Old question asked again: which book to read first?

[GQT]

Gents, I know this question is popped up every now and again but the problem is everyone who asks has his own stack of titles to choose from!

OK I have read Randy Mosher's Mastering Homebrew (great work) and now I'm having the following sitting on the corner of my desk:

- I Hornsey, Brewing
- C Bamforth, Beer Tap Into...
- S Calagione, Extreme Brewing,
and 4 serious volumes about 800 pages each, sure they come the last. I'll turn to them after I have brewed at least five batches.

I know many would recommend John Palmer, How to Brew, but I don't have it on paper and I don't read massive texts off the screen (eyes too sensitive), so the choice it from the above.
Sure I will read them all, but in what order should I proceed?

I'm a total newcomer to the hobby with experience one step up from zero.
My target is to brew at home to no lower than industrial standards (I'm a lazy bone when it comes to work but a perfectionist in my hobbies ).

I am a long term expat in China, hence my access to raw materials and ingredients is very, very limited hence not only I need to learn to brew but I need to learn to brew good beers out of materials of unstable quality and questionable freshness. Tough but I believe still possible.

Wish me the best and please advise me on reading.

 

[noggins]

personally I've never read a book. period. I learn by doing and by watching and by failing but if you must read I'd say just start reading one, if you get lost put it down and try another, then repeat, then re-read them all again in the same order, and again in reverse order, and buy more books and keep reading and if you can't follow something you read, read something else and then go back to what you didn't understand to read it again and then re-read them all again, and watch hundreds of hours of youtube videos, and listen to podcasts, and do this all while brewing and getting hands-on learning at the same time and don't worry about being a perfectionist at first and don't be afraid to make mistakes and do spend all your free time on homebrewtalk.com

 

[Puddlethumper]

John Palmer's "How to Brew" is probably as good a primer as you're likely to find IMO. It'll take you from the absolute basics to about as much chemistry and physics as you can handle.

 

[kh54s10]

Look at the books you have. Try to read them in order of the way it is presented. Beginner first to advanced. I haven't read any of those but by title I would say it the order that you have them listed. I don't know the other books that you have but I would put Extreme Brewing last on the list. You need to bet the basics down first.

If you are totally into "My target is to brew at home to no lower than industrial standards (I'm a lazy bone when it comes to work but a perfectionist in my hobbies )." You may not get far in this hobby. There is a learning curve. You are not likely to produce these types of results straight away.

 

[h22lude]

Brewing and Beer Tap Into...don't seem like the best books to read to learn how to brew. They seem more of a brewing overview than actual instructions on how to brew from beginning to end.

Sam's book is good but it doesn't go into great detail. That was the first book I read. I did learn from it but no book is better than How To Brew. There are a few other goods ones similar (The Homebrewer's Companion and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing) but I liked How To Brew the best. Any of the 3 would be better than the ones you have.

You are asking what book you should read first. I say How To Brew. I know you said you want us to pick from the 3 you have but I don't think those will help much. Sam's book will be a good read but you will learn a lot more with How To Brew.

 

[lhommedieu]

You can learn the ABC's of brewing by reading what is available on HBT. I am endebted to Palmer for introducing me to basic brewing, but I am more indebted to members' answers to hundreds of questions about brewing. I would suggest that before asking questions on HBT, that you Google: "(your question) + HBT". I have also been extremely lucky to find a mentor here.

Gordon Strong's "Brewing Better Beer" offers some valuable perspectives on developing a system for brewing, learning how to understand the capabilities of your equipment, developing a personal style that works for you, etc.

Stan Hieronymus' "Brew Like a Monk" presents an interesting discussion about the variables inherent in brewing Trappist ales; you can apply these lessons to other kinds of ales.

Read Terry Noonan's "Brewing Lager Beer" if you ever want to brew lagers.

Kunze, deClerk, for advanced brewing.

 

[jrgtr42]

I don't know Beer Tap Into, and Extreme Brewing seems a bit advanced for a new brewer. It does presume you're at least proficient in brewing.
I think of those 3, Brewing seems like the best one to start with.
I do recommend getting a print copy of How to Brew (I would recommend that even if you read the online version; the online is the first edition, there have been plenty of updates since then. I also recommend getting and reading Charlie Papazian's Comeplete Joy of Homebrewing. Palmer is more of a numbers and science guy, Charlie more of a 'feel' guy; he doesn't necessarily brew to a particular style, he rolls with mistakes. His mantra is "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew." Both books are part of my library and are consulted regularly.

Edit: I just looked at Beer: Tap Into... on Amazon, and it does seem interesting, but more about the history of beer than actually brewing, especially homebrewing.
I would now say to read those 3 you have in the prder they are listed.

 

[h22lude]

You can learn the ABC's of brewing by reading what is available on HBT. I am endebted to Palmer for introducing me to basic brewing, but I am more indebted to members' answers to hundreds of questions about brewing. I would suggest that before asking questions on HBT, that you Google: "(your question) + HBT". I have also been extremely lucky to find a mentor here.

HBT is a great resource. When I first started I spent hours a day reading posts. What I like about reading a book is you don't need to look for questions that you don't know to ask. If you didn't know about an auto siphon, you wouldn't know to look or ask about it on HBT where as if you read a book it will most likely mention it. Reading How To Beer and browsing HBT is the best of both worlds.

A good way to search is "site:homebrewtalk.com your question". This will bring up on HBT links.

I don't know Beer Tap Into, and Extreme Brewing seems a bit advanced for a new brewer. It does presume you're at least proficient in brewing.
I think of those 3, Brewing seems like the best one to start with.
I do recommend getting a print copy of How to Brew (I would recommend that even if you read the online version; the online is the first edition, there have been plenty of updates since then. I also recommend getting and reading Charlie Papazian's Comeplete Joy of Homebrewing. Palmer is more of a numbers and science guy, Charlie more of a 'feel' guy; he doesn't necessarily brew to a particular style, he rolls with mistakes. His mantra is "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew." Both books are part of my library and are consulted regularly.

Edit: I just looked at Beer: Tap Into... on Amazon, and it does seem interesting, but more about the history of beer than actually brewing, especially homebrewing.
I would now say to read those 3 you have in the prder they are listed.

Extreme Brewing was a good book for me when I began. Sam did talk about brewing from start to finish. It just isn't as detailed as How To Brew.

If you have to read 1 of thoes 3, I'd say Extreme Brewing is your best bet. If you can buy another one, I'd say How To Brew

 

[mrgrimm101]

I started with a basic little book that came with my beginner kit. However, the 2 I would recommend are:

-The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian
-How To Brew by John Palmer

Papazian takes a pretty relaxed, casual approach to brewing which is great for beginners because it lets them get comfortable with the process and terminology without getting too scientific. The phrase "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew!" (RDWHAHB) comes from Papazian's approach to homebrewing.

Palmer takes a more scientific approach and gives a lot of very helpful information, but I would stress a basic understanding of the brewing process and jargon before really getting an understanding from Palmer. IMO, his book is a lot more detailed and fact oriented.

Aside from that, I watched a lot of Youtube videos on various parts of the process to get an understanding of how and why.

Good luck!

 

[kh54s10]

Aside from that, I watched a lot of Youtube videos on various parts of the process to get an understanding of how and why.

Good luck!

I agree that YouTube videos are great. But, when looking at a particular type of brewing video, for instance "all grain brewing", watch a lot of them. Look for what they are doing the same and be cautious if one person recommends doing something that is nowhere else to be found.

There is a lot of great info and some not so good info. You need to learn to be able to disregard the crap info.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I agree that YouTube videos are great. But, when looking at a particular type of brewing video, for instance "all grain brewing", watch a lot of them. Look for what they are doing the same and be cautious if one person recommends doing something that is nowhere else to be found.

There is a lot of great info and some not so good info. You need to learn to be able to disregard the crap info.

Agreed. Watch some videos from reputable sources as well as regular users. A lot of organizations (breweries, homebrew stores, highly acclaimed brewers, etc.) make videos that show various steps in the process, ranging from novice to expert.

 

[fosaisu]

I know many would recommend John Palmer, How to Brew, but I don't have it on paper and I don't read massive texts off the screen (eyes too sensitive), so the choice it from the above.

If you learn best from reading a physical book as opposed to piecing things together from online forums (I'm the same way myself) then I'd recommend springing the $13 and picking up How To Brew. It's almost ten years old now so a few of the suggestions are out of date with current thinking (e.g. usage of secondaries) but it's the best one-stop read I've seen for getting started.

But if you really don't want to buy another book and are eager to get started brewing, I'd put some time in on the beginner forum here. All the information in the Palmer book (and much more) is available on HBT, you'll just have to dig around for it a bit more.

 

[wanderlost]

It's a new book, but I looooove Brew Better Beer. It has so many pictures and made me feel very confident going in because I had visual cues to every process in brewing an AG batch of beer. It explains the basics but gets down to business and is really, really good for a beginner I think. I read Papazian and I think Brew Better Beer is better for the beginner.