Best Book for New Brewer

[mrschmitt]

I am very interested in getting into Home Brewing Beer. I have brewed both beer and wine at a U-Brew business, but have never done anything like this at home. Could you please suggest the best book(s) that I might get to help me get into the hobby. I'm looking for something that is geared towards beginners.
Thanks
Matt

 

[Kaz]

'How to Brew' by John Palmer for the basics of all brewing aspects and 'Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation' by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff for how to get the most out of your yeast.

 

[Pilgarlic]

I heartily recommend "How to Brew". Palmer has structured the book so that one may very easily keep it simple or go deeper.

 

[itsme6582]

How to Brew is online. It's an older edition but it's a good start. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is another fantastic resource. I think Yeast is a little advanced for your needs. It'll just get you asking all kinds of questions that you don't need to worry about yet. Get the basics down. Then you can start getting into more advanced methods.

 

[Benthic]

Palmer's How To Brew...without a doubt. I have a copy that I refer to often. I also have a copy of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, but I don't find it nearly as useful.

Brian

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

The homebrewers bible:

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing: Charlie Papazian

 

[boo boo]

www.howtobrew.com is best

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

'Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation' by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff for how to get the most out of your yeast.

way too advanced to start with. Great book, but save it until you have a dozen or so batches under you belt.

 

[Idlehanz]

I also suggest How To Brew. Helped me a lot when I first started. Which wasn't to long ago.

 

[CAustin919]

Another vote for How to Brew.

That and spending a *few* hours in front of this site with a brew in hand has really helped me so far.

 

[jonmohno]

How to brew, Joy of homebrewing,and this site mostly and looking at kit instructions/ingredients. Also reading grain hops yeast descriptions and your favorite craft brew ingredients,Everything you need to know.

 

[bighand]

Another vote for How To Brew by Palmer.

 

[Idlehanz]

That and spending a *few* hours in front of this site with a brew in hand has really helped me so far.

Good point. I've found this forum to be more helpfull than any book I've read. You can type any question into the search and you'll likely find your answer.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I highly recommend How To Brew, even if it is starting to be a bit outdated. Joy of Homebrewing is very outdated; I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[wolverinebrewer]

Good point. I've found this forum to be more helpfull than any book I've read. You can type any question into the search and you'll likely find your answer.

Absolutely! And this information is up to date, more interesing, but ever-changing.
But if you must read, two more sources that haven't been mentioned are BYO and Zymurgy (you get when you join the AHA) magazines.

 

[Veinman]

Anyone wanting to start out should read how to brew. If you're not going all grain you don't need to read that chapter but it wouldn't hurt to to understand all grain if you want to try it someday.
I love this forum as well for advice but I find its better for asking specific questions you have with process, recipe, fermentation etc.
If you read how to brew first and then come on here with specific questions you'll be much more able to explain your problem, ask a clear question and understand the answers you're given.

 

[cms]

I read (the first third of) Complete Joy of HB before my first batch and How to Brew after my first batch. Both are great (HTB was more concise and directed, but CJOHB was entertaining and much deeper) but I think I got the most preparation information from watching youtube videos of people doing extract kits.

 

[Oldyote]

I have The Joy of Home Brewing and How to Brew but the best book I've found is Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing. It does not dive into the nuances but overall it is a great book that is written very well.

 

[badsneaker]

I have The Joy of Home Brewing and How to Brew but the best book I've found is Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing. It does not dive into the nuances but overall it is a great book that is written very well.

I agree. Those along with the Immense Wealth of experience you can find on HBT should get you off to a good start. Then of course you need to start brewing, and compare what you did right and what you think you did wrong with what other HBT members have experienced. It's all here.

 

[Gridlocked]

I also vote for Palmer's How to Brew. I've read parts of it multiple times. It's a GREAT resource.

 

[gunnieyehoshua]

Read it online...

How to Brew

 

[Johns259]

How to Brew, then Radical Brewing once you feel you've got the hang of things.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Radical Brewing reads like a comic book. little substance, little depth, lots of novelty sidebars and amusing pictures and factoids. I'd be curious as to what some of its fans think is the book's main strength or contribution.

 

[remilard]

How to Brew (buy the current version) and then follow it up a few months into the hobby with New Brewing Lager Beer by Noonan which is the best non-technical comprehensive brewing guide, imo.

Other great books:

Principals of Brewing Science, Fix
Designing Great Beers, Daniels

Noonan, Fix and Daniels have everything you need to produce beer of the highest quality but Palmer is a bit more hand holdy which will be valuable for the first dozen batches or so.

 

[Johns259]

Radical Brewing reads like a comic book. little substance, little depth, lots of novelty sidebars and amusing pictures and factoids. I'd be curious as to what some of its fans think is the book's main strength or contribution.

Personally, I think as a new brewer it gets you out of that strict SOP mindset (e.g., I accidentally put a half ounce more hops than the recipe called for - my batch is ruined). After reading Palmer's more hand-holding, "here is how you do it" approach and all of its formulas, etc., and following that approach for a while, I think Radical Brewing provides with a different perspective that is refreshing. I can remember how much easier it was to relax about a batch or have confidence in my own recipes or tweaks on other folks' recipes after reading it.

More of a mental thing for a new brewer than the substance or depth it offers.

 

[iparks81]

The joy of homebrewing!!!!

 

[MrMeans]

The Brewmasters Bible is a good one. How to Brew and the Complete Joy of Homebrewing are both excellent books too. Browse amazon. I get all of these books on there used for under $10 each.

 

[MathMan]

+1 for How to Brew
Also, for reading it in order to get more from this forum. I feel Palmer does a good job of noting different opinions on procedures/philosophies (i.e. Secondary fermentation) than when you read opinions of others on here, you've got a better idea about where they may be coming from and the merits of their methodology.

I just began Radical Brewing and have really enjoyed it, but to be honest I think I'd enjoy it less without previous knowledge I received from How to Brew. Maybe it's because I enjoy playing with numbers, but Palmer gave me the confidence to create my own recipes and know that in the end, I'll still have beer (almost) no matter what I do/don't do.

 

[Oldyote]

Radical Brewing reads like a comic book. little substance, little depth, lots of novelty sidebars and amusing pictures and factoids. I'd be curious as to what some of its fans think is the book's main strength or contribution.

In a nutshell, everything you need to know about making great beer is in there, and explained in a way that doesn't scare the reader off. Plus Mosher has chapters devoted to beer styles including great recipes. Mosher actually has talent as a writer and you don't end up feeling like you are reading a text book.


I realize that people wanting to know about conversion factors for ion concentrations might be disappointed. But for the average brewer (especially one just getting started), Radical Brewing provides you with all the tools you need not only make great beer, but understand how it turned out that way.

And if you want to learn about Estimated Final Yeast Cell Count Based on Initial Count and Starter Size, there is always How to Brew.

 

[midfielder5]

the current paper version of How to Brew.

 

[Dome555]

I know the horse is damn near in the ground by now but How to Brew answered many of my questions before I knew enough to ask them.

 

[birvine]

How to Brew builds a great framework, then reading lots of posts on HBT fill probably all of the gaps. Any remaining gaps can be answered with your own question.

B

 

[K5MOW]

'How to Brew' by John Palmer is great.

Roger

 

[MikeMayhem]

+1 for How to Brew. It's with me every brew day and I still pick it up between them and read through stuff I should know by heart just to keep it fresh.

I love my combination of How to Brew and Brewing Classic Styles. And while not a Brewing book, I highly recommend Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher to round out your knowledge base of beer history, beer styles, and all things that Ale ya.


Sorry Charlie, but "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" is collecting dust with a set of Brittanicas these days.

 

[Pilgarlic]

I haven't cracked "Complete Joy of Homebrewing" in almost a year. I continue to read and absorb Palmer, "New Brewing Lager Beer", "Brewing Classic Styles", "Designing Great Beers", "Brew Like a Monk" and others.

For the beginner, "How to Brew" wins hands down.

 

[ongreystreet]

I've got the Joy of Homebrewing book, and would recommend it.

I keep telling people, my most important piece of brewing equipment as a new brewer was this book. Way too many people learning the hard way. A lot of people putting the cart in front of the horse by brewing first, learning/reading second.

 

[Andy_LV]

I think, this forum itself has more valuable and up to date info, that is usually cross-referenced/checked by rather large amount of actual home brewers, than Palmer's book, however, it makes a nice relaxing sort of zen-reading

 

[Pilgarlic]

This forum can be very confusing, though, to a beginner who is unable to confidently sort through and reconcile conflicting information. The O.P. is right to seek out the best beginner's book he can find.

 

[JohnnyGunn]

Agreed with everyone...How to Brew by Palmer gets my vote! I'm just learning...and this book is answering most of my questions as they arise. For the quick answers I need though...HBT is a great resource!

 

[thebeers54]

I have How to Brew and The Complete joy of Homebrewing.. I like HTB a bit more though both are full of good info.