RdeVjun
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The latest HB book I picked up from the local library was Willie Simpson's "Home Brew" (Penguin, 2007), I recognised Willie from previous works and had high expectations for this book. Sadly, there's a fault or SNAFU of some kind on just about every page, which makes this book very difficult to read if you happen to know a thing or two, or at least think you do. Here's a couple of interesting quotes selected at random:
The standard advice from Willie for problem- solving though seems to be contact the LHBS if you run into strife and they'll have something (for sale of course) to fix all that ails your ale. Yeah, OK, sure. That would be fine if it wasn't published in 2007, by which time there were just one or two more media for the exchange of ideas about home brewing Willie. Little wonder there is a 15- page LHBS index in the back and links to mostly kit suppliers.
I suspect it was written years ago when things were grim in his HBS, got shelved and was latterly out of ideas/ got the boot as a foodie/ bevvie critic for Fairfax, or perhaps the micro brewery faltered, so pulled out a dusty, dog- eared manuscript that the publishers dared give a run in paperback. The book is not reflecting changes in methods that are now common- place, and while it is targeted to a naive brewer, he's completely unfamiliar with BIAB and every wort has to be chilled too, while his typical AG brewday runs for over six hours, but that's no real surprise.
Considering Willie has been about for a bit and seems to be well- connected, runs his own micro, I really expected better, while the quality of his "Beer Bible" really should've been a give- away, but this is where the book can lead the unsuspecting. There is some useful information to be gleaned and the process explanations are often quite thorough, but it is difficult to sift the wheat from the chaff, particularly for unsuspecting beginners. At least "Home Brew" seems to be spell- checked and structured, but the Eds need to take a long good hard look at themselves IMO and should've had a bit of scout around the marketplace before ticking this one off- sorry Willie, my local library has more informative, accurate books that are decades old.
My 2c... :icon_cheers:
FFS, I do hope that's not meant to be interpreted respectively...
Going out on a limb there mate, but I'd suggest that's a load of crap... try that with bleach or meta in your bottles and see how you like it then.
The standard advice from Willie for problem- solving though seems to be contact the LHBS if you run into strife and they'll have something (for sale of course) to fix all that ails your ale. Yeah, OK, sure. That would be fine if it wasn't published in 2007, by which time there were just one or two more media for the exchange of ideas about home brewing Willie. Little wonder there is a 15- page LHBS index in the back and links to mostly kit suppliers.
I suspect it was written years ago when things were grim in his HBS, got shelved and was latterly out of ideas/ got the boot as a foodie/ bevvie critic for Fairfax, or perhaps the micro brewery faltered, so pulled out a dusty, dog- eared manuscript that the publishers dared give a run in paperback. The book is not reflecting changes in methods that are now common- place, and while it is targeted to a naive brewer, he's completely unfamiliar with BIAB and every wort has to be chilled too, while his typical AG brewday runs for over six hours, but that's no real surprise.
Considering Willie has been about for a bit and seems to be well- connected, runs his own micro, I really expected better, while the quality of his "Beer Bible" really should've been a give- away, but this is where the book can lead the unsuspecting. There is some useful information to be gleaned and the process explanations are often quite thorough, but it is difficult to sift the wheat from the chaff, particularly for unsuspecting beginners. At least "Home Brew" seems to be spell- checked and structured, but the Eds need to take a long good hard look at themselves IMO and should've had a bit of scout around the marketplace before ticking this one off- sorry Willie, my local library has more informative, accurate books that are decades old.
My 2c... :icon_cheers:
