the 'conversion.' His online recipes out at the same site linked to above, it's not so much the amount/time of the hop schedule that's different -- different hops. How are 2 beers that are supposed to be the same recipe using different hops? I can understand adjusting amount/time based on getting different extraction in AG, but different hops? It doesn't make sense to me...

Edit: By 'authenticity' I mean - is it really the 'same recipe' or is it something converted only for the sake of the book but never brewed in that form.