BUY THIS BOOK - period

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Brewpastor

Brewpastor

Beer, not rocket chemistry
Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
4,628
Reaction score
66
Location
Corrales, New Mexico
designing.jpg


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.
 
I second this. Designing Great Beers is one of only two brewing books that I own (papazian is the other), and it is DEFINATELY the one I have my nose in the most. I love the history Ray provides for each style and the way he presents commonality of various ingredients in award winning (or top placing) beers from major constests of that style.

It's a great way to form a base recipe for something and then start tweaking from there.

Fantastic resource.

-walker
 
Just like Walker, I only own this and the Complete Joy. Designing Great Beers is simply the best resource anyone can purchase to help them understand just exactly what each of the ingredients and how you use them affects the beer.
 
I don't have it, but sounds like I am going to have it soon! thx for the notice on this.
 
Based on these great recommendations I just ordered it .... Also ordered the Papazian book which I have been wanting for a while. I already have How to Brew by Palmer which I have found very useful in starting out. Best of all I got both of them delivered from A for $25.
Jimi:mug:
 
Great endorsement!
I've been looking for the right books to begin my brewing library.

Maybe one of the mods should move this one to the newly formed "Product Reviews" forum??
 
This book occupies a permanent position on my bedstand (though I occasionally find it in the head or garage). It's interesting to read even if you don't have any specific recipe formulation in mind.
 
ditto everything above. i really like the in depth histories he provides for each beer style, then the breakdown of award winning homebrews per style.
 
Yeah, I purchased this and Noonan's New Lager Brewing book off recommendations on another thread I saw here recently. It's funny this should come up today. I've had it about three weeks and I've read various parts during brew sessions and really enjoyed it. But today, I actually brought it with me to work and plan to read it cover-to-cover during my lunch hours and in the evenings!
 
I own 5 or 6 brewing books and read most of Papazian. Papazian didn't really help me that much because I read it after I had already been brewing for awhile and understood most of what he said. I think Papazian is more of a beginner's book and once you understand the general fundamentals it doesn't really help you that much anymore. Oh, and I learned my fundamentals from the Brewmaster's Bible (it was on sale at Hastings for like $2).

Back to the topic, I got Designing Great Beers about a year or two ago when I decided to give Stone's 04.04.04 a whirl and needed to be able to create a recipe from the information given. The book is friggin great. It took my brewing and understanding of brewing to the next level. I love it and use it in some form or another every time I brew. Its a must have.
 
I use DGB all the time too. One of my other faves is "The Brewmaster's Bible" but it is extract heavy as far as recipes go. Still great info about grains, hops, yeast and how the enzymes work in a mash. I refer to it weekly.
 
I have read this book too and think it is a good resource.

But I don't like how he focuses at the homebrew completion entries so much. Though these entries may match the styles, they don't really define the styles. This is especially true for non-American styles. I assume that this was done due to the lack of data on commercial examples. But I still would like to see more information on commercial beers in this book.

Kai
 
Oh great! another book I'm going to have to buy. :)
I recently purchased "The Brewmaster's Bible" and was very disappointed. Seems like it glossed over everything then jumped into recipes. Maybe it's because I've been brewing for so long that there just wasn't any new information in it.

I think I will check out Designing Great Beers sounds like a valuble resource.
 
Add me to the list of those who have it, read it, love it and reccomnend it. I got the book around the time I started doing all-grain. It really helps formulating recipes. One of the best brewing books I've read.
 
RichBrewer said:
I recently purchased "The Brewmaster's Bible" and was very disappointed. Seems like it glossed over everything then jumped into recipes. Maybe it's because I've been brewing for so long that there just wasn't any new information in it.
Click to expand...

I find the descriptions of the malts and the explanations of the step mashing and decoction mashing the best I've run across so far. Like I said, the recipes are too extract oriented but I think it has some good "scientific" info for the beginning AG brewer.
 
Dude said:
I find the descriptions of the malts and the explanations of the step mashing and decoction mashing the best I've run across so far. Like I said, the recipes are too extract oriented but I think it has some good "scientific" info for the beginning AG brewer.
Click to expand...
Maybe I'll take another look at tonight. I might have missed something.
 
I have it, but haven't read it yet. My brewing library consists of Papazian, DGB, and The Brewmaster's Bible. My fave so far is Papazian (I'm not a papist! :p), but I am enjoying TBMB and have been referring to it quite a lot. I agree it is extract heavy, but still a good resource.

I'll have to take a peek at DGB next, but at first glance it looked a little over-complicated. :eek:
 
there are a few gem ag recipes in the brewmasters bible... every recipe i've made by the greatlakes brewery posted inthe book have tasted and turned out great... there's also a few good bitters and ipa recipes in there.

i like the huge chart with the grains and gravities and hops needed for particular styles. good reference, and my everyday reader in the ****ter...:mug:
 
i ordered Designing Great Beers on sunday and i've been checking the mail expectantly every day this week.

i ordered "Principles of Brewing Science" along with it, which should be very informative but very technical.
 
Kaiser said:
But I don't like how he focuses at the homebrew completion entries so much. Though these entries may match the styles, they don't really define the styles.
Click to expand...
Agreed there. However, I think it's still good information to include (just expand the commercial information). The apparent simplicity of the recipes that win competitions was eye-opening for me. Most styles seemed to average 2-3 grains max per recipe.

I am still studying German Wheat Beers, but when I finish I'm eager to compare and contrast between GWB and the wheat beer section of DGB (the non-American wheat portions, anyways).
 
I agree, DSG is awesome. As a matter of fact I have toted it to work with me today and it is sitting right here on my desk. I also wanted to toss in this must have for the intermediate to advanced brewer.
1021111.gif

It will help you out tremendously.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Agreed there. However, I think it's still good information to include (just expand the commercial information). The apparent simplicity of the recipes that win competitions was eye-opening for me. Most styles seemed to average 2-3 grains max per recipe.
Click to expand...

For many german beer styles, a majority of the character of the beer is determined by the mashing work. Authentic German mash schedules are almost always step mashes (decotion or heated infusions). This is especially true for southern german beers, where the emphasis is on the malt.

I'm planning to have 3 ingredients in my Oktoberfest: Pilsner, Munich and Hallertauer. But the mash is going to be tripple decoction with 2 saccrification rests. The complexity just shifted from the grain bill to the mash schedule. ;)

Kai
 
Kaiser said:
I'm planning to have 3 ingredients in my Oktoberfest: Pilsner, Munich and Hallertauer. But the mash is going to be tripple decoction with 2 saccrification rests. The complexity just shifted from the grain bill to the mash schedule. ;)
Click to expand...
After just a couple light readings of GWB I'm pretty much of the opinion that a decoction is required for an authentic representation of German wheat beers. I'm not saying I could taste the difference between a single-infusion hefe and a single decoction, but maybe I could...I need to find out. If I spin the Aventinus again I will most likely do a double decoction. Once the last one is ready (apparently in ~3 months according to what I have read) I'll evaluate the effect of a single decoction.

Need to find out how DRB's dunkel that was decocted came out...
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
After just a couple light readings of GWB I'm pretty much of the opinion that a decoction is required for an authentic representation of German wheat beers. I'm not saying I could taste the difference between a single-infusion hefe and a single decoction, but maybe I could...I need to find out. If I spin the Aventinus again I will most likely do a double decoction. Once the last one is ready (apparently in ~3 months according to what I have read) I'll evaluate the effect of a single decoction.

Need to find out how DRB's dunkel that was decocted came out...
Click to expand...

I have done to few batches to actually provide a decoction vs. infusion comparison. Currently I have a doppel bock that was double decocted. Come May I will have the tripple decocted Maibock ready. Both beers were mashed towards a high FG, which already gives them some additional maltiness and makes it hard to compare them to a single infusion mashed ale.

Kai
 
I'll probably end up getting it sooner or later since I already own these:

  • 50 Great Homebrewing Tips – David Weisberg
  • Beer Captured - Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Beer Lover’s Rating Guide – Bob Klein
  • BierErleben – Privater Brauereien – Weihenstephan, Munchen
  • Big Book O’Beer – Duane Swierczynski
  • Brew Classic European Beers At Home – Graham Wheeler and Roger Protz
  • Brew Like A Monk, Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales – Stan Hieronymus
  • Brew-Master’s Bible, The – Stephen Snyder
  • Brewmaster’s Recipe Manual – Stephen Snyder
  • Clone Brews – Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, The New, 2nd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, 3rd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Evaluating Beer – Brewer’s Publications
  • German Wheat Beer – Eric Warner – Classic Beer Style Series, #7
  • History of German Beer, The
  • Home Brewer’s Companion – Charlie Papazian
  • Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • Homebrewer’s Recipe Guide, The – Patrick Higgins, Maura Kate Kilgore, and Paul Hertlein
  • Kolsch – Eric Warner, Classic Beer Style Series, #13
  • Making Mead – Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan
  • Microbrewed Adventures – Charlie Papazian
  • More Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • North American Clone Brews – Scott R. Russell
  • Radical Brewing – Randy Mosher
  • Using Hops, The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer – Mark Garetz
  • Yeast Culturing for the Homebrewer – Rog Leistad
:D :D :D :D
 
Cancel that order and order them both from buy.com .. they're beating out amazon by 10% on all books. I got DGB and some others from them. Now that I think of it I need to check on another order.

JimiGibbs said:
Based on these great recommendations I just ordered it .... Also ordered the Papazian book which I have been wanting for a while. I already have How to Brew by Palmer which I have found very useful in starting out. Best of all I got both of them delivered from A for $25.
Jimi:mug:
Click to expand...
 
Mindflux said:
Cancel that order and order them both from buy.com .. they're beating out amazon by 10% on all books. I got DGB and some others from them. Now that I think of it I need to check on another order.
Click to expand...

Going through a link on this site helps add profits to our server upgrade though--so stick to Amazon. :)
 
Cancel that order and order them both from buy.com .. they're beating out amazon by 10% on all books. I got DGB and some others from them. Now that I think of it I need to check on another order.
Click to expand...

Buy.com was less .... but then I don't make the $25 for free shipping. But thanks for the heads up on buy.com.
Jimi
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I'll probably end up getting it sooner or later since I already own these:

  • 50 Great Homebrewing Tips – David Weisberg
  • Beer Captured - Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Beer Lover’s Rating Guide – Bob Klein
  • BierErleben – Privater Brauereien – Weihenstephan, Munchen
  • Big Book O’Beer – Duane Swierczynski
  • Brew Classic European Beers At Home – Graham Wheeler and Roger Protz
  • Brew Like A Monk, Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales – Stan Hieronymus
  • Brew-Master’s Bible, The – Stephen Snyder
  • Brewmaster’s Recipe Manual – Stephen Snyder
  • Clone Brews – Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, The New, 2nd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, 3rd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Evaluating Beer – Brewer’s Publications
  • German Wheat Beer – Eric Warner – Classic Beer Style Series, #7
  • History of German Beer, The
  • Home Brewer’s Companion – Charlie Papazian
  • Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • Homebrewer’s Recipe Guide, The – Patrick Higgins, Maura Kate Kilgore, and Paul Hertlein
  • Kolsch – Eric Warner, Classic Beer Style Series, #13
  • Making Mead – Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan
  • Microbrewed Adventures – Charlie Papazian
  • More Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • North American Clone Brews – Scott R. Russell
  • Radical Brewing – Randy Mosher
  • Using Hops, The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer – Mark Garetz
  • Yeast Culturing for the Homebrewer – Rog Leistad
Click to expand...
in no particular order and off the top of your head, of course....:mug:
 
It's a really great, understandable, yet fairly technical book. Very cool if you want to get into the nitty gritty. All thumbs up! :D
 
Oh, and remember to buy books via this site's Amazon link at the top of the page. I'm pretty sure the site gets a kickdown no matter what you buy if you go through that link. So, actually, go through that link no matter what you're buying at Amazon and you support the site.

Especially if you're buying a bunch of power tools or something ;)

Cheers :D
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I'll probably end up getting it sooner or later since I already own these:
  • 50 Great Homebrewing Tips – David Weisberg
  • Beer Captured - Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Beer Lover’s Rating Guide – Bob Klein
  • BierErleben – Privater Brauereien – Weihenstephan, Munchen
  • Big Book O’Beer – Duane Swierczynski
  • Brew Classic European Beers At Home – Graham Wheeler and Roger Protz
  • Brew Like A Monk, Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales – Stan Hieronymus
  • Brew-Master’s Bible, The – Stephen Snyder
  • Brewmaster’s Recipe Manual – Stephen Snyder
  • Clone Brews – Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, The New, 2nd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, 3rd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Evaluating Beer – Brewer’s Publications
  • German Wheat Beer – Eric Warner – Classic Beer Style Series, #7
  • History of German Beer, The
  • Home Brewer’s Companion – Charlie Papazian
  • Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • Homebrewer’s Recipe Guide, The – Patrick Higgins, Maura Kate Kilgore, and Paul Hertlein
  • Kolsch – Eric Warner, Classic Beer Style Series, #13
  • Making Mead – Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan
  • Microbrewed Adventures – Charlie Papazian
  • More Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • North American Clone Brews – Scott R. Russell
  • Radical Brewing – Randy Mosher
  • Using Hops, The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer – Mark Garetz
  • Yeast Culturing for the Homebrewer – Rog Leistad
Click to expand...
  • Show off! ;) :D Man, HB... talk about a library!
 
homebrewer_99 said:
I'll probably end up getting it sooner or later since I already own these:
  • 50 Great Homebrewing Tips – David Weisberg
  • Beer Captured - Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Beer Lover’s Rating Guide – Bob Klein
  • BierErleben – Privater Brauereien – Weihenstephan, Munchen
  • Big Book O’Beer – Duane Swierczynski
  • Brew Classic European Beers At Home – Graham Wheeler and Roger Protz
  • Brew Like A Monk, Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales – Stan Hieronymus
  • Brew-Master’s Bible, The – Stephen Snyder
  • Brewmaster’s Recipe Manual – Stephen Snyder
  • Clone Brews – Tess & Mark Szamatulski
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, The New, 2nd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Complete Joy of Home Brewing, 3rd Edition – Charlie Papazian
  • Evaluating Beer – Brewer’s Publications
  • German Wheat Beer – Eric Warner – Classic Beer Style Series, #7
  • History of German Beer, The
  • Home Brewer’s Companion – Charlie Papazian
  • Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • Homebrewer’s Recipe Guide, The – Patrick Higgins, Maura Kate Kilgore, and Paul Hertlein
  • Kolsch – Eric Warner, Classic Beer Style Series, #13
  • Making Mead – Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan
  • Microbrewed Adventures – Charlie Papazian
  • More Homebrew Favorites – Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
  • North American Clone Brews – Scott R. Russell
  • Radical Brewing – Randy Mosher
  • Using Hops, The Complete Guide to Hops for the Craft Brewer – Mark Garetz
  • Yeast Culturing for the Homebrewer – Rog Leistad
Click to expand...

Um, I'm hoping you just forgot to include "The Homebrewer's Garden" and "The Brewmaster's Table" from that list - otherwise your library is not complete. he he.

Also, that's right I'm a pap-smear (hmm, gross). I just didn't get that much out of the book. However, regardless of what I got out of the book, I appreciate the hell out of it because of what it has done for the American beer scene in general. I shudder to think what beer would be like in America right now without that book. Someone should write a paper on the impact that the book has had on American beers. You could track the number of craftbrewers and homebrewers in America and number of published and sold beer books since the Papazian came out. Any college kids on the forum? :ban:
 
cowain said:
Um, I'm hoping you just forgot to include "The Homebrewer's Garden" and "The Brewmaster's Table" from that list - otherwise your library is not complete. he he.

Also, that's right I'm a pap-smear (hmm, gross). I just didn't get that much out of the book. However, regardless of what I got out of the book, I appreciate the hell out of it because of what it has done for the American beer scene in general. I shudder to think what beer would be like in America right now without that book. Someone should write a paper on the impact that the book has had on American beers. You could track the number of craftbrewers and homebrewers in America and number of published and sold beer books since the Papazian came out. Any college kids on the forum? :ban:
Click to expand...
Now I have to find those books too?!:confused:
 

Similar threads

RufusBrewer
Distilling Book - Got One You Like?
Replies
1
Views
513
forestbeekeeper
F
R
I finally bought the book
Replies
16
Views
1K
MagicRat
MagicRat
P
A few beginner questions...
Replies
9
Views
999
PeterG
P
C
Best brewing system for 5-15 gallon batches
Replies
25
Views
1K
Ninoid
Ninoid
Clint Yeastwood
More Refractometer Woes
Replies
36
Views
2K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top