# Beer Books



## Swinging Beef (19/8/08)

Id like to get myself a few brewing books to learn from.
Brew like a Monk is one, and John Palmers How to brew.
What other suggestions?


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (19/8/08)

Swinging Beef said:


> Id like to get myself a few brewing books to learn from.
> Brew like a Monk is one, and John Palmers How to brew.
> What other suggestions?


The latest edition of Noonans Brewing New lager also covers Ale HERE What was he thinking  
GB


----------



## mika (19/8/08)

'Designing Great Beers' - Ray Daniels
' Radical Brewing' - Randy Mosher
'Wild Brews' - ? (Don't actually own a copy of this yet)

And subscribe to Zymmurgy (through the American Homebrewers Association) and BYO (Brew Your Own)


----------



## Brewtus (19/8/08)

'Home brewing for dumbies' is an OK first book.


----------



## HoppingMad (19/8/08)

Agree that "Homebrewing for dummies" is an excellent book (a little skewed in material and measurements towards the yanks but that's ok).

Others on the shelf in regular use:

- "Home Brewing - A practical guide to all forms of brewing" by Michael Rodgers-Wilson. Small book, easy to understand, written by an aussie and covers everything from kit, to extract, to full mash. It's pretty cheap too and if you can't find at your HBS you can find them in plenty of secondhand bookstores. Surprisingly handy for its size.

- "The Home Brewer's answer book" by Ashton Lewis. Very comprehensive troubleshooting book, got one a couple of months ago from Borders Bookstore. Great for when you're thinking a brew is going off the rails and need some fast info to sort it out. The guy is a columist for Brew Your Own Magazine in the US and writes a troubleshooting Q&A column so knows his stuff. 

- "Brew Ware - How to Find, Adapt & Build Homebrewing Equipment" by Karl F.Lutzen & Mark Stevens. Has plans and ideas for all the gear you could ever want and then some. Have used this extensively to help set up my AG stuff, but has plenty of nifty things that would inspire the brewing gearfreaks out there who like to build their own. Was a harder book to get a hold of and had to get it on order from my local bookstore. Publisher is Storey Publishing. Amazon probably have it.

Just got a copy of John Palmer's "How to brew" myself and it is great too. 

Hopper.


----------



## Back Yard Brewer (20/8/08)

Beer Captured is a good source of info. I regulary flick through it to pick up ideas.

BYB


----------



## mattwest (20/8/08)

The Complete Guide to Beer & Brewing (Laurie Strachan) is also good and is written from an Australian perspective.


----------



## wambesi (20/8/08)

WestOzBrew said:


> The Complete Guide to Beer & Brewing (Laurie Strachan) is also good and is written from an Australian perspective.



Even though it is (apparently) a little dated I want to get a copy of Charlie Papazian's book.
I can't recommend How to Brew 3rd edition enough - for all level brewers.
Also just got Ray Daniels Designing Great Beers - another great book, goes into a lot of detail. Maybe more than I'm after right now but damn interesting!


----------



## white.grant (20/8/08)

I have been reading a couple of Michael Jackson's books lately to expand my knowledge of styles and flavours -- _The great beer guide; 500 classic brews_, and _The eyewitness guide to beer.

_cheers

Grant


----------



## glennheinzel (20/8/08)

"Brewing Classic Styles" by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer. It has 80 recipes that have won awards in the last couple of years.


----------



## ozpowell (20/8/08)

"The Homebrewer's Companion" by Papazian

Subscribe to BYO Magazine (USA - 8 issues/year) and join American Homebrewer's Association (includes a subscription to Zymurgy - 6 issues/year).
Subscribe to Beer and Brewer Magazine (Austrialia - 4 issues/year).


----------



## wakkatoo (20/8/08)

Recently ordered and awaiting delivery on the following:

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition
The Homebrewer's Companion
How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time
Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles
The Homebrewer's Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs 
Clone Brews: Homebrew Recipes for 150 Commercial Beers

Meant to add BLAM to the order but forgot  .Next time! 
Can't comment on how good each one is obviously but I bought them and not others based what I'd heard from other brewers, forums as well as Basic Brewing where all of the authors have been interviewed at some stage.

Also a subscriber to Beer and Brewer B) . Want to subscribe to BYO but would like to get my hands on a copy first just to check it out (anyone know somewhere in sunshine coast / widebay region that has them, local hbs hasn't got them). Also have to convince the Minister for War and Finance :unsure: 

Cheers

Chris


----------



## nick_lavender (20/8/08)

Hey,

+ 1 for 'Brewing Classic Styles' and John Palmers 'How to Brew'.

With those two books you can't go wrong!


----------



## SJW (20/8/08)

> The latest edition of Noonans Brewing New lager also covers Ale HERE What was he thinking
> GB



This is a great book and one all AG brewer should have.

Steve


----------



## Julez (20/8/08)

SJW said:


> This is a great book and one all AG brewer should have.
> 
> Steve




+1!! Pre-Noonan, Designing Great Beers by Daniels has been my bible for understanding fundamentals of recipe formulation and constructing my own recipes without brewing software, which I continue to do. Noonan is starting to be refered to a lot more for me now though, for its more in-depth technical descriptions. Both great books!


----------



## Back Yard Brewer (20/8/08)

Rukh said:


> "Brewing Classic Styles" by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer. It has 80 recipes that have won awards in the last couple of years.




Yep got that one as well. Another good source that I "regulary flick through"

BYB


----------



## drsmurto (20/8/08)

DrGonzo has lent me the following books

Noonans (great info on the entire process with lots of chemistry for nerds like me)
Kolsch (helped me design my first kolsch)
Weizens
Pale Ale
And a marzen/oktoberfest book IIRC

Have been reading and re-reading the first 2. learn something new each time.

As for BYO magazine, not all that impressed TBH, some interesting advice but you have to sift thru a whole lot of waffle. The Q&A section at the beginning is the prefect example of how to answer a question using 10 times the amount of words required.....Had to raise the eyebrows when they suggested adding 0.8kg of carapils to a 19L batch of czech pils..... WTF?

Much rather read the books.


----------



## Fourstar (20/8/08)

recently processed a purcahse for:

Brewing classic styles - Jamil & john
Designing great beers - Ray Daniels

$51.17 to the door via Amazon.com for an extra $20 could have got Radical brewing, was taken back slightly as it is pased on extract. for the applciation though its still portable to AG. should have got it.

Amazon is a good resource for brewing books, even with the excessive shipping cost is still worth the $.


----------



## barry2 (20/8/08)

HoppingMad said:


> - "Brew Ware - How to Find, Adapt & Build Homebrewing Equipment" by Karl F.Lutzen & Mark Stevens. Has plans and ideas for all the gear you could ever want and then some. Have used this extensively to help set up my AG stuff, but has plenty of nifty things that would inspire the brewing gearfreaks out there who like to build their own. Was a harder book to get a hold of and had to get it on order from my local bookstore. Publisher is Storey Publishing. Amazon probably have it.
> 
> 
> Hopper.



Available secondhand through various booksellers associated with abebooks.com at

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResu...p;x=37&y=13


----------



## wakkatoo (20/8/08)

Fourstar said:


> Amazon is a good resource for brewing books, even with the excessive shipping cost is still worth the $.



Agree on that. Tried to find my books locally with no luck. When I asked about ordering at some of the bookshops they looked at me as tho I had 3 heads (no probs with wine books!!! <_< ). 
In the end I went with Amazon because 1) they had the books I wanted and 2) they were by far the cheapest price I could find even with international postage.


----------



## wakkatoo (20/8/08)

Woo Hoo!! Just arrived in the mail. Gotta lot of reading to do B)


----------



## enoch (20/8/08)

I got into AG via Dave Miller's "Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer" which has has some excellent material if you are into the why not just how.


----------



## samhighley (20/8/08)

I picked up Palmer's How To Brew recently at Borders in Canberra, and it was only $16.95 for the latest edition.

Sam


----------



## braufrau (20/8/08)

Back Yard Brewer said:


> Beer Captured is a good source of info. I regulary flick through it to pick up ideas.
> 
> BYB



Yeah . I've found clone brews very helpful too. Actually more than helpful because it taught me about IBUs, malts and and colour in reference to commercial beers that you can pick up from the bottle shop and compare.

It also showed me how to make an extract brew without too much fuss. Moved on since then so now I'd recommend brewing classic styles as a better extract recipe book. I suppose it depends if you want to clone commercial types or brew to style. 

You could always buy both! But get beer captured rather than clone brews because the authors say they did a better job on that book!

I have brew like a monk but its not as dog eared as the recipe books. 

I've also borrowed radical brewing and designing great beers. Designing great beers is a bit painful with all its statistics on what malt was used in competitions for which style, while radical brewing is a really great read with some interesting philosophy on ingredients.


----------



## HoppingMad (20/8/08)

enoch said:


> I got into AG via Dave Miller's "Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer" which has has some excellent material if you are into the why not just how.



Have this one too (yup, my bookshelf is looking a little overloaded with Brewbooks!). Is quite good. From memory has a few recipes as well, but has been a while since I've opened it.

Slightly off-topic but if you're a little on the stingy side like myself and don't want to subscribe to a US brewmag, you should get a copy of iTunes on your computer and subscribe to the free Brewing Podcasts. Have been getting into Basic Brewing Radio of late and has been quite good to hear about how the yanks are experimenting with styles like the APAs and Belgians. Good way of staying up to date with what's happening out there without the outlay.

Hopper.


----------



## Stuster (20/8/08)

Gryphon Brewing said:


> The latest edition of Noonans Brewing New lager also covers Ale. What was he thinking



Lager lout.  

Radical Brewing for creative ideas to get you thinking outside the box.
Brew Like a Monk for Belgians.


----------



## Fourstar (20/8/08)

wakkatoo said:


> Woo Hoo!! Just arrived in the mail. Gotta lot of reading to do B)



How long ago did you order? ive been waiting since it was shipped on the 6th for mine. ETA on the website says sep12!

My mate ordered some CISCO networking manuals and got them in 2 weeks. I hope mines soon!


----------



## wakkatoo (20/8/08)

Fourstar said:


> How long ago did you order? ive been waiting since it was shipped on the 6th for mine. ETA on the website says sep12!
> 
> My mate ordered some CISCO networking manuals and got them in 2 weeks. I hope mines soon!



Shipped on the 8th

I was expecting them on the 15th of Sept so it was a bit of a surprise to get them today B)


----------



## KillerRx4 (20/8/08)

Fourstar said:


> Amazon is a good resource for brewing books, even with the excessive shipping cost is still worth the $.



An even cheaper source for books I found is > http://www.bookdepository.co.uk

They offer free international shipping.

I got Brewing classic styles for $16.27 delivered. + bank charged 0.40 currency conversion fee.


----------



## glennheinzel (20/8/08)

KillerRx4 said:


> An even cheaper source for books I found is > http://www.bookdepository.co.uk
> 
> They offer free international shipping.
> 
> I got Brewing classic styles for $16.27 delivered. + bank charged 0.40 currency conversion fee.



Free international shipping?! Giddy up!


----------



## glennheinzel (20/8/08)

Rukh said:


> Free international shipping?! Giddy up!



There goes 50 squid. I just bought-
* Designing Great Beers
* Clone Brews
* The Homebrewers Garden
* Farmhouse Ales 
* Belgian Ale (from Classic Beer Style series)
* German Wheat Beer (from Classic Beer Style series)
* Eyewitness Companion: Beer

Its not like I was saving money by buying bulk. I guess I just got trigger happy when I saw the books at half the price that I would pay here. :beerbang:

Edit: PS. I hope the A$ is still strong.


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (20/8/08)

Stuster said:


> Lager lout.
> 
> Radical Brewing for creative ideas to get you thinking outside the box.
> Brew Like a Monk for Belgians.


Stuster you are right! I am a Lager lout, thats me ,learnt a lot from "Brewing New Lager"
GB


----------



## WarmBeer (21/8/08)

I got "Home Brew" by Willie Simpson from the local HBS. Very simple, easy to follow, and approachably Australian in style. He also writes for the Age online sometimes.


----------



## TidalPete (21/8/08)

wakkatoo said:


> Want to subscribe to BYO but would like to get my hands on a copy first just to check it out (anyone know somewhere in sunshine coast / widebay region that has them, local hbs hasn't got them). Also have to convince the Minister for War and Finance :unsure:
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Chris



Join your local library mate. They often order books & mags for their shelves that library members ask for. They may even have a few good brew books on hand?

TP :beer:


----------



## Rurik (21/8/08)

The CAMRA guide to home brewing by grame wheeler is the best book i have read for the beginner/intermediate. It is a good clear no nonsense guide to brewing that does not inundate you with useless information (which i feel palmer does) but does not treat you like an idiot. I also like it's ethos to brewing, keep it simple,


----------



## Stuster (21/8/08)

Gryphon Brewing said:


> Stuster you are right! I am a Lager lout, thats me ,learnt a lot from "Brewing New Lager"
> GB



Fair enough. That's what you like so isn't it great that you can brew it. :icon_cheers: 

I've actually been brewing and enjoying a few lagers recently. Pretty happy with the Dortmunder I made (and I'll see how it goes in comps) and will make some more next winter.


----------



## drsmurto (22/8/08)

Rukh said:


> There goes 50 squid. I just bought-
> * Designing Great Beers
> * Clone Brews
> * The Homebrewers Garden
> ...



You bastards!

So many good books and the $$ are cheap even with the shrinking AUD.

Tempted by 

Clone Brews
Principles of Brewing Science 
Porter (from Classic Beer Style series)
Designing Great Beers 
Stout (from Classic Beer Style series)
Altbier (from Classic Beer Style series)

44 quid delivered is ridicolous! 

Thankyou Mr Swan!


----------



## wakkatoo (22/8/08)

TidalPete said:


> Join your local library mate. They often order books & mags for their shelves that library members ask for. They may even have a few good brew books on hand?



Yeah tried that. Got that 3-headed look again <_< and they seemed a little funny on the whole 'order from overseas thing'. Would not have been a prob with B&B tho. Ahh well, I've got more than enough reading material atm, so it can wait till later.


----------



## ozpowell (23/8/08)

Rukh said:


> There goes 50 squid. I just bought-
> * Designing Great Beers
> * Clone Brews
> * The Homebrewers Garden
> ...



Awwww maaaan! Just ordered:


Grape vs Grain
Farmhouse Ales
Pale Ale
Belgian Ale
Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium (Hardcover  )
Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide

Haven't told the wife about it yet.... Think I'll wait until the credit card bill arrives. Better to ask forgiveness... B)


----------



## captaincleanoff (23/8/08)

after reading this thread, I had a little impulse buy of 6 books on Amazon too...

this forum is dangerous sometimes


----------



## ozpowell (28/8/08)

ozpowell said:


> Awwww maaaan! Just ordered:
> 
> 
> Grape vs Grain
> ...


FYI - two of my books arrived Tuesday - I ordered them last Thursday!!!!!!  3 BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE UK!!!!!

The two that arrived were the two Michael Jackson books - in separate packages.... Still waiting on the other 4, talk about slack


----------



## dc59 (9/10/08)

Hey I noticed a few people have bought the "Classic Beer Series" books and was wondering what peoples thoughts are on them. Inparticular I'm planning on placing an order on the Mild Ale and Pale Ale books.

Thanks for any advice, Dave


----------



## white.grant (9/10/08)

wakkatoo said:


> Yeah tried that. Got that 3-headed look again <_< and they seemed a little funny on the whole 'order from overseas thing'. Would not have been a prob with B&B tho. Ahh well, I've got more than enough reading material atm, so it can wait till later.



That's so lame. You've got just as much right to access material about your hobby as the tole painters, local historians and woodworking enthusiasts do. I'm a public librarian and we order OS stuff all of the time, and doubly quick if someone asks for it. I love it when we get requests for titles from the customers, takes all of the guess work out of collection development and you know at least one person is going to read it.  

At the very least they could offer to Inter library loan it for you. Don' t take no for an answer

cheers

grant


----------



## hockadays (9/10/08)

Dravid said:


> Hey I noticed a few people have bought the "Classic Beer Series" books and was wondering what peoples thoughts are on them. Inparticular I'm planning on placing an order on the Mild Ale and Pale Ale books.
> 
> Thanks for any advice, Dave




I have two of the books from this series, pilsner and helles and there very good. Check on amazon and read the reviews before you buy.


----------



## wyatt_girth (9/10/08)

I have used the Canadian Amazon site a couple of times. I probably should have checked the rate before postng so I hope it is still ok.


----------



## lagers44 (9/10/08)

I have both the Pale Ale & Mild books, they are a good read with recipes to work through and give a good starting point. If you have others in the series then it's more of the same but different styles.
I personally think the mild book spends a little too much time on waffle about history & olden times techniques, but in all good books to have on hand.

Lagers


----------



## youngy (10/10/08)

just some info.

Purchased:
How to Brew, 3rd Edition
Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew

from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk

Ordered on a Thursday afternoon. 1st book arrived on the Wednesday, the next on the Thursday.

I can recommend the site.

Youngy


----------



## Pennywise (10/10/08)

youngy said:


> just some info.
> 
> Purchased:
> How to Brew, 3rd Edition
> ...




+1, free & fast delivery, very cheap, I ordered HTB 3rd, Classic styles Porter, clone brews. Heaps cheaper than amazon if you plan on getting a few books at once, with free delivery I couldn't help myself :icon_cheers:


----------



## Damian44 (10/11/08)

Would Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes be the best book to get for recipes?


----------



## Goofinder (11/11/08)

Don't know about the best book for recipes, but I reckon it's a good book. It's got descriptions of all the styles and a recipe or two of each. They're all extract with grains recipes, with an all-grain option listed as well. I haven't made any of the recipes, but it's a good book to have a flick through and get ideas from.


----------



## justsomeguy (12/11/08)

Got this book and really like it.

Its a really good 'one stop shop' for each style. Rather than having to search multiple sources for a recipe they are all in once neat little book. Brew the recipes a couple of times and tweak the results to your liking. At least they give a consistent starting point for someone who may not have brewed a certain style before.

gary.


----------



## Damian44 (12/11/08)

Thanks guys. I ordered the book from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/ . I forgot to put in NSW in the adress. I sent them an email to tell them, and they emailed me straight back saying it had been amended. Most helpful.


----------



## wyatt_girth (26/11/08)

youngy said:


> just some info.
> 
> Purchased:
> How to Brew, 3rd Edition
> ...



Good tip youngy. I ordered How To Brew from Book Depository on the 16th - arrived today. Cost $24 Australian and free shipping. Very hard to beat that.
Cheers


----------



## white.grant (26/11/08)

wyatt_girth said:


> Good tip youngy. I ordered How To Brew from Book Depository on the 16th - arrived today. Cost $24 Australian and free shipping. Very hard to beat that.
> Cheers



Yes the free shipping is very attractive.

thanks for the tip.

cheers

Grant


----------



## Damian44 (26/11/08)

My book turned up pronto as well.


----------



## youngy (4/11/09)

Paypal has $20 cashback for orders over $100 for the book depository.

http://www.paypal-offers.com.au/shopoverseas/


----------



## brettprevans (4/11/09)

wiki on brew books and brew related readings

Ive check on about 70% of the ones listed and most are available on bookdepository.


----------



## sumo (4/11/09)

Also try betterworldbooks.Use promo code ptk0809 for 10% off.


How to Brew = AU$20.40 on today's exhange rate. 
Designing Great Beers = AU$23.90

It does cost US$3.97 per book, but that's still cheaper that book depot.


----------



## ianh (4/11/09)

If you want to compare the price of books go to 

booko.com.au or google for booko


----------



## Jonez (5/11/09)

WestOzBrew said:


> The Complete Guide to Beer & Brewing (Laurie Strachan) is also good and is written from an Australian perspective.




Laurie has another book called " Great beers of the world and how to brew them at home" I think it is from memory.


----------

