Book Reviews

Unless you're surrounded by other homebrewers who can impart their wisdom upon you at any time, it's difficult not to have to learn something about beer and brewing from books. Internet forums are great as well since you get information directly from other homebrewers who have applied their knowledge and can give you practical advice. In the beginning, I didn't know a single person who brewed and I wasn't aware of the internet forums, so the information I learned from reading the "experts" was invaluable to my early education. In truth, a good majority of the information on this website can be directly or indirectly attributed to those texts. That said, take what you want from this page, but understand that there's absolutely no substitute for hands-on application of what you learn from books and other brewers.

• "The American Brewery: From Colonial Evolution to Microbrew Revolution" by Bill Yenne (2003) - Filled with fantastic pictures, this book highlights the historical development of beer from colonial America through the present day. While not as comprehensive as Gregg Smith's book (see below), this book is valuable for its imagery and a great introduction to the topic.

• "The Beer Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Finest Craft Beers" by Stephen Snyder (1996) - This is the book that started me down the path of beer appreciation and, ultimately, homebrewing. With the exception of brief sections on beer ingrdients, beer styles, beer glasses and how to properly enjoy beer, this book consists primarily of historical background and subjective tasting notes on various craft-brewed beers from around the world. This book is informative and a useful guide to those interested in learning more about the commercial brews exemplifying the world's classic beer styles and how best to enjoy them.

• "The Beer Drinker's Bible: Lore, Trivia & History: Chapter & Verse" by Gregg Smith and Carey Getty (1997) - This book is little more than an encyclopedia of beer-related terminology. That's not to say this is not a great book. Gregg Smith is a nationally-recognized beer writer and his genuine enthusiasm for and understanding of beer and brewing is evident. However, this book offers nothing in the way of "how-to" and is better classified as a resource for those interested in beer history.

• "Beer in America: The Early Years - 1587-1840" by Gregg Smith (1998) - Beginning in colonial America and ending with the Lager Revolution and the start of the industrialization of brewing in the 19th century, Smith sets forth the historical evolution of beer in America with an emphasis on the role beer played in American history. This book is fairly easy to read and extremely informative. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a passion for beer and an appreciation of American history.

• "The Brewmaster's Bible" by Stephen Snyder (1997) - Although this "how-to" is generally not regarded as a quality reference, I found the information in this book to be invaluable. In fact, it was the first homebrewing book I ever purchased, and I still reference this book when I have a question today. The information in this book is presented in a very straight-forward and organized fashion. However, with experience, I can say that the scope of the book is a little limited on advanced homebrewing techniques. The true value of this book is the wealth of homebrew recipes. Only 108 of the 355 pages of this book are set aside for instructions on how to brew and technical information, the rest being dedicated to recipes. That said, I love this book, I wish it was given more respect in homebrewing circles and I definitely recommend it to beginning and novice homebrewers.

• "Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them" by Stan Hieronymus (2005) - I'm still reading this one, but I love what I've read so far. A full critique will be forthcoming.

• "Brew Ware: How to Find, Adapt & Build Homebrewing Equipment" by Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens (1996) - The name says it all. This is not a "how-to" brew but rather a "how-to" build a homebrewery. Some of the ideas in this book are shocking in their simplicity while others require more than a little mechanical "know-how." Regardless, unlike the authors' other collaboration - "Homebrew Favorites" (see below) - I consider this book a "must-have" for any serious homebrewer.

• "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, 3rd Edition" by Charlie Papazian (2003) - The father of American homebrewing, Papazian breaks down homebrewing in the quintessential homebrewing "how-to" on the market. Papazian's informal, easy-to-read style is comforting to novice and intermediate homebrewers and this book contains up-to-date information on advanced homebrewing techniques as well. His mantra "Relax. Don't Worry. Have a hombrew!" has guided me through many tough spots. I reference this book every single time I have a question regarding homebrewing and Papazian usually has an answer for me. This is a book no homebrewer should be without!

• "The Complete Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm (2003) - A "how-to" on making what is quite possibly the world's oldest fermented beverage - mead. Beginning with an historical account of honey wine, Schramm guides the reader through the world of brewing mead with loads of good practical advice. This book is defintely a resource every aspiring meadmaker should own.

• "Clone Brews" by Tess and Mark Szamatulski (1998) - Subtitled "Homebrew Recipes for 150 Commercial Brews," this book is a good resource for novice and intermediate homebrewers looking to clone their favorite commercial brews. There are alot of great beers broken down in this book, but I've personally had mixed success replicating these commercial beers. I appreciate the variety of beers included in this book, but my humble opinion is that 33 recipes for commercially-brewed pale lagers are WAY too many, especially when many of the beers I've never even heard of and will never get to try. The point of this book is to allow homebrewers to clone their favorite commercial brews. How many homebrewers can the authors honestly think have ever tried (or even heard of) Windhoek Lager from Namibia, Africa?! That said, there are many good recipes in this book and I've tried many of them, so I do recommend it.

• "Farmhouse Ales" by Phil Markowski (2005) - Haven't gotten to this one yet. A full critique will be forthcoming.

• "Great Beer Guide" by Michael Jackson (2000) - The "Beer Hunter" provides a bit of history and brief tasting notes on 500 of the world's greatest commercially-brewed beers. You are guaranteed to read about hundreds of beers you probably never knew existed. This book is a fantastic resource for beer aficionados hoping to learn something (or something more)about classic beers. However, once you know beer well enough to truly understand and appreciate what it is you're drinking, there's not much else this book can offer besides a little entertaining "bathroom reading."

• "Great Beers of Belgium, 3rd Edition" by Michael Jackson (1998) - The world's foremost beer writer bends his talents to exploring the uniquely exquisite beers and brewing traditions of Belgium. This book, while of very little use as a practical resource for homebrewers, is an indispensible guide to Belgian beer. Anyone interested in learning about Belgian beer must purchase this book.

• "Heavenly Beer: A Taster's Guide to Monastery Tradition Ales and Lagers" by Roger Protz (2004) - Protz is considered one of the world's leading beer writers and advocates, but this book was a little disappointing. I was hoping for more brewing-oriented information, but I guess I should've read the subtitle before I had any hopes about the content of this book. My subjective expecations aside, this book is a simple, easy read taking the reader through the various beers and beer styles we might attribute to monastic brewing traditions. While I found some of Protz's conclusions (those regarding a current beer's link to an historic monastic brewing tradition) a bit of a stretch, this book was entertaining and informative all the same.

• "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher (1998) - An easy-to-read, informative look at how to grow your own hops, malts and brewing herbs at home. This book is by no means an exhaustive resource on the topic, but it's a great introduction nonetheless. Of particular interest are the recipes in the back for exotic brews, such as gotlandsdricka, mumm and sahti, as well as interesting takes on classic beer styles, like oregano pale ale, honey basil ale and dandelion stout. Definitely a worthwhile investment, especially if you garden.

• "Homebrew Favorites" by Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens (1994) - Nothing more than a recipe book. Not my favorite. Some styles are over-represented while others are not given enough consideration. Strangely, the book seems to have invented a new style of beer. I've never seen nor heard of a beer style called "Texas Brown Ale" outside the context of this book, yet the authors provide us with five recipes for this "style." Curious... I've never brewed a single recipe from this book. That said, I almost always reference it when deciding what ingredients to use in whatever beer style I'm currently trying to replicate. Although the recipes are helpful in that regard, this book is definitely not a "must-have."

• "New Brewing Lager Beer" by Gregory Noonan (1996) - Widely regarded as a leading treatise on advanced homebrewing concepts and techniques, this book is not light fare. The first part of this book is dedicated to the ingredients in beer rather than their use in brewing. I feel that most of the material in this section is of little practical use to the average homebrewer; it appears geared more for the commercial craft brewer. To understand this section of the book, I felt like I should've prepared myself before reading this book by studying chemistry, botany, biology, geology, etc.... The point is that there's more information in this book than necessary for the average homebrewer. That said, once I fought (or skipped) my way through the first part and delved into the sections of the book dedicated to actual brewing techniques, I loved it. This book is nowhere close to the "readability" of Papazian, but I recommend it to any all-grain brewer.

• "Premium Beer Drinker's Guide: The World's Strongest, Boldest and Most Unusual Beers" by Stephen Beaumont (2000) - Another "good beer" guide written by a leading beer advocate and writer. This book limits itself to "big" beers. Beaumont also includes a brief section on beer appreciation. Not a "must-have," but a quality read all the same.

• "Radical Brewing" by Randy Mosher (2004) - This is a flat out fantastic book on homebrewing and I highly recommend it to homebrewers of all skill levels. However, it would help to approach this book with a basic understanding of homebrewing. The point of this book is not so much to teach you how to brew beer, but rather how to appreciate the historical roots and endless possiblities of brewing. If you want to learn how to brew a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone, there are hundreds of other resources you could reference. On the other hand, if you're a passionate homebrewer with any interest at all in beer history, exotic beer styles and learning to brew outside the proverbial box, this book is for you. No other book I know of can boast recipes for extinct or nearly forgotten beer styles such as gose, kvass and Pennsylvania swankey as well as interesting twists on old favorites, such as tangerine porter, chanterelle ale and schwarzbracket. Get this fucking book! You will not be sorry.

• "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation" by Steven Harrod Buhner (1998) - Wow! Quite possibly my favorite book about beer. Not a "how-to," this book delves into the ancient roots of beer and other alcoholic beverages derived from plants and grains. The focus of this book is two-fold: explaining the use of honey, herbs and other plants in brewing beer and exploring the great social and religious importance of beer within the world's indigenous cultures. Although beer no longer holds the status in today's society that it once did, this book completely changed my perspective on the historical relevance of beer and homebrewing. Just as alluring as the message, there are many, many interesting and exotic recipes in this book. I highly recommend this book to every homebrewer.

• "Ultimate Beer" by Michael Jackson (1998) - In my opinion, this book is the best book on beer appreciation out there. Jackson doesn't explore beer style-by-style but rather situation-by-situation. Ever wonder what beer to serve as an aperitif? What about the best style to pair with pickles and pâtés? What beer might you use in a dessert? Should you serve a pale ale in the same glass I would serve a Bavarian hefeweizen? Jackson has the answers. This is a book every beer lover must have.

• "Wild Brews: Beer Beyond the Influence of Brewer's Yeast" by Jeff Sparrow (2005) - This is a great book. For anyone who loves Belgian beer, especially lambics or Flemish sour ales, this book is a "must-have." The author delves into the history and tradition of lambics and "wild brews" like no author I've read before. The information presented in this book was very helpful in truly grasping what these beers were, what they are and what they are not. The book is by no means overly-technical, but having a background in homebrewing or at least a workign knowledge of the brewing process is important before opening this book since very little on "how-to" is presented.