Best Homebrew Books?

[bigHEDbrewCo.]

Extreme and protect extreme brewing by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head

 

[shoreman]

How to Brew reads more like a text book, Mosher's book is nicely laid out, and interesting to read.

Well, Randy is also a well seasoned graphic designer. Presentation does make a difference.

 

[GPNewBrew]

But OP asked about books, not about discussion forums.

One of the advantages of a discussion forum is that it builds on the knowledge found in books. Over time, if a forum can attract and retain knowledgeable people, the forum becomes an excellent resource.

As for learning how to brew, it can be as 'simple' as identifying the right people to listen to, then finding the places (books, discussion forums, podcasts, recorded conferences, ...) where they contribute.

As with others, “How to Brew” and “Brewing Classic Styles” are the best first reads and benchmarks. As for what the forums provide, I would advise to “be careful”. Some “good sounding” advice you get on the forums isn’t exactly “good” advice, and really flys in the face of “how to brew” and “joy of brewing”. Mostly everything I read in forums is good ideas and has provided me with the means to get out of a jam; but sometimes it’s bad advice.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

One of the advantages of a discussion forum is that it builds on the knowledge found in books. Over time, if a forum can attract and retain knowledgeable people, the forum becomes an excellent resource.

As for learning how to brew, it can be as 'simple' as identifying the right people to listen to, then finding the places (books, discussion forums, podcasts, recorded conferences, ...) where they contribute.

As for what the forums provide, I would advise to “be careful”. Some “good sounding” advice you get on the forums isn’t exactly “good” advice, and really flys in the face of “how to brew” and “joy of brewing”.

Agreed.

As I mentioned earlier, following knowledgeable people (in whatever media they chose) can be helpful.

 

[Calder]

Papazian, 'The Complete Joy of Home Brewing', and 'The Homebrewers Companion', were my first books ..... back in the last Century they were at the cutting edge of brewing. Easy to read and well written, but a lot has changed. Worth picking up if you find them. I also had Noonan 'Brewing Lager Beer' back then; it was a little more technical and not as easy to read.

I bought a few cheap 'How to ....' books, but was not impressed. I still find myself pulling out Papazian occasionally.

Mostly my research and study is on the Internet since then, but have found that there are specialty books that go into more detail, or have more information contained in them than you can find on the internet. Once you have an idea of what you are doing, there are a number of specialty books that you can move on to, such as yeast mentioned above or the Belgian series 'Brew like a Monk', 'Farmhouse Ales', and 'Wild Brews', and many more depending on what styles you like.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

View attachment 609649I’ve had these since the 90s. Actually the only books I have on brewing...and the internet

I blame that "Better Beer and How to Brew It"!!! I picked it up a long time ago on a tour of the brewery in Frankenmuth Michigan. It is a terrible book on brewing, but was the first time I realized that I could brew beer at home. I have been curious if the author(s) stuck with brewing, as I never saw anything else with the name. Dave Miller's "The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing" was my go-to book for a long time.