Brewpastor
Beer, not rocket chemistry
In want of something to read on a trip I grabbed Ray Daniel's "Designing Great Beers" off my book shelf. On the flight I opened it up and rediscovered what in my opinion is the best brewers resource out there. If you have not bought a copy, do so today. It is absolutely fantastic, especially if you wish to design your own brew with confidence.
Ray discusses the fundamentals of brewing, provides indepth details on its primary elements, and then applies that information to all the major beer styles. I am once again simply amazed at the effort that went into this resource and am glad it is in my bookcase.
The book gives you all the background, science and recommendations you could want and it gives them in a way that is easy to read and understand. Again, my recommendation is to buy this book and give your brewing a shot in the arm. It is generally about $24 but I have seen it for around $16 on the net.