Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer

[TasunkaWitko]

I just got this book and have been thumbing through it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1605291331/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

So far, I really like it! Will probably start reading it tonight.

What I am really liking is how it introduces you to all of the common beer styles (pale ale, brown ale, stout, porter etc - through the spectrum), and gives you basic, no-frills recipes for perfecting each style as you progressively learn to become a well-rounded brewer. This, to me, is a stroke of genius, and I do believe that I will follow along though those projects at the first opportunity.

There also seems to be a lot of practical information in the book as well - fundamentals that a person can inadvertently miss out on, and I also like the old-school approach to label design, but that's just who I am....

Has anyone else read this book? Any impressions?

 

[Geronimo13]

I haven't read it yet but just ordered it. It'll give me something to read this weekend. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[popsicleian]

I used it to brew my first two batches earlier this year before I moved on to bigger batches/equipment. I thought it was a great book, and it made things pretty clear and easy.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Last night, I read the book up through their descriptions of the most common styles of beer. I can't remember them all at the moment, but there was pale ale, wheat beer, saison, Scottish ale, abbey ale, barleywine, brown ale, stout, porter, pilsner - not necessarily in that order.

Within each style, the book described a few variations, such as hefewezien, IPAs, biere de garde. kolsch, old ales and so forth. Good descriptions and interesting backstories to each style, I think.

The best part was that each style description also included a basic, no-frills recipe for a brewer to try; stripped down from any superfluous fluff, so that one could learn the fundamentals. There were also suggestions for experimentations, as well.

I've got a few pre-packaged mixes from Brooklyn Brew Shop that I need to brew; I also have ordered the ingredients for a couple of specific recipes, as well. After I brew my way through those, I think I'll work my way through each style as presented in this book and give them all a try.

Definitely a highly-recommended book!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I've finished this book, and definitely recommend it.