beer books

ok so ive read How to brew, designing great beers, and the complete joy of homebrewing, and i want to get some more books, and just wanted to know whats recomended. Im currently looking to buy jamils yeast book, and brewing classic styles, but also want to know what else is worth reading?

I think Radical Brewing is the one I've enjoyed the most.

JZ's yeast book, radical brewing, and then brew like a monk, farmhouse ales, and wild brews are the next ones on my list to buy. granted that doesn't help you know if they're worth reading

I like the books from the classic beer styles series.

Chris White's book Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation seems like one on a topic that is often overlooked somewhat. I have heard some good reviews (or were they plugs) for it, but haven't read it myself.

yeast is pretty good- i don't want to give away the ending BUT- he becomes darth vader. brewing with wheat is a good one - wild brews is awesome. if you like to read about beer, probably any book is going to be good. the encyclopedia of beer and the oxford companion are great toilet books- you can randomly open them to an entry that corresponds to the size of your bowel movement and read away...

It sounds like you don't have anything on yeast which I'll admit can be super technical and boring but super important nonetheless. I'd suggest going that route to expand your knowledge toall areas of brewing. Designing beers is great and all but you also need to know about what actually makes those beers more than just sugar water.

Brewing better beer by Gordon Strong is a good book.

I can give you a good recommendation of what NOT to buy... Do not buy "Extreme Brewing" by Sam Caligione. I heard lots of people raving about it on HBT, bought it and it is a useless extract brewing book for people who like to throw really weird crap in their beer - much like the author.

How to Brew Like a Monk was excellent however. If you like the Belgian style it is an excellent book.

The Brewmaster's Bible by Stephen Snyder is worth a look.

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is a really interesting book as well.

For something different, I suggest Charles Bamforth's Grape vs. Grain. It provides and interesting comparison of the histories of beer and wine.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm gonna check out brew like a monk, I've been drinking alot of Trappist beers lately and am really enjoying them, I'd like to learn more about the brewing process

i find it kind of odd that there isn't more literature out there on homebrewing. Just a handful or two of real solid books.

How to Brew, Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Brewing Classic Styles, Homegrown Hops etc.

Homebrewers garden, more there than just growing ingredients. Nice list of alternative bittering agents, well not really alternative more like what used to be used b4 hops was the king.

bottlebomber said:

I can give you a good recommendation of what NOT to buy... Do not buy "Extreme Brewing" by Sam Caligione. I heard lots of people raving about it on HBT, bought it and it is a useless extract brewing book for people who like to throw really weird crap in their beer - much like the author.

Click to expand...

I second this review, without passing judgment on anyone who likes to add unique ingredients to beer. There are a number of beers in there that look interesting, but nothing that has made it onto my to do list. Lots of short essays on various brewing related subjects, but nothing really substantial to work with. Most of the instructions seem like the notoriously vague instructions you would get with a kit.

Brewing Classic Styles, on the other hand, is worth every penny. It provides lots of key information about each beer style, and a damn good recipe for each style. I flip through that book and get a little overwhelmed by all of the recipes I really want to try.

Highly recommend Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher.. A nice mix of the basics and wild variations.

http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Brewing-Recipes-World-Altering-Meditations/dp/0937381837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334173146&sr=8-1

Hmm... it appears that you folks haven't been keeping the Wiki up-to-date....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Homebrewing_books

I just checked out Yeast by Chris White, Beer Craft by William Bostwick, and The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Hops, Malts, and Brewing Herbs by John Peragine. No idea if they're any good, but the last one doesn't look to be as informative as I'd like. Beer Craft sure looks pretty, but I don't know if it's anything more than a re-hash of information found, oh, everywhere else?? And Yeast might just be a bit over my head, but that can only be a good thing.

Brewed Awakening by Joshua Berstein is a very enjoyable read. He goes into the culture of craft brewing and makes it fun. Designing Great Beers is more like a text book. Still struggling to finish that one.

The Oxford Companion to Beer makes a great coffee table book to read tidbits of beer info whenever you have a minute. I gave it to my father for Christmas and got it on my iPad.

I also enjoyed Radical Brewing and Farmhouse Ales. Brewmasters Table is good so far as well.

I'm also interested in reading about the history of beer, or beer styles if any one has anything to suggest

I recently read Charlie Papazian's "Microbrewed Adventures"--checked it out from the library. It's a collection of his beer related travels and experiences all over the world, a memoir, more or less. I found it pretty interesting, and it includes recipes--either clones of beers he's tried from all over the world, or the brewer's actual recipe. Can't vouch for how good or not some of these are, as I haven't tried any yet. Chip Walton of brewing tv plugged the book in the most recent episode; he brews a tweaked version of Brooklyn Brewery's Chocolate Stout, from the book.

Not a brewing book, but Travels With Barley by Ken Wells was a fun read. More about his journey to find the best brew pub along the Mississippi, he delves into different aspects of the history of the industry between narrative chapters.
Won't help your brewing, but it does remind us that beer is supposed to be fun (as well as the life consuming obsession that it is threatening to become).

If you're interested in the history of Porter and Stout, my book Porter! has way more than you'll ever need to know about the subject:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/ronald-pattinson/porter/hardcover/product-20043530.html;jsessionid=E439F6E3AB945D93AFC1C6698A2933E9