Best beer books according to redditors

We found 1,359 Reddit comments discussing the best beer books. We ranked the 220 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Beer:

u/dave9199 · 54 pointsr/preppers

If you move the decimal over. This is about 1,000 in books...

(If I had to pick a few for 100 bucks: encyclopedia of country living, survival medicine, wilderness medicine, ball preservation, art of fermentation, a few mushroom and foraging books.)


Medical:

Where there is no doctor

Where there is no dentist

Emergency War Surgery

The survival medicine handbook

Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine

Special Operations Medical Handbook

Food Production

Mini Farming

encyclopedia of country living

square foot gardening

Seed Saving

Storey’s Raising Rabbits

Meat Rabbits

Aquaponics Gardening: Step By Step

Storey’s Chicken Book

Storey Dairy Goat

Storey Meat Goat

Storey Ducks

Storey’s Bees

Beekeepers Bible

bio-integrated farm

soil and water engineering

Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation

Food Preservation and Cooking

Steve Rinella’s Large Game Processing

Steve Rinella’s Small Game

Ball Home Preservation

Charcuterie

Root Cellaring

Art of Natural Cheesemaking

Mastering Artesian Cheese Making

American Farmstead Cheesemaking

Joe Beef: Surviving Apocalypse

Wild Fermentation

Art of Fermentation

Nose to Tail

Artisan Sourdough

Designing Great Beers

The Joy of Home Distilling

Foraging

Southeast Foraging

Boletes

Mushrooms of Carolinas

Mushrooms of Southeastern United States

Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast


Tech

farm and workshop Welding

ultimate guide: plumbing

ultimate guide: wiring

ultimate guide: home repair

off grid solar

Woodworking

Timberframe Construction

Basic Lathework

How to Run A Lathe

Backyard Foundry

Sand Casting

Practical Casting

The Complete Metalsmith

Gears and Cutting Gears

Hardening Tempering and Heat Treatment

Machinery’s Handbook

How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic

Electronics For Inventors

Basic Science


Chemistry

Organic Chem

Understanding Basic Chemistry Through Problem Solving

Ham Radio

AARL Antenna Book

General Class Manual

Tech Class Manual


MISC

Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft

Contact!

Nuclear War Survival Skills

The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm

u/JakeRidesAgain · 42 pointsr/DIY

Okay, I'm gonna give you the "you don't need lessons to home brew" lesson.

First, it's easy. It's easy as hell. All you're doing is boiling sugar, hops, and water, cooling it down, and adding yeast. You can buy the sugar (known as malt extract) in cans, so you don't even have to mess with grains. Later, you can get into creating your own extract (and recipes) with grains and a mashtun, but malt extract is step one.

Second, go buy "How To Brew" by John Palmer. It's the bible of home brewing books. You might see others, like "The Joy of Home Brewing" by Charlie Papazian, but start with Palmer's book. It's more recent, and I feel like it's written to grow with you. Once you get past the extract batch and go to steeping with grains, he's got a chapter on that. Once you go from steeping with grains to "mini-mash" (where you make half a batch of extract and make up the rest with malt extract) he's got a chapter for that. When you've been brewing for 5 years and you go "man, I want to figure out what's up with my water and how I can make it better," he's got a chapter on that.

Third, listen to brewing podcasts. I would highly recommend the Brewing Network. John Palmer (the guy I just talked about) and Jamil Zainasheff (he wrote another prominent brewing guide called Brewing Classic Styles) both appear on there, and in fact have a show together called "Brew Strong." The early episodes of the Session are also great, they've gotten away from home brew in later years, but are making a return to it currently. Doctor Homebrew is great when you're ready to start competing, and Lunch Meet is fun as hell and has nothing to do with beer. Seriously, I've learned more from the BN than I have from reading How To Brew cover to cover. They've got a way of talking about things that makes it fairly easy to understand.

Fourth, some equipment advice. When you buy a kettle, you'll be tempted to save a few bucks and buy a 5 gallon kettle. Spend the extra 20-30 bucks and buy a 7 to 10 gallon aluminum kettle. The biggest problem you're going to have in the beginning is sanitation. If you're boiling your beer in a concentrated boil, where you boil 3 gallons and add 2 once the boil is over, you're gonna have a bad time. Just do a "full wort" boil, where you boil everything, transfer it to your fermenter, and add your yeast. There are so many things that can go wrong in fermentation, and they're all caused by bacteria and wild yeast. Boiling the whole shebang at once decreases those chances greatly.

I would recommend finding someone who might be into brewing beer, selling them real hard on it, and at least having a buddy on brew day, if not someone you share equipment and costs with. Cleanup is easily the biggest killer for most people in the hobby, and having two people to mop, sanitize bottles, and scrub the kettle when it's all said and done can really make the difference.

Also, the homebrewing subreddit here is fantastically helpful. I'd start with /r/homebrewing and Palmer's book, and work your way up.

u/mturk · 38 pointsr/geek

The book on the counter is Tasting Beer. Based on the colours, I would say it's this book.

Note: I'm not a creepy stalker. I just like mysteries. I think that in the case of the upside-down beer bottle spice rack, the solution is a beer connoisseur.

u/itsme_timd · 35 pointsr/beer

Sit down with a beer flavor wheel and use that to guide you.

What the wheel does is help you pinpoint what flavors you're tasting. You may recognize a flavor as fruity but not be able to discern what fruit it is, the flavor wheel gives you some suggestions to help you narrow it down.

Some flavors will be things you may have never tasted but the aroma and feel reminds you of those things - like leather, hay, horse blanket. If you want to get serious check out Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

Everyone's palate is different, so if you don't taste what someone else does in a beer don't sweat it, it's all about your personal experience.

u/LambdaStar · 26 pointsr/Homebrewing

The main differences between sours and "standard brews" is the addition of bacteria and Brett yeasts in addition to Sac yeasts, a much lower AA% to allow those bacteria to grow, a mash that allows some unmodified starches into the wort to feed the bugs, and... time- fermentation takes at least six months and more realistically years.

Get /u/oldsock 's book American Sour Beers and check our his Mad Fermentationist website.

It's super fun and rewarding to brew sours. You should do it and ignore all the people that say get two separate sets of gear. They are wrong and I will fight them.

u/[deleted] · 23 pointsr/Homebrewing

A few thoughts:

  1. Half a pound of peated grain in a five gallon batch is a fair amount. If you used Simpsons -- which is probably the most common peated malt available -- the peat character is quite strong. Unless you're a fan of Islay whisky, you might have overdone it.

  2. You probably underpitched. I'm guessing between your base recipe, the steeped grain, and the sucrose, you were probably in the 1.075-1.080 OG range? If it was a more robust kit, you could be significantly higher than that. Assuming 1.075 OG, with one packet of US-05 you would nominally be underpitching by about 23%. Nominally. You rehydrated in 75° F water, when you should have rehydrated with 95-105° F water. At the temperature you rehydrated, you could have lost as much as 50% of your cell count, meaning you underpitched by more like 61%. But wait, there's more! It sounds like you proofed your yeast. This is a bad idea for a number of reasons. First, because the point of rehydrating dry yeast is to allow the yeast cells to reconstitute their cell walls before they are exposed to the harsh environment of sugary wort. Rehydrating in sugar water defeats this purpose. Second, dry yeasts are packed with nutrients that help them ferment through all the sugar in wort. When you proof them, they start using those nutrients and depleting their sterol before they even get into the wort. How much all of this might impact your beer is up for debate; fortunately US-05 is quite a clean yeast. If you're interested in learning more about handling beer yeast, I strongly recommend Jamil Zainasheff and Chris White's book Yeast.

  3. Pitching more yeast won't really do anything. It will give you a bit more alcohol -- since you said you tossed it in with sugar water -- but the flavor and attenuation aren't likely to be significantly impacted.

  4. The fact that you say you plan to bottle when airlock activity slows suggests to me that you don't use a hydrometer. Get a hydrometer. Do not bottle your beer until you are certain fermentation has stopped. Airlock activity is not a good indicator of fermentation, and if you bottle before fermentation has stopped you can wind up with exploding bottles. Really, get a hydrometer.

  5. As has been noted in other comments, if you usually transfer into secondary by opening your primary bucket spigot above your carboy, stop. Get a tube to run to the bottom of the carboy so you can avoid oxidizing your beer. Or better yet, skip secondary altogether. There really isn't much point to it.
u/ikyn · 20 pointsr/askscience

This will get you started

This guy is pretty incredible. I've been talking with him, and he's helping guide me through the process a little. I plan on doing an exchange with him if I come out with anything viable.

This is the next step

I haven't read this yet, but it's on the docket.

Past those, you start to get into some serious microbiology texts that I'll leave my sister (who just graduated from Cornell University in biology, with a focus on fungi) and just ask her for advice.

u/awildturtok · 19 pointsr/Homebrewing

The description and ToC read like what I imagined Hops and other element books would be. (Which I found all to be a little underwhelming, except Water which I found overwhelming as hell).

I'm really looking forward to this! Your blogposts are one of the best source of information without having to read the actual research.

u/mattigus · 18 pointsr/Homebrewing

www.northernbrewer.com is a great source for brewing equipment and ingredients. They only charge a flat shipping fee and a lot of the equipment is bulky, so it might be a good idea to get everything at once from them.

Here's a basic starter set for brewing beer. It has all the tools you need to get started (minus bottles, but I think he can find his own). It also comes with an instructional DVD, as well as 3 different starting recipe kits. If he likes porters, I'd recommend the Caribou Slobber.

You can also browse for ingredient kits and recipes for different beers. Make sure you look for "extract recipe kits." You can browse this list for a beer he might like.. Remember, each batch will give you 5 gallons of beer (usually).

Also, for books, definitely check this one out. Essential literature for a homebrewer.

u/Dasberger · 18 pointsr/Homebrewing

The Mad Fermentationist has quite a bit of information on his blog about the production of sours and wild ales. Links to his site and the book he wrote below.

Site: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/brewing-sour-beer-at-home.html

Book: http://www.amazon.com/American-Sour-Beers-Michael-Tonsmeire/dp/1938469119/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427060330&sr=8-1&keywords=american+sour+beers

u/ammolite · 17 pointsr/beer

My fiance started brewing with a 1 gallon kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. He liked their kits since they're all-grain and don't use extracts. The instructions are easy to follow, and there are some free videos available online as well. The beers he's made with the kits (I believe he's used four so far) have been pretty good, despite a few "user errors." (Trouble with filtration for one, accidental over-carbonation for another.) Mind you, the kit DOES NOT include bottles, caps, a capper, or the various pots/strainers/funnels you tend to need for brewing. You can purchase these items separately from Brooklyn Brew Shop's site, or poke around on Amazon.

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-making-kits

Northern Brewer also sells a nice 1-gallon starter kit (it includes a capper, caps, and an auto-siphon for bottling, but doesn't have a thermometer like Brooklyn Brew Shop's kits). Their mixes use extracts, which some homebrewers aren't as fond of, but they are much higher quality than Mr. Beer. I've never used a Northern Brewer kit or tried a Northern Brewer beer, but I've heard good things. I've ordered supplies from the company twice before (big orders and bulky/awkward items) and they are an absolute pleasure to do business with. If nothing else, they're a great source for ordering additional supplies if you don't have a local homebrew shop.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/1-gallon-small-batch-starter-kit.html

If your boyfriend is really interested in homebrewing, you might want to consider getting him the book How to Brew by John J. Palmer. It's generally considered to be the most comprehensive book for new homebrewers. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009DH2PP4?btkr=1)

If he is NOT interested in homebrewing (he hasn't expressed a specific interest in brewing his own beer, and you simply think a homebrew kit would be an awesome present for a beer lover), you might want to rethink your gift. Enjoying craft beer and enjoying brewing beer are two separate things. While one does sometimes bleed into the other (you'd best like craft beer if you plan to make it in your kitchen), not all craft lovers enjoy brewing.

u/paradisepickles · 15 pointsr/beer

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher will help you to better understand and share how to taste beer. This will help you bartending at a brewpub because you'll be better at helping guests select beers and even chatting with them as you both describe what flavors you experience when drinking beer.

u/JamesAGreen · 14 pointsr/mead

World-class mead can be made in 3 months time. Almost every one of our meads at Schramm's are made within 3 months, and bottled in the 4th month (with the exception of our dry melomel 'Blackberry Sec' - this one gets an additional ML fermentation - and our cyser 'Apple' - this one is made by not pitching any yeast or nutrients at all, and ferments spontaneously over the course of 9-10 months). The highest-rated mead in the world is made in plastic primary fermentation buckets for a month (at ambient temperatures), followed by a month in secondary on glass, followed by another month in tertiary on glass. So I know it can be done by you, at home, without special equipment.

My best suggestion for you would be to understand your yeast: for a standard strength mead use 71B-1122 (low nitrogen requirement), ferment in the range of 61-65 deg F, rehydrate your yeast using Go-Ferm, and use nutrient additions of Fermaid-K (or Fermdaid-O) and DAP (diammonium phosphate) in proper amounts for the first 4 days after lag (as detailed in the January/February issue of Zymurgy). If you don't use fruit or root-spices, then you should look into adding something to buffer the rather rapid change in pH that occurs during fermentation, and potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate can do the trick for you here, too. This provides a source of nutrient as well as a pH buffer (something that honey lacks, unlike beer wort or grape wine musts). Above all, study, study, study and remember this axiom: quality in, quality out. You will get better, faster results with quality ingredients. There are a lot of free articles available online but there are also some great books out there that will help you understand yeast health and nutrition. I recommend the book 'Yeast' by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff, and there are some other mead-centric books I can point you to.

u/Mark____ · 14 pointsr/beer

The most recommended book is Tasting Beer -- www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405466079&sr=8-1&keywords=tasting+beer

It's written by a friend of the creator of the actual exam.

u/HotPoolDude · 14 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/JoeSicbo · 14 pointsr/Homebrewing

>the DEFINITIVE regiment

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Third/dp/0060531053

Get to work, son.

u/anadune · 13 pointsr/beer

If you can, get a copy of Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer, along with all of the other suggestions (Somm, describing what you're tasting) this is a great resource.

Additionally, depending on your location - see if there is a BJCP competition that is happening. Either volunteer to judge or steward. If you judge, you will be paired with an experienced judge (assuming it is a well run competition) and then talk with your partner judge(s). If you decide to steward, then be attentive and hover while working. Listen to what others are saying, and when the flights are done, sample the same beer.

u/Culb · 12 pointsr/beer

I'm currently reading Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher and love how thorough, yet easily digestible it is. For the more technical read I would check out the Brewing Elements Series.

u/acecartoons · 12 pointsr/beer

The gold standard is The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. Certainly more reference than prose, but never too dry to get through or enjoy. Probably my all-time favorite beer book.

u/machinehead933 · 12 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers. Buy it.

Most recipes will follow a relatively simple formula of 80%+ some base malt, filling in the rest with specialty malts for color and flavor. Of course, that's where you define the malt character of your beer so you will use different malts for say, an IPA, than you would for a stout. The same holds true for the type of hops used, and typical hopping schedules.

There's no shame in ripping someone's recipe from a forum somewhere and brewing it up - they posted to share the recipe! That said, if you want to make something from scratch, you should understand how different malts affect the brew. The book I linked is a great resource to do just that. It is not a recipe book, but rather a resource to gain a better understanding of what goes into recipe creation.

u/Mayor_Bankshot · 12 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers

This is about all you will need.

u/ab_bound · 12 pointsr/Homebrewing

A great resource for this is American Sour Beers, and the author's site: The Mad Fermentationist.

Both great resources with some excellent recipes that I am making good use of now that I am getting into lambics and wild fermentation.

Also, Dr. Miller (aka Dr. Lambic) has a good site - Sour Beer Blog I think.

That recipe will work great for a base beer, but do give this a read first

u/reddit-mandingo · 11 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/lowfatevan · 10 pointsr/beer

Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver is fantastic.

edit: thanks for the gold! :)

u/ranting_swede · 10 pointsr/Homebrewing

I like "how to brew" by John Palmer for a more textbook oriented reference, although I'm sure there are better options out there. If you're looking for a really in depth guide to specific styles, "Designing Great Beers" can't be beat.

And Finally: http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138

u/FishbowlPete · 10 pointsr/Homebrewing

My advice is to start simple.

I know it sounds like I'm being a buzzkill, but hear me out. A great beer isn't defined by the number of ingredients, but rather the harmony of those ingredients and the skill of the brewer. Look at Deschutes' homebrew recipes. Most of their non-specialty beers only have 3-4 items on their grain bill.

Also, if you only have a few ingredients (2-row, a specialty grain or two, carapils if necessary, and one hop variety) it will be easier for you to identify the character of those ingredients in the final beer. This is the first step in knowing your grains and hops. A malt/hop chart can only tell you so much. I agree that it's overwhelming at first, which is why my advice is to constrain your first few recipes to just a few ingredients.

Once you understand the character of the more common malts and hops, it will be much easier for you to start experimenting and adding more complexity to your recipes. You will also have more confidence that the recipe you put together will actually taste like what you want.

My method was to first start brewing recipes aimed at a very specific style. I picked up Designing Great Beers and brewed a few different styles out of that book. Since I knew what the styles were supposed to taste like and I only used a small set of ingredients, I learned how those ingredients contributed to the end result. Once I built up a baseline I felt much more comfortable experimenting. For example, I brewed a very good IPA and tweaked the recipe slightly to make a ginger pale ale that also turned out really great.

As for things like amount of malts and hops, boil time, etc. Get yourself some brewing software like beersmith. That will help you calculate IBUs and whatnot. Beersmith also comes with an inventory that has some info about the max percentage you should use for a particular grain in a batch.

To conclude, keep in mind that it won't all fall together right away. You'll research a ton and then you'll research some more. Just keep making recipes and keep brewing and eventually it will start to click.

u/familynight · 10 pointsr/beer

Go to a brewpub or brewery tasting room and order the sampler tray. If possible, do this at more than one brewpub/tasting room. If you need helping finding them (or good beer stores/beer bars), check out Beeradvocate's Barfly tool.

You'll get to try a bunch of different styles and, hopefully, find something local that you like. Take what you learn there and go to a good beer store. Tell them which styles you liked and ask for recommendations. If you can't find someone to recommend you beers (shouldn't be too hard, though), you can use beeradvocate or ratebeer to look stuff up or just go with random picks in styles that you enjoy. If you don't like something, move on and keep exploring.

For hefeweizen (Franziskaner) and pale ales, there are lots of good choices. For hefeweizens, Weihenstephaner, Ayinger, Schneider and Sierra Nevada Kellerweis would be good picks. For pale ales, there are just so many solid choices that you should try a few more and come back with more data for recommendations (if you're in Indiana/Chicago, it's hard to beat Three Floyds Alpha King). However, I encourage you to branch out and try other styles since it doesn't sound like you've had much beer that doesn't come from a macro brewery.

If you're moved to learn more about beer, here's a great book.

u/Projectile_Setback · 10 pointsr/guns

You should dump it and get a VP9 because that's what I use, and being an insecure, narcissistic piece of shit I want everyone else to validate my decision by using what I use.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888

There was also a neat little book out there about yeast Biochemical, Molecular, and Genetic stuff... HAve to remember the name.

u/ercousin · 10 pointsr/toronto

Homebrewing!

There are few things as satisfying as making your own beer from scratch. It's easier than you think and it will teach you more than you ever thought you could know about craft beer.

Check out http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html for free or buy the latest edition: http://www.amazon.ca/How-Brew-Everything-right-first/dp/0937381888

This book will teach you everything you need to know to progress from extract brewing (like making cake from a box) to brewing all grain beer (from scratch).

Check out the local community to ask your questions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GTA.Brews/
https://gtabrews.wordpress.com/

And the local shops for supplies:
http://torontobrewing.ca/
http://www.noblehop.com/

Feel free to ask me any questions you have!

u/TeeArrWilliams · 10 pointsr/Homebrewing

The oft-recommended suggestion is John Palmer's How to Brew

www.howtobrew.com/

The first edition is available for free on his website, and subsequent revisions are, of course, available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888

u/TheRealFender · 9 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers

Doesn't cover every style, but breaks down round 2 NHC entries across a couple years by ingredient and percentage.

u/DamienJaxx · 9 pointsr/Columbus

I do a little. It's not too difficult, it's pretty much like cooking anything - follow the recipe at first until you figure out what to change on your own to make different flavors. I'd recommend starting out with How To Brew by John Palmer. It has a good blend of technical plus practical advice.

Get yourself a simple kit, some grolsch style bottles and an ingredients kit. The most important part of brewing beer is sanitation - clean and sanitize everything! You don't want any stray bacteria getting into your batch and ruining it. If you've got a basement, that's a pretty good place for fermentation, otherwise a closet works just fine. The biggest problem I have is finding people to drink 5 gallons worth of beer.

Head over to /r/homebrewing for even more advice.

u/hoky315 · 9 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew is the only place to start.

u/dingledorfer2 · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

Congrats on your first batch. Extra water will lower the alcohol content a bit, but will give you more beer. If that's the only mistake on your first batch, you done good.

One thing I recommend for all new home brewers is getting a copy of How to Brew 4th edition, by John Palmer. It has all the information you'll need for quite some time.

https://smile.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Great-Every/dp/1938469356/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=how+to+brew&qid=1574294688&sr=8-3

u/BroaxXx · 8 pointsr/portugal

Eu começava por conviver um bocado com o pessoal da cerveja para conhecer mais sobre cerveja, trocar impressões e umas dicas em pessoa.

No Porto:

u/oldsock · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

Cheers! If anyone still needs to order, you can use this Amazon Associates link to give me a slightly larger cut at no cost to you!

u/Esse-Quam-Wideri · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

In Yeast, the authors specifically advocate in favor of raising the fermentation temp into the 70s towards the end of the fermentation. Essentially, the yeast have produced all of the esters and whatnot that they're going to produce in the primary phase (usually about a week). From there, increasing the temp just encourages them to eat more sugar (increasing attenuation) and eat their own byproduct (potentially actually reducing off flavors quicker).

You should be fine.

u/hellokhris · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

I get my data from textbooks. Also this one spends a great deal of time talking about dry yeast. You should read it sometime.

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Brewing Elements) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381969/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YpayybWV88PXN

u/left_lane_camper · 8 pointsr/beer

Water has a huge effect on how beer tastes/smells/feels/etc. However, a company like Diageo can absolutely purify and treat the water at one location to be just like another.

In addition, all Guinness draught in the the UK and the US is made at the St. James Gate brewery in Ireland, though some other Guinness products may be made elsewhere.

A couple years ago, I was at the St. James Gate brewery the day before I flew home to the US. I bought a can of draught at both the brewery and then another at my local grocery store, and the day after I got home myself and about 20 other big nerds double-blind tasted them. The consensus was that they were different, though only just. Had I not had them side by side, I don't think I could have distinguished them. There was a slight preference among us for the one from Ireland, but it was not universal, as the beers were extremely similar.

We also all felt that what differences we could detect could be easily explained by the slightly different ages and markedly different shipping conditions experienced by the two cans.

I pretty firmly believe the differences between how we experience Guinness in the US vs. in Ireland are almost entirely due to psychological factors. We're excited to try it in Ireland, and we're relaxed and on vacation, priming us to enjoy the experience far more than we would having it at our local faux-Irish bar here in the states.

Whenever I think back to when I first discovered something I now love, I find that it was a time I was happy, relaxed and open to new experiences. Usually out with friends or family and having a good time well before I tried whatever thing I now love. I think drinking Guinness in Ireland has the same effect. It's not that the beer is different in Ireland, it's that we are different in Ireland!

Freshness, presentation, clean lines, correct gas pressures/mixtures, etc. certainly all play some role, but a good bar should have those pretty well dialed in in either country, minimizing the effect.

u/ATXBeermaker · 8 pointsr/beer

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

u/_zsh · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

Buy this book. It will be the best $10 you'll spend.

u/Mazku · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

John Palmer's How to Brew is a classic. It was very eye opening for me (also with engineering background) and gave a very wide knowledge about every part of the process. Now I know whats really happening and how different factors affect. Some simple recipes also, but nothing eye opening there.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888


The next homebrewing book I'm going to get is Mitch Steele's (brewmaster for Stone Brewing Co.) book on IPA's. Watched couple BeerSmith's podcasts with him on and seems to know a lot and liked the way he talks about the issues.

http://www.amazon.com/IPA-Brewing-Techniques-Recipes-Evolution/dp/1938469003

u/HopsOnTheGreenLine · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

Both kits will get you started. I started eight years ago with something like the $90. kit. The second bucket is not necessary but if you stick with brewing for some time you likely will purchase a second fermenter, this mostly allows for you to clear your beer of some of the sediment. I recommend going with $100.00 kit as you can brew more often as you will have a primary fermenter open on a faster basis if you move beers to the secondary after a week. I also recommend purchasing a book you can keep with you when you brew, like "The complete joy of homebrewing." http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

u/He_Himself · 8 pointsr/beer

The Oxford Companion to Beer is really cool and Amazon just listed it at 60% off.

u/elj4176 · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

I would say take a look at Ray Daniels - "Designing Great Beers" and/or John Palmer - "How to Brew".

How to brew

Designing Great Beers

Those are two books I have used a lot.

u/fizgigtiznalkie · 8 pointsr/Homebrewing

It depends on the beer, for malty beer and darker beers I'd say yes, for hefes it's the yeast and grain is second, for pale ales, its the hops then the yeast and malt.

I read Designing Great Beers and it really teaches about how even the water is a big factor, temperature plays a role as well, some yeasts taste like cloves fermented cold and bananas fermented hot.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381500

u/SpaceInvadingMonkeys · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

I usually suggest The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charles Papazian which was a less dry read to me. However, both are informative and either will serve as a great introduction to homebrewing.

u/ThatMitchJ · 7 pointsr/beer

Here's a list of some good General Books on beer.

I'm fond of Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. It does a great job of introducing the history of beer, the different styles, and other great info. I recommend it to everybody who wants to learn about beer. http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

If you're interested in the history of American beer, Ambitious Brew is a great read. It's limited in scope to just the history of American beer, but that proves to be a rich subject. http://www.amazon.com/Ambitious-Brew-Story-American-Beer/dp/0156033593

Beer is Proof That God Loves Us, It's not the greatest book, but for free on Kindle, it's worth checking out. The guy knows his beer, he just is a big time Macro brewing apologist, and his constant praise for the big brewers, and his disdain for hops make it not my favorite book. There are some good anecdotes, and history of beer. http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Is-Proof-God-Loves/dp/0137065078

And I've heard good things about the Oxford Companion to Beer, though I haven't read it myself. http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z

u/bambam944 · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

Check out the book "Brewing Classic Styles" to learn more about recipes and beer styles. Designing Great Beers is another helpful book.

In most cases, using a secondary vessel for fermentation isn't required and in fact increases your chances of infection or oxidizing your beer. You can read more in the wiki here.

u/levader · 7 pointsr/TheBrewery

Always do a streak plate first to get isolated colonies. Then aseptically transfer 8-10 of the most uniform colonies to 5 mL sterile media, then 50 mL, then 500 mL allowing for 24 hrs of growth in each volume. The exact volume isn't super critical, but increasing each by a factor of 10 is typical.

Highly recommend the Yeast book from Brewing Elements series:
https://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969

u/Kegstarter · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

I've read Designing Great Beers and it's a great resource as a style guide, but it leans much more towards the empirical side when it comes to explaining things. If you're looking for something a little more scientific and data-driven there are some other really good options.

Suggestions:

  • The Brewing Elements series: Water
    / Yeast
    / Malt
    / Hops - Very specific and science driven focus on each element.
  • American Sour Beers - Mostly focused on sour beers, but gets really deep into the scientific aspects of it all (bonus: written by /u/oldsock).
  • Vintage Beer - Data-driven resource on the science behind long-term aging.
u/complex_reduction · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

The long answer requires a PHD in microbiology and about 6 hours worth of lecturing. See: Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation. Note: the book is not at all "practical" as advertised unless you have a PHD.

The short answer is, if you do not initially pitch enough yeast at the start, the yeast will be overworked, stressed out, and kill itself before it has a chance to grow into more yeast. If you pitch an adequate amount of yeast then there are enough cells around to comfortably handle the workload and continue having an orgy in your beer.

u/rdcpro · 7 pointsr/TheBrewery

Most breweries would want to know at least:

  • Calcium (Ca+2),
  • Magnesium (Mg+2)
  • Sulfates (SO4-2)
  • Sodium (Na+)
  • Chloride (Cl-)
  • Bicarbonate / Alkalinity

    Brewers sometimes add minerals to our water to control things like perceived bitterness, mash pH, etc. Certain beer styles "require" water with certain mineral profiles. For example, Pilseners are often brewed with very soft water, similar to the water in Pilsen, Cech Republic. Certain British styles might use hard water with a lot of sulfates. I'm being somewhat ambiguous, because lots of people will say they brew pilseners with hard water, and ESB with soft water.

    There is a great book on it written by John Palmer, a legend in the brewing world. If you're interested in water as it relates to brewing, I'd highly recommend it.
u/ems88 · 7 pointsr/cocktails

Okay, you've caught me; there's beer and wine books, too. Here's what you're looking at:

I run a cocktail bar, and I've been meaning to share my library for some time, but I have a knack for lending my books out to friends and colleagues so I keep waiting for it to be complete. Then I realized my collection keeps growing and will never be complete, so I may as well just share a snapshot of it.

Top row:

Sippin' Safari: In Search of the Great "Lost" Tropical Drink Recipes... and the People Behind Them by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them by Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh

The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft by Gary "Gaz" Regan

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

The World Encyclopedia of Beer by Brian Glover

How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time by John J. Palmer

Jigger, Beaker and Glass: Drinking Around the World by Charles H. Baker, Jr. (aka The Gentleman's Companion Volume II)

Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink by Randy Mosher

Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch by Michael Jackson

The Ultimate Guide to Spirits & Cocktails by Andre Domine

New Classic Cocktails by Mardee Haidin Regan and Gary "Gaz" Regan

The Book of Garnishes by June Budgen

World's Best Cocktails: 500 Signature Drinks from the World's Best Bars and Bartenders by Tom Sandham

The Complete Book of Spirits: A Guide to Their History, Production, and Enjoyment by Anthony Dias Blue

Cocktails & Amuse-Bouches for Her & For Him by Daniel Boulud and Xavier Herit

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar by David Wondrich

Middle Row:

Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers

The New and Improved Illustrated Bartenders' Manual; or: How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style by Harry Johnson (Espresso Book Machine Reprint)

Michael Jackson's Bar & Cocktail Companion: The Connoisseur's Handbook by Michael Jackson

The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance by Greg Koch, Steve Wagner & Randy Clemens

The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender's Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy by Jim Meehan

Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons

A Taste for Absinthe: 65 Recipes for Classic and Contemporary Cocktails by R. Winston Guthrie & James F. Thompson

The Bartender's Guide to IBA Official Cocktails by Jenny Reese (Espresso Book Machine Printing)

Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl by David Wondrich

The Home Distiller's Handbook: Make Your Own Whiskey & Bourbon Blends, Infused Spirits and Cordials by Matt Teacher

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage

The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving: Elegant Garnishes for All Occasions by Hiroshi Nagashima

What to Drink with What You Eat: The Difinitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea - Even Water - Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers by Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page

The American Cocktail: 50 Recipes that Celebrate the Craft of Mixing Drinks from Coast to Coast by The Editors of Imbibe Magazine

The ABC of Cocktails by Peter Pauper Press

How to Make Your Own Drinks: Create Your Own Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drinks from Fruit Cordials to After-Dinner Liqueurs by Susy Atkins

How to Make a World of Liqueurs by Heather Kibbey & Cheryl Long

u/admiralwaffles · 7 pointsr/beer
u/iammatt00 · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

For the Love of Hops by Stan Hieronymus is a very good read. That book is about the most comprehensive bunch of information you'll find without doing the work yourself. It's not the most in depth or technical, but it's an awesome read and still full of tons of good information. Besides that there is a lot of knowledge to be found, you just need to do the research.

u/lucilletwo · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

Principles of Brewing Science is excellent and extremely scientific. The other recommendations on this page have varying levels of scientific knowledge woven into them, while all attempting to be accessible to the common homebrewer with a high school education. If you want to really go down the rabbit hole, this is the only choice for homebrewers. I'm talking about molecular diagrams of the various sugars and compounds from malts and hops, the chemical reactions that actually explain mashing enzyme functions, and the metabolic pathways of yeast during fermentation. You want to know how diacetal forms? He doesn't stop with some basic pointers about yeast health and temperature, he dives into the chemical reactions and provides graphs and charts. Every flavor and off-flavor is described by it's discrete chemical causes, with no stone left unturned and no topic glossed over with simple suggestions.

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this book for the faint of heart, and you probably should have a decent understanding of chemistry and biology before picking it up, but no other resource compares if you really want to dive in to the science of brewing.

edit: spelling

u/dlyford · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

Since he has never brewed before I would recommend a basic kit. I'm not saying that you have to get this from NB, but this is an example what comes in a starter kit. I strongly recommend purchasing, How to Brew by John Palmer. This book will clear up a lot of brewing mysteries.

I'd also recommend going to your local homebrew store (LHBS) and ask them for help. If you have one close by, and they are any good, they can be an invaluable source of knowledge for a new brewer. Good luck, this can become a life long hobby if he chooses to pursue it.

As your husband grows into the hobby he will

u/FearAndLoathingInUSA · 7 pointsr/goodyearwelt

I just got in a home brewing kit for me and my gf to play with. We both are crazy about craft beer and we've been wanting to do it forever. Spent a good amount on the best one I could find, as well as some add-ons and kits. I took live five hours last night reading an awesome [book] (http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888) on home brewing. I'm loving the chemistry and the mixture of precision and creativity. I think we are going to really fall in love with it. It was an anniversary gift, one year coming up in a couple weeks. So weird.

u/clerveu · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

I would, but someone already beat me to writing the best beginning homebrewing guide ever.

u/Rikkochet · 7 pointsr/Homebrewing

Cool gift idea!

I'd say, first and foremost, that you aren't going to be able to kit out your boyfriend for homebrewing. There are too many styles for different types of equipment, and it gets very expensive... But a basic kit is good enough to brew just about anything, and it gives him the option to buy new items piece-by-piece as he outgrows the starter ones.

If you want to give him a good start in the hobby, get him 3 things:

  1. A brewing starter kit
  2. A good brewing book
  3. A good beer kit

    For a starter kit, it looks something like one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Share-Enjoy-Homebrew-Brewing-Starter/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=sr_1_3

    You get a plastic bucket to ferment the beer, cleaning chemicals, hydrometer, bottles, bottle capper, siphon, etc. This should be perfectly adequate for him to brew beer dozens of times before he might want to start tweaking his equipment. The best part is you can replace individual parts of the kit any time you want - it makes it a very flexible upgrade path.


    For a starter book, it's How to Brew all the way. I'm pretty sure everyone in here owns a copy.


    For a starter kit, you can pick kits off Amazon. You should know there's 3 major types of beer recipe:

  4. Pre-hopped extract kits. These are the beer kits you can buy in every grocery store. They're "fine", but my biggest complaint is that 90% of the work is already done for you, so brew day is almost boring.

  5. Extract kits. (Get one of these). They include barley extract (usually in jars of thick syrup, but sometimes in dry powder form), hops to boil, and sometimes some extra things like specialty grains, spices, etc. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Blonde-Homebrew-Beer-Ingredient/dp/B00AC7Q4JW

  6. All grain recipes. All grain brewing is the most hands-on you can get homebrewing, but it also requires some extra brewing equipment. The How to Brew book goes over it in great detail, and your boyfriend can decide if all grain brewing interests him.


    So, for all of these things, I gave Amazon links, but you don't have to buy them online at all. I'd strongly recommend looking up local homebrewing stores and just walking in. Most of my local shops are cheaper than shopping online, the staff are fun to talk to (because they really care about brewing), and it's nice to be able to examine some of the things before you buy them.

    Whether you shop locally of online, everything I listed above should come in at less than $150.
u/testingapril · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew - John Palmer

Designing Great Beers - Ray Daniels

Brewing Classic Styles - Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer

Brew Like a Monk - Stan Hieronymus

Clone Brews - Tess and Mark Szamatulski

Yeast - Jamil Zainasheff and Chris White

Beer Captured - Tess and Mark Szamatulski

Radical Brewing - Randy Mosher

Brewer's Association Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery - Randy Mosher

u/rrrx · 6 pointsr/beer

I'd say they're solidly above average, but not anywhere near as good as they could be. Phil Markowski is genuinely one of the best brewers in the country. He was responsible for Southampton's Peconic County Reserve Ale and Black Raspberry Lambic, which are both pretty legendary beers that are among the absolute best examples of their respective styles. Also wrote one of the definitive works on the subject of farmhouse beers. He hasn't really shined at Two Roads, though; they've done some one-off sours that have been quite good, but nothing remarkable. I suppose it's a lot to do with their focus on contract brewing.

u/TherionSaysWhat · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

Sure thing, my current "basic" grisette is (5-gallon measurements for my system at 75% efficiency are parenthetical):

Estimates: 9ºP (1.036) SG, 2ºP (1.008) FG, 3.6% ABV, 2.8 SRM

  • 75% Belgian Pilsen Malt (5.25 lb, or any Pils malt on hand)

  • 20% Wheat Malt (1.4 lb, Belgian if you have it, White Wheat if you don't)

  • 5% Acid Malt (0.35 lb, you may or may not need to adjust this for pH)

  • 24 IBU Magnum or Nugget at 60 (0.5 oz, whichever I have on hand)

  • 8 IBU Liberty, Saaz, or Tetnang (1.0 oz, again, whichever I have on hand, usually Liberty)

    BIAB mash for 60 min at 158 and drain, boil for 90 min with hop charges above, cool to 80ºF and pitch WLP590 French Saison.

    Place in a 60ºF chamber for 7 days, free rise to 70º-80º for 2 days, hard crash (no lager) to 35ºF for 2-7 days and keg

    You can also cool the wort to 60º or so and do the warmer period after primary is complete (the warmer period is for esters, phenols, and character) but I've found that warm pitching that yeast and letting it slowly drop to ale temps works pretty well. Also, this is the most basic version I have for grisette and I have a bunch more in my plan for this year to try like amber, Vienna malt-focused, extra hoppy, a witte style one, etc. I think I stole the above recipe from Farmhouse Ales pretty much verbatim. Great book if your into Saisons, Biere du Garde, Grisette, etc.

    About a year ago I fell in love with this style and saison. So much so that my friends are now grabbing bottles of saison for me out in the wild =) I think it's to shut me up about them but hey... If you try the above recipe (or if you tweak it) be sure to post your results in the sub!

    Cheers.
u/wartornhero · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew by John Palmer IMO is the best beginner book out there. He even has the first edition of his book available on his website for free.

Not only does it give you all the information and knowledge you need in the beginning bit he also has trouble shooting tips and a more advanced section for intermediate brewers.

u/brock_gonad · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

Depends on what kind of learner you are. I prefer book learning over watching videos, and the clear favourite for learning the basics is How to Brew by John Palmer.

This book is an indispensable resource for noobs. John's such a cool dude that he literally posted the full text of the book on his website for free. However, the book is still worth the money for the pictures, charts, and updates since the free version.

Aside from books - shadowing a brewer is pretty key. Find your local homebrew club, and ask to shadow a brewer. I just mentored an allgrain batch with a noob from my local homebrew club.

u/reverendnathan · 6 pointsr/beer

I wouldn't start with a site, but rather a book, How to Brew by John Palmer. Go ahead and spend the 10 bucks on it right now, this isn't an option. You can't just skate by without this book and annoy everyone on /r/homebrewing, homebrewtalk, or IRC channels with questions answered beautifully and organically in this book.

This book answers the basics, from what beer is, what is fermenting, to the process, to the advanced, including building advanced all-grain setups. This will answer nearly all the questions you have, from now to three years of experience on down the road, and it's here in one handy book you can doodle and highlight all over. This is your first investment. Equipment is not your first investment. A gallon of cider and a pack of baker's yeast is not your first investment. A craigslist posting of someone giving away their old equipment is not your first investment. Paying the money right now for this book is your first investment.

While the book is in the mail, you can start reading the first edition online, which gives you an opportunity to reread it all over again in print when your copy arrives. Write stuff down. Highlight stuff. Go to google and bing something if you aren't fully clear. No questions yet, understand what the whole process is, and be committed to a few very important core rules: cleaning is the most important, timeliest part of brew day. Quality goes into the work you do, quality comes out as the finish product. And finally, it's necessary to have a beer while you make beer -- respect the craft you've taken up as a hobby by respecting those who have done so before you.

Finally you can begin to ask the question you are asking now. Where do I go before I brew? First, Midwest Supplies has a coupon about thrice a year that is a big savings and comes with mostly everything -- if you want to wait around for that, in the between time is a good time to invest in the other things, like a large pot, star-san, empty bottles, and so on. If not, do research and don't go buying the cheapest kit -- buy the kit that comes with everything that you want; don't feel short-handed or inundated with extras.

Lastly, that book is your new bible. It has all the answers. Now the bible is a historical recording, and new evidence disproves things in the bible. Some things you'll learn like quick tips and such you'll find just browsing the web, but what's in the bible makes for a correct and complete brewday. But the bibles of the world would be great if it came with the empirical evidence of video recordings. This episode of brewingTV is pretty good at showing what your first brewday should look like. But again, this religion will be lost on you if you don't buy and read the bible first.

And remember, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew".

u/HimerosArrow · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

Throw extreme brewing away... or use it as a big coaster! All it is a glossy showcase of his ego. Just kidding, but not really... It doesn't really have much useful information in it. The others you mention are the books I learned to brew with and refer to the most. I hear Jamil's and Chris' new book "Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation" is awesome.

u/Sloloem · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

For reusing and maintianing commercial yeasts there are a few links in the sidebar, also the book Yeast by Jamil Zainasheff and Chris White. For cultivating wild yeast, a good place to start would be the King's Coolship episode of Brewing TV...or just about anything else Jeremy King has written in blogs.

u/markwhi · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

Yeast, I think.

u/mofo99 · 6 pointsr/beer

I liked this book that was recommended on this sub a while back

https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

If you make it back down to Seattle, try to track down some of Georgetown's Bodhizafa IPA if you liked Space Dust. It's become my go-to IPA as of late.

u/jeffdrafttech · 6 pointsr/beer

Here is an imgur gallery of the glassware section from Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. It defines all modern glasses and states their use. It covers your examples.

http://imgur.com/a/96kdA

http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

u/cheatreynold · 6 pointsr/beer

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. This book continues to be the number one book I recommend when it comes to starting your journey to learn everything about beer. It is also the book that the Cicerone program wants you read for the first step of their certification process.

As far as beer tasting goes, all I can recommend you do (or keep doing) is to taste as many different beers as possible. People have their opinions on beers, and choose to drink some rather than others for many different reasons (taste, corporate/independent ownership, political leanings, etc.). It's very polarized, and there may be a general consensus about one beer or another, but the only way you can arrive at your own conclusions is to drink those different beers yourself and come to learn what you like.

u/Skyldt · 6 pointsr/beer

first off, know what types of beer you'll be selling. all the knowledge in the world won't help if you don't know what you're serving to customers.

second, Tasting Beer is a great book. it goes over the history, some brewing notes, and goes over the major styles you'll encounter.

u/dfd02186 · 6 pointsr/beer

I got my girlfriend the water book in this series because we've started to get into homebrewing (and we have a longstanding joke/feud about the most important ingredient in beer - water, duh). It's a great, in depth look, the water one is very scientific, but also very fun. Here's the hops version.

u/BeerForThought · 6 pointsr/shutupandtakemymoney

This and good homebrew shop are all you need. My 2 cents, don't get into it just to save money. Also wait until you can afford an extra $300 for a kegging system. Every home brewer I know that quit did so because bottle conditioning sucks. It's slow and extremely time consuming.

u/tnt8897 · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

this book, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, was very highly recommended at my LHBS. and i would recommend it as well.

u/TheReverend5 · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

You should probably read the book Designing Great Beers if you really want to make your own quality recipes.

u/comradeSalo · 6 pointsr/Homebrewing

I think you should set aside your dog related fears, there are plenty of common household items that you already have that would be way more dangerous than hops. (for the record - I do brew with my dog)

As far as taste goes, that's a much more valid argument. I've read that wormwood has been used as a bittering agent, you might look at some of the traditional Scandinavian brews since they have a different climate and have used berries and such. Finally here is a book that will have some ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Herbal-Healing-Beers-Fermentation/dp/0937381667/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3H9CZKONQPOV2&colid=1K1774R5OH8L9

u/DigDugMcDig · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Stick with your Mr. Beer kit for a few more sessions. Refills are $20 for two gallons which seems reasonable. Just stick with ales and don't brew lagers. The more flavorful the beer is supposed to be the easier flaws are turned into tasty features. I'd go with this porter: https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Churchills-Homebrewing-Sanitizer/dp/B01D5J7ZIW/ref=bdl_pop_ttl_B01D5J7ZIW

The amber ale and stout would be on my list too. If you like IPA's try that.

If you want a piece of equipment I'd buy a hydrometer or a bottle capper. https://www.amazon.com/Homebrew-Guys-Hydrometer-Specific-Potential/dp/B012YLS62G/ref=sr_1_21?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1524334825&sr=1-21&keywords=brewing+hydrometer

Make sure you do a good job sanitizing everything and you'll be 90% there. Star-san is an excellent sanitizer. I don't know what Mr. Beer uses. Bleach or iodine can also be used if done correctly.

If I were to suggest one thing to buy, it would be a good book. The John Palmer How to Brew is an excellent choice. What you learn will apply to Mr. Beer kits and as advanced as you want to go. https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Great-Every/dp/1938469356/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1524335575&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=palmer+how+to+brew

Lastly, I'll double down on my advice to stick with flavorful ales and stay away from lagers and pilsner. Best of luck.

u/Cthulhumensch · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Throw hops at it.

Like absurd amounts.

Think of ludicrous amounts and triple that. Then every single addition but a small bit of clean bitterness FWA, is made at the flame out or later. Your fermenation hop schedule is three times what your flame out schedule was, and you dry hop it twice.

I'm being sarcastic. But hop usage these days are insane on certain styles.

This series:

Water

Hops

Malt

Yeast

Oh, remember to enjoy it.

u/Mike27272727272727 · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Someone might come along and tackle your list of Qs but sounds like you could use a book or two.

https://www.amazon.com/American-Sour-Beers-Michael-Tonsmeire/dp/1938469119

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Brews-Beyond-Influence-Brewers/dp/0937381861

u/KidMoxie · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

/u/oldsock's new book comes out April 7th. That seems like a prudent time to do an ABRT on Cat 17 :)

u/StillAnAss · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you really want the "sciency" aspect of attenuation and flocculation get yourself a copy of Yeast by Jamil Zainasheff

Excellent read though it forced me to brush up on my cellular biology a little more than I expected.

u/WinskiTech711 · 5 pointsr/beer

Let Randy Mosher be your guide! Seriously though his book, Tasting Beer, helped me up my beer review/description game immensely. https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

u/BradC · 5 pointsr/beer

I suggest you get a copy of Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. It opened my eyes to everything in the world of beer, and tasting, understanding, and appreciating it. 10/10 would recommend again and again.

u/scottish_beekeeper · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Not one I've encountered, but a quick flick through it on Amazon's 'look inside' shows some interesting recipes - though a lot of them come from speculation, rather than historical records.

A book I do use for making 'traditional' beers is Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers which gives both an anthropological history of brewing around the world, and a huge variety of recipes - everything from tribal recipes from indigenous populations, to medieval recipes, as well as meads, psychotropic beers and medicinal recipes.

u/erock2112 · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

What /u/str8jkt said, or https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Brewing-Science-Serious-Issues/dp/0937381748/
Both books cover fermentation. IIRC Yeast goes more into detail about, well, yeast, while Fix is more general brewing science.

u/holyteach · 5 pointsr/beer

Horseballs already put a very good list, but I'd add Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing, which is very, very good.

u/bullcityhomebrew · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

The best way to start, if you have an equipment kit, is to buy a recipe kit. You can find them at Midwestern Supplies or Austin Homebrew. The ingredient kits have all the ingredients, in the right amounts, that you need to make one 5 gallon batch. They also contain instructions. Once you get the hang of it with a kit or two, try tweaking those recipes a bit and go from there. Of course, reading on the subject while your beer ferments wouldn't hurt either. Good luck!

u/caphector · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Since I see this topic is posted twice, I'm posting my thoughts here as well:

You're missing How to Brew, and Extreme Brewing (while it has a few decent recipes and has lovely photos) isn't that great a book IMO. Designing Great Beers is good, but a bit outdated and IMO is a lot better after you've gotten a few batches done. Haven't read Jamil's yeast book, so I can't comment on it. Brew Like a Monk is a great volume, but doesn't have the general information you want when you're starting out.

I recommend:

How to Brew - The best single reference on brewing I've seen

Radical Brewing - Great for creative recipes and information on different ingredients

Also, just go and brew something. I brewed my first batch without reading any books and it turned out fine. Brewing will help make the texts make more sense, and the texts will then make the brewing make more sense.

u/greasedonkey · 5 pointsr/CanadaPublicServants

Come over at /r/homebrewing there's a lot of friendly folk over there.

I would recommend you the How to brew book from John J. Palmer. https://www.amazon.ca/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888

It start simple and then go more in depth later on, it's really well made.
There is a beginner recipe in the begining of the book that is fairly easy to do, but very tasty.

Good luck.

u/sonnyclips · 5 pointsr/AskHistorians

I don't think the truth of my claim and /u/Mutand1s post are not mutually exclusive. I wasn't referring to whether the beer had this mythic provenance so much as the taste of that beer you call IPA is one that will hold up to heat and I think there is a difference. The story about developing this special formula for the voyage sounds a little too clever by half considering that climate and other conditions were the reasoning behind every style of beer.

Brewing, like baking is science as much as art. Humidity, heat and altitude will effect your bread and your beer. This whole thing about inventing a beer is probably a bit overstating things because if your making beer that will go in the hull of a ship sailing for months through the tropics you know that heat will be a factor and you would choose a traditional style off the shelf to meet your needs. Since you are a brewer; you might even add your own twist but that's just it right, you start off with something that has been refined for years and years and you might tweak it a bit with more fermentable sugars but it's mostly still the style someone has been drinking for years.

If you think about it a little bit though this is a question that can seem more obvious as you drill down. The history of brewing, like baking is one of refinement and an effort to bring consistency. There is a reason we arrive at Wonder Bread and Budweiser in the 20th century. These are two very refined and difficult to realize pinnacles of their craft that reflect the eras obsession with science and industrialization to create millions of items that are exactly the same and transparent enough to reveal flaws, remember this is the era that brings us Six Sigma. Try and brew a Bud/Miller/Coors beer or bake a loaf of Wonder at home and you will see how incredibly hard it is. Make fun of them all you want but these two foods were the subject of thousands of years of intellectual evolution.

Which brings us to why an IPA is hoppy and a little stronger than its counterparts. Someone mentions in this conversation that the beer was simply adapted from an existing traditional style, which makes sense. You take into consideration what the characteristics of the voyage will be and you come to the conclusion that a beer that holds up to summer is your recipe.

If you look at German and English styles that are brewed to stand up to summer heat and they tend to be stronger and hoppier than the beers made for other seasons. This is because hops, in general, was added to do a few important things for beer, stabilize flavor and mask off flavors (go to the end of page 262 in the link). High heat is no friend to beer that is sitting in a barrel and higher alcohol and hops is there to help counter and mask the effects. As a historical matter this is what hops is introduced for, make beer taste better under various conditions, help the brewer to attain a level of consistent quality.

Certain yeasts can help too, ale is better for warmer temps than lager. So you pick a hoppy beer brewed to stand up to summer heat for an ocean voyage. Whether or not that was some intricate formula or just an off the shelf solution is an interesting debate, but not the whole story. As you can see from just about any book on brewing history and styles, From Michael Jackson's World Guide to Beer to Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Home Brewing you will see that styles came about as a result of the conditions for which they were brewed. Bud/Miller/Coors are brewed the way they are because of the technology that allows for strict and precise measurement throughout the manufacturing/brewing process. Ale is more forgiving and IPA is probably the most forgiving style for a new brewer to make because you can screw a lot of stuff up and still get it right. That's also the reason why that kind of beer is ideal to sit in the hull of a ship until you get to India.

u/Colo_Brew · 5 pointsr/beer

I have been brewing for 3 years and IMO start with at least a 5-6.5g glass carboy (or 2), a brew bucket w/lid, caps/bungs/airlockers, brew kettle (4-6g for extract/7-10g for AG), mash paddle, funnel w/filter, auto-siphon, hose, bottles/caps/capper, StarSan sanitizer, and if your first starting a basic kit (go with a Better Brew/Norther Brewer/Any HBS Extract Kit over a Copper's) or grains. Oh and always A Clean Water Source!

IMO The best brew book is http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

Hand's Down!

I spent 150 on craigslist and found a starter set better then any sold in stores! oh and check out /r/homebrewing for more info!

u/sailadayaway · 5 pointsr/brewing

Also the complete joy of homebrew is really good.

u/zGrubermeister · 5 pointsr/beer

The Oxford Beer Companion > http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138

960pgs, 160 experts, 1000+ subjects!

u/waltown · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0937381500/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BD6pDbE1C32YM

A must own book I keep beside my copy of how to brew.

u/ContentWithOurDecay · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers - this book assumes you know how to brew so it won't teach you about the brewing process. But it instructs on how to fine tune all the small points.

Edit: I assume you are just starting out. As a tip of advice I can give because of something I just had happen to me. Have extra parts lying around. Like airlocks, tubing etc. They come in handy in emergencies when the brew store is closed at midnight and they cost a buck or two.

u/Lord_Derp_The_2nd · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/bifftradwell · 5 pointsr/Homebrewing

As jaxonfairfield says.

You had 27 or so IBUs, on a gravity of 1.055, so 55 bitterness units. Thats a BU:GU ratio of 0.49. I like my ales to go a little north of 0.5. So 30 would have made it 0.545.

With your latest edit, you're at 37.94 (let's just say 38) and 1.055 (55 GUs), so now you're at 0.69. A lovely number. Should have much more hop flavor (since you added the Saaz at 30 min) and will be a little on the hoppy side now - a fine ale.

See this and this for some good reading along these lines. Also, there's continuing mention of this ratio in Designing Great Beers, which I haven't read yet but understand to be a must-have in the brewing bookshelf.

u/Smurph80 · 4 pointsr/HombrewingQuestions

Joy of homebrewing. I found it quite helpful, lots of recipes and tons of good info on everything a beginner may want to know

u/random012345 · 4 pointsr/beer

The Oxford Companion to Beer

It's basically an encyclopedia of beer and terminology with deep definitions and history behind just about everything. Very well done and edited by the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery.

u/T1978_sach · 4 pointsr/TheBrewery

Principles Of Brewing Science

Yeast and also Water, Malt and Hops, a very informative series.

Also Oxford Companion to Beer is a great reference to look up general questions or terms.

u/Terrorsaurus · 4 pointsr/beer

http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/a-lesson-in-beer-stout-vs-porter/

If you're really interested, Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels has a great chapter on the history of stouts and porters, and how they came to be known today.

They both started as dark roasty beers from different origins around the same time. Some stronger or weaker, on both the sides of porters and stouts. They merged into one style, stouts, with a few breweries choosing to keep a dark beer on the books with the name 'porter.'

Today, in modern craft brewing, stouts are usually include roasted barley with more coffee-like flavors, while porters typically taste more chocolatey. Although this is a very fuzzy spectrum, and there aren't any real rules.

For more info, check out the BJCP style guidelines. Category 12 is porter, 13 is stout.

u/sixpointbrewery · 4 pointsr/beer

You can't go wrong with two books, both of which are readily available on Amazon.

I'd start out with the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, and then move on to Designing Great Beers.

After that, I would recommend joining a local homebrew club, and there will be a big community to support you. And if you need yeast, come on down to Sixpoint with a clean mason jar and we can hook you up.

Let us know how it goes!

u/el_ganso · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

Yep, Designing Great Beers is the one you want. You might also find Brewing Classic Styles useful, since it'll give you a couple recipes per style with a write-up.

u/frenchlitgeek · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/calligraphy_dick · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

If there are red flags I'm doing in these pictures, please let me know.

edit:

1st batch: Craft-A-Brew APA Kit

2nd batch: Northern Brewer's 1 Gallon Bavarian Hefe Kit

3rd batch: DrinkinSurfer's Milk Oatmeal Stout Recipe @HBT

If I could start over I would go straight to the 3-gallon batches. I hovered around them but I think it's the perfect batch size for beginners -- 1) Most people have a stockpot lying around the kitchen big enough to hold three gallons, 2) The batches are small enough so you don't have to drink two cases of bad brew, but big enough so if you enjoy it [which I'm thoroughly enjoying my first APA], you'll have plenty to taste and rate the evolution of the flavors over various weeks of priming and give out to family friends who are interested to try out what you made, 3) I ordered 3 Gallon Better Bottles for several reasons including worrying about shattering a glass carboy as a newbie. They also qualify for free shipping on MoreBeer's website with purchases above a certain price. 4) Even though I brewed a 5 gallon batch, and since I'm brewing solo, I'm already not looking forward to bottling the whole batch at once so I plan on breaking up bottling between two days.

For resources, I lurk this sub like a crazy stalker. The Daily Q&A is full of information both crucial and minute. I listen to James Spencer's Basic Brewing Radio podcast and practically substituted it for all music recently. It's family friendly and entertaining [I heard the other podcasts aren't so much]. I read Charles Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing, 2nd ed. and For the Love of Hops by Stan Hieronymus to get a better understanding of the hops varieties and characteristics. I plan on reading John Palmer's How to Brew and Ray Daniels Designing Great Beers in the future, as well as Brew Like a Monk. Also, the HomeBrewTalk stickies in the forums provide good picture tutorials for several different styles of brewing.

I got into homebrewing so I can brew the, then, only beer style I liked: Imperial Stouts. But as I learned more about the balance and flavors of beer I surprised myself by branching out to enjoying other beers [even the odd IPA every so often]. My narrow scope of beer has broadened more vast that I ever would've imagined it. My brother got me this beer tasting tool kit used for blind taste tests so I try to keep good records and actively taste and appreciate craft beers. I even keep a couple in my wallet for tasting beers on draft.

I really wish I had an immersion wort chiller, a bigger boil kettle, a mash tun, and a propane burner. Those few equipment pieces hinder me from exploring more advanced style of homebrew. I intend to upgrade to all-grain but making the switch is really expensive. I'm still in the look-to-see-what-I-have-lying-around-the-house phase equipment-wise.

Which leads me to: don't be scared to spend money while DIY-ing. Many of you have probably seen my (and many others', most likely) shitty stir plate. DIY should be a balance of doing things on the cheap, but still making it work and function well. There's no point in DIYing if you're not going to be happy with it and just end up buying the commercial equivalent anyway. That's where I am right now.. I'm currently trying to salvage a cooler [no-spigot] I found in my garage and turn it into a mash tun instead of just buying a new cooler with a plastic, removable spigot. I'm certain it would make DIY easier but slightly more expensive.

But the suckiest thing for me about homebrewing is that I don't have a car so getting local, fresh ingredients and supporting my LHBSs is a piece of PITA bread.

u/jvonkluck · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

Honestly, find a reliable source for the White Labs vials or Wyeast smack packs. They're $5 or $6 a piece, but a fresh, healthy, properly pitched culture is one of the most important things you can do for your beer. Harvesting and reusing is good if you're brewing at least every two weeks, but if you're letting it sit longer than that without some serious lab procedures you're probably better off culturing a starter from a commercial culture.

(Read Yeast by Jamil Zainasheff and Chris White for a far more detailed explanation by two experts.

u/GritCityBrewer · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

A great book that would answer all your questions is:http://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462387187&sr=8-1&keywords=Yeast+book

But I'll give a couple quick responses that hit some highlights:

What is the difference between yeasts? Each yeast strain is a different organism. Each one is going to impart its own flavor profile. Some yeasts leave a lot of flavor behind in the form of esters, phenols, etc (like a saison or belgian yeast). Others will leave little behind and allow the hops or malt to shine (cal ale, us-05). Along with the flavor profile they add, some are more voracious eaters than others so certain strains will give you a lower finishing gravity (san diego). Others may end up more sweet (some english yeasts). Some like to ferment warmer and others cooler. Many times, the yeast determines your beer style more than the grain bill. You LHBS or the yeast manufacturer has literature telling you the yeast profile. Like what temperatures it likes, gravities it may ferment to, flocculation characteristics, and more.

difference between dry yeasts (Safale US-05, Nottingham, etc) and liquid yeasts: Dry yeasts are cheaper to manufacture, ship, and store. They are not recommended for propogating/reusing but they are cheap enough and easy enough to handle that it doesn't matter. Liquid yeasts are better fresh. They can be propogated. THere are more liquid yeasts available than dry. I suggest you go with the yeast that best suits the style you are brewing and not worry about the form it comes in (unless the reasons above impact you).


is low flocculation ever a good thing? Sure. Think about what kind of flavor and appearance you are going for. If you are looking for a beer like a heff, low flocculation may be desired because you want the yeast flavor to be perceived in a beer and it is not supposed to be a clear beer. High flocculating yeasts may also drop out to quickly resulting in incomplete fermentation. For example: if you don't have a fermenation chamber and your house gets cooler at night a high flocculator may drop out and you could end up with a stalled ferment. You could also end up with more diacetyl in the finished beer since it didn't finish up.

u/Elk_Man · 4 pointsr/beer

This book will be a great resource to you, there are also entries in the series for Water, Hops, and Malt. I'm working through the Hops book right now, and while its an interesting read, it probably won't be too helpful in a technical sense. Malt I dont know about, but Water is worth a read for sure for whoever is working on that subject.

http://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459272811&sr=8-1&keywords=beer+yeast+book

u/cville-z · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

IIRC from Yeast (White/Zainasheff)

  1. Safest place to store yeast is under the beer it just fermented. It'll keep months this way.
  2. Short-term: in a starter in the fridge (days to weeks)
  3. Longer term: on slants (or stabs) in the fridge (weeks to a couple months)
  4. Nearly forever: in a deep-freeze, as slants/stabs under glycerin.

    I recall W&Z say that plates are good for isolating cultures but not as effective for long-term storage as other methods. Slants & stabs will be better for storage and roughly the same for propagation into a fresh starter, I'd think.

    In most cases your biggest problems with long-term storage are infection and viability. I've had good viability results with a refrigerated starter even after several months, as long as I stored the yeast under the starter in the jar, as opposed to having a jar of yeast slurry.

u/zoidbug · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

http://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969

Pretty good read I your interested in yeast and the first chapter says they didn't really even know why they beer fermented but to make them drunk they needed to make it happen. It was thought to be a chemical reaction with no living organisms involved.

u/poisedkettle · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/happycomputer · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

Reading Yeast by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff right now.

Claim is pitching directly can result in 50+% death while rehydrating can revive up to 100% of the dry cells. Pitching directly into wort means high levels of sugar/hop acid/nutrients may enter the yeast causing it to die. 50% death may result in extra autolysis flavors. Tap water is fine (250-500ppm hardness) but they also recommend rehydrating with a bit of GoFerm (vs. using malt extract or sugar) if you want.

I noticed you already pitched, but for future readers: Start between 95-105F and then carefully work your way down to wort temp before pitching to avoid shocking.

u/agsimon · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

I got the Water book, Modern Homebrew Recipes, Brewing Better Beer, and a new copy of How To Brew...my dog chewed up my last copy.

u/ThisIsCuylerLand · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

Like most water reports, that one lacks most of the brewing-specific pertinent info. Call or email your provider and they'll give you the complete report.

Taste is FAR more important than content, IMO. Make sure you enjoy drinking the water out of the tap before you brew with it. I personally HATE my local water, so I get the filtered dispenser water at my grocery store. For hoppy beers, I add 2-4g of gypsum(/5gal), for non-hoppy beers I add the same amount of CaCl. Either way, the yeast need Calcium. I like to keep it simple, unless I know I want a specific mineral profile for a beer style.

Generally on water:

Palmer does a great job setting the foundation. http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter4.html
If you really have not read anything yet, this is an excellent place to start (you will likely be told a lot of conflicting info on this topic, which would be confusing even IF most people used a common vocabulary, which is of course not the case).

The "Water" addition to the Brewing Elements series is pretty new, so the stuff discussed in there won't be common knowledge most likely. http://www.amazon.com/Water-Comprehensive-Brewers-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383162459&sr=8-1&keywords=water+book
That one is next on my list, "Yeast" was the best brewing book I've read since "Brewing Better Beer."

Cheers!

u/LambTaco · 4 pointsr/beerporn

I recommend picking up Randy Mosher's 'Tasting Beer'. Here is an excerpt regarding pouring for a creamier head:

"To get the best head on a beer, pour boldly down the center of an absolutely clean glass. It will foam up, but this is good. Really. Allow it to settle and then repeat until you have a full glass. By delaying gratification and allowing a large amount of foam to build up and then shrink, you have created a dense, creamy foam, filled with tiny, long-lasting bubbles. As a side benefit, you have knocked some of the excess gas out of the beer, and the result will be more like the smooth creaminess of draft beer."

u/rereedrumr · 4 pointsr/beer

Second for Garret Oliver's Brewmasters Table, though an even better book for introductory purposes may be Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer. Nice pictures, easy to read, covers just about everything on an easy to understand basis.

u/ryankramer · 4 pointsr/Herblore

Stephen Harrod Buhner's Sacred and Healing Beers

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0937381667/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/184-4529911-3710004

This is the book that got me into herbs and medicinal brewing. Not only is it full of recipes and plant profiles but great lore and history and perspective. A must read- a great chapter on bee products too. I've been eating pollen and honey by the spoonful ever since.

u/synt4x · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

Hops are a relatively recent addition to brewing (I think ~1500's?). Radical Brewing covers the wealth of herbs that were used previously to impart bitterness, including things like juniper and bog myrtle. Honestly, though, these aren't as good of a match compared to hops, and it sounds like you dislike the bitterness over the flavor. Any alternative you use will need to provide bitterness, otherwise the beer is going to come out very sweet and unbalanced (look up the BU:GU ratio if that's unfamiliar to you).

Honestly, don't let the dog thing worry you. Just be conscious about how you store and dispose of your hops.

u/atheos · 4 pointsr/Homebrewing

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888

Buy this book and read. Read it a second time, and possibly a third time.

u/zVulture · 3 pointsr/TheBrewery

This is my full list of books from /r/homebrewing but it includes pro level books:

New Brewers:

u/berticus · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you're into that, you might like to read this book: Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers. I think the author gets a little too caught up in the sacred/spiritual malarkey behind the beverages, but there are really quite a lot of interesting beer-like creations in there, most of them with recipes of various levels of detail (most will at least take some guesswork and creative sourcing of ingredients).

u/grokkage · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

I'm from Scotland myself, but I've been transplanted to California. Mugwort is all over the place here, too.
I pulled a recipe from Buhner. I haven't made it before, so I plan on reducing the recipe by 1/4 so I can make a gallon tester.

>Mugwort Ale
>
>(Buhner, pg 379)
>
> 3 pounds brown sugar
>
24 oz molasses
> 4 gallons water
>
2 ounces dried mugwort herb
>* yeast
>
>Boil sugar, molasses, water, and herb for 30 minutes. Cool to 70 degrees F, strain into fermenter, and add yeast. Ferment until complete, approximately one week, siphon into bottles brimes with 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and cap. Ready to drink in 10 days to two weeks.
>
>


u/xsidekick409 · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

I've been reading this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Brewing-Science-Second-Serious/dp/0937381748

From what I have read so far, brewing water composition can play an important role in the outcome of your brew. I would assume that the minerals in the brewing water you used for your first brew (the one you are planning to use as brewing water in you next brew) would have been consumed in the process of making the first beer, unless the minerals act as a catalyst and aren't consumed by the yeast. I don't know off the top of my head whether or not they act as a catalyst.

pH is also another important factor in your brew. I don't know the typical final pH of different beers, but if its not somewhere around 7 there could be a problem.

Ultimately, I don't know what would happen, but there are a number of things that could happen. You'd have to try it to find out. Just remember that while beer may consist mostly of water, it is no longer water and shouldn't be treated as such.

u/Waxmaker · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Good for you! Honestly, you can't do better than Mosher's Radical Brewing to start you off.

u/Junior3ii · 3 pointsr/beer

I'd take a look at The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver. He's the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and world renowned for his beer/food pairings and experience.

One caveat: he loves his superlatives. I remember one passage where he discusses how cheap and widely available Schneider Weiss is and how it's surprisingly a "tour de force," or something like that. Not sure why it's a surprise that one of the most highly respected/awarded breweries in the world turns out a good beer. Still, for beginners who are serious about learning beer it's a good read.

I've also really enjoyed Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher. If you have any interest in brewing it's highly informative and a great historical look at all kinds of different beer. Michael Jackson (the wine critic, not that other guy) wrote the forward, which is about as much endorsement as I needed.

u/DSchmitt · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Yeah, this is one of the beers listed in one of the best homebrew books I've seen, Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher. I love edible wild mushrooms, and have been meaning to try this one sometime.

u/stepman · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

I would like to add to the discussion with quotes from this book:
(http://www.amazon.com/Farmhouse-Ales-Culture-Craftsmanship-Tradition/dp/0937381845)

"Common physical characteristics between the Dupont culture and a typical red wine yeast include the ability (or preference) to work at unusually high temperatures (typically 77 to 90F or 25 to 32C) without excessive fusel alcohol production as well as the capacity to be super-attenuative..." pg 172

"At Brasserie Dupont, primary fermentation proceeds at the shocking 85 to 95F (30 to 35C) and lasts for five to seven days." pg 175


So, in reference to your other comment about style, assuming we know this strain is the Dupont strain we shouldn't worry about fusel alcohols at high fermentation temps. The Dupont Saison Vieille Provision is on style in a competition.

To be honest it's the only Belgian saison I've ever had. Don't notice fusels in it or my homebrew w/ this strain. But I'm a horrible judge of such things :-)

u/JamesKBrewer · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

The book Farmhouse Ales goes into this red wine yeast comparison in detail. The author suggests adding extra FAN rather than extra oxygen, if I remember correctly (maybe both?).

u/AnthonyUK · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

There are a lot of misconceptions with Saison fermenting.
Saisons were historically brewed over the winter so would not have started warm.
This is a great book on the subject if you want further info - http://www.amazon.com/Farmhouse-Ales-Culture-Craftsmanship-Tradition/dp/0937381845

So start fermenting at normal ale temps and ramp as high as 30°c to reach the attenuation you require.
If using WLP565 be prepared for it to stall which would replicate its natural fermentation profile e.g. taking off again as the weather warms up.
It is lazy even with a temperature bump but Wyeast 3724 seems to not exhibit this even though they are both meant to be the Dupont strains.

u/Jwhartman · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Buy How to Brew. Completely worth the investment many times over. There is also an older version of it available online for free, but buy a hard copy it's changed quite a bit since the version that is posted online.

u/andersonmatt1125 · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

From How To Brew

I highly highly recommend that everyone who brews to pick up a book (the print version of How To Brew is much more in depth and up to date). No matter how much you think you know, a book will tell you more. And whenever you have a question, you just need to skip to the proper chapter. No need to scroll through dozens of forum posts and listening to people fighting or misquoting sources.

u/xboarder · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

My first bit of advice would be to check out the side bar to the right for an extensive collection of links with excellent advice.

If you're interested in extract brewing then I'd recommend you start with these bare minimum items:

u/dirtyoldduck · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Read How to Brew by Palmer or The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Papazian. Palmer is a bit more technical, but either will give you a basic understanding of homebrewing, including the equipment needed.

Probably the best single piece of advice I can give, however, is to not blindly believe everything you believe on the internet from homebrewers. For some reason, homebrewing has a lot of hot button issues (glass versus Better Bottle versus plastic bucket, primary versus secondary, stainless steel versus aluminum) and a lot of people who tend to believe the only right way to do something is the way they do it. The problem is, they only do it that way because that is the way they were taught and a lot of homebrewing myths are perpetuated this way. Read, study, decide for yourself what makes sense and find out what works for you. There are lots of ways to make good beer and for a lot of issues there really is no right or wrong way to do something. Except fermentation temperatures. Listen to the people who tell you to control your fermentation temperatures. They are correct.

Take Charlie Papazian's advice to "Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew" (RDWHAHB) to heart. It is harder to screw up beer than you think and even when you do screw up you usually end up with beer. Brewing when you are relaxed is much more enjoyable than when you are stressing about every little thing. You are not going to taste the difference if your hop addition is at 19 minutes instead of twenty.

u/pvanmetre · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

-RDWHAHB!
Sounds inane, but is utterly crucial for success.

-Check out the Side Bar -->

-Purchase this book and read it.

u/HankSinatra · 3 pointsr/IAmA

The book How to Brew it's a great place to start doing some research. It's like the home brewer's Bible. There are also a lot of free resources online like discussion boards and how-to guides.

When you're ready to purchase a kit, [Northern Brewer] (http://www.northernbrewer.com/) and Midwest Supplies are both great retailers. I would recommend signing up for their mailing lists as they will often have starter kits on sale.

I would recommend staying away from the cheaper Mr. Beer kits. It can be a cheaper, easier option but it's like the easy-bake oven version of homebrewing. You'll make beer, sure, but you won't learn as much using these kits and there's little room for customization/upgrading if you decide to get more into it.

On Black Friday, both retailers that I mentioned always have starter kits on sale. I've gotten brewing equipment and 2 recipe kits for less than $100. That's enough to make roughly 100 bottles of beer for less than $1/bottle. You don't have to buy bottles, just save used ones, (no screw-offs) rinse them out, and you'll be able to fill and re-cap them.

Finally, when brewing, sanitize everything. The quickest way to ruin a batch of beer is improper sanitation.

Cheers.

u/GetsEclectic · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Have them start growing you a new liver asap.

Here's tons of good info about getting the most out of your Mr. Beer on homebrewtalk.

Also, How to Brew is probably the best intro to brewing online. The web site is a free version of the book.

u/essie · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Sounds good!

In terms of learning more about beer styles, I'd recommend buying and tasting a bunch of different beers - when you find something you like, make a note of it and do some searching to get a general sense of why it tastes the way it does (usually you'll want to look into the basic types of malts, yeast, and hops used, along with any other ingredients that may be of interest). Sites like Beer Advocate are great resources for learning about new styles and figuring out what you might want to try next, and there are tons of local microbreweries with employees/brewers that are happy to talk with you about what goes into making their beers.

Once you actually take the leap into homebrewing, I'd recommend going to a local homebrew store (like Stomp Them Grapes), chatting with the employees, and picking up equipment and ingredients to do a basic extract-based recipe with steeped grains. My personal preference at that point would just be to jump right in - it's not really that difficult, and you'll learn a lot as you progress. From there, you might check into some local homebrew clubs, get some books like The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, How to Brew, or Designing Great Beers, and start creating your own recipes by tweaking existing ones.

Really, the biggest thing is just to have fun. Beer is surprisingly hard to screw up as long as you follow the basic steps and sanitize everything well enough.

If you have any other questions, or want to chat at some point, feel free to send me a PM. I'm in Boulder, but would be happy to help out if possible!

u/Ehloanna · 3 pointsr/beer

How to Brew is what I learned a lot from. Pretty cheap but teaches you a lot about how to actually brew beer.

I read A LOT of the style guidelines on BeerAdvocate to understand glassware and styles, also terminology.

I also got lucky and had an amazing beer monger at my local wine/cheese/beer shop. He taught me a ton, as did the guy I was dating. I'd try literally every beer I could get my hands on and would go from there.

Now I know exactly what styles I like, how to pick beers I'm likely to like, what glassware it should generally go in, etc.

I have also helped homebrew multiple times. It gives you a good understanding of the whole beer making process.

u/RickyP · 3 pointsr/beer

If it's a book you're looking for I strongly recommend Palmer's How to Brew, as available on amazon.

One thing that I did forget is that sanitation is probably the most important part. Be paranoid and go overboard (not too far overboard, I mean you don't need an autoclave and a hood and all that), it won't hurt. I use StarSan, but everyone has their own approach to it.

At any rate, happy brewing!

u/Bocote · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

You can start with this book.

You don't have to read all of it, you can skim it. It'll give you a very comprehensive view of the beer-making at home. You'll revisit the book often later too.

On top of that, visit some homebrew supply websites and look through the equipments they sell. This will give you an idea as to what tools/equipments are out there. This helps with getting the idea of the process and how the hobby looks like and cost.

u/kendroid · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Pick up a copy of Palmer's How to Brew. You can read the first edition online at www.howtobrew.com.

Check out the beginner's forum at www.homebrewtalk.com; it's a friendly, helpful community. /r/Homebrewing is as well.

For entry-level equipment, I'd recommend waiting for a Groupon to Midwest Supplies. They usually run them every month or two and you can get everything you need to brew (minus a 3+ gallon pot) for $64 plus shipping, including ingredients for your first batch and a GC good for a second batch. It's really a steal.

Dive right in, have fun, ask stupid questions, and above all RDWHAHB (relax, don't worry, have a homebrew)!

u/Karoth · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you haven't already, pick up How to Brew by John Palmer. Its probably the best collection of techniques, as well as tips and tricks in one single place.

Though it's not as practical, particularly if you one of the first of your friends to start the hobby; one of the most helpful things I did when I started brewing was to brew my first batch with an experienced friend. It helps smooth out a lot of kinks.

Heres a link to the book
http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1368381468&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew

u/carltone553 · 3 pointsr/beer

Well before you begin, start saving your pry top brown beer bottles. You'll need them.

First, buy How to Brew and read Section I.

Next, buy one of these kits and a semi-easy recipe kit...like the Autumn Amber Ale.

Finally, have fun with it. Start small with the equipment, ingredients, and procedure until you get a feel for it. /r/Homebrewing is great resource and pretty friendly to beginners. It's a fun hobby and I always brew if I have a free weekend. Enjoy!

u/LordBeric · 3 pointsr/Frugal

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0937381888?pc_redir=1412945057&robot_redir=1

This book has lots of useful information for beginners. Most home brewing kits include instructions as well though. I like to order from Northern brewer. Most places can help you figure out what equipment you need to get started (you can get everything you need for basic stuff around $100)

u/jelousy · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Hey, welcome to reddit, I haven't read the complete joy of home brewing yet but one book I do recommend as something every one should read is "How to Brew" by John Palmer.
He starts off with the absolute basics like sanitation then has a really well structured progression from extract brewing through nutrients, how all your temps and proteins work, water chemistry, all grain brewing even how to fabricate your own equipment! Definitely cant praise it enough, I know it certainly made me step my game up lol.

the first edition is free online http://www.howtobrew.com/
But I highly recommend getting the hard copy 3rd edition and for $5 secondhand you really cant say no lol http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937381888/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

u/NeoMoose · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Does he have a good book on homebrewing? I loved How To Brew -- http://amzn.com/0937381888

u/EricCSU · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

"How To Brew" by John Palmer.

How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time
http://amzn.com/0937381888

u/Headsupmontclair · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

[as per chris whites book Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Brewing Elements)] (https://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969) no dont do a starter on dry yeast. just rehydrate to spec.

u/projhex · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

It's interesting that Jamil and Chris are saying different things about this considering that they wrote the book Yeast together.

u/LaughingTrees · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Stop reading the internet, and get this book

u/ShootsieWootsie · 3 pointsr/TheBrewery

If you haven't read it already, this is a fantastic book. It will answer just about every yeast question you'll ever have about yeast. I make all my new employees read the whole Brewing Elements series as part of their training here.

u/mrwentzel · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Brewing Elements) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381969/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FYkpzbVGYWFQJ

u/DEEJANGO · 3 pointsr/TheBrewery
u/OystersAreEvil · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

The Yeast book says it can be okay to use another strain of yeast, notably if it's clean-fermenting. The first pitch can be for flavor/character, and the second pitch can be to finish off fermentation. The second needs to be generous, highly active yeast.

However, using something like champagne yeast may not help because the simple sugars (that the champagne yeast would target) have probably been fermented already.

OP: In addition to /u/sanseriph74's questions, at what temperature(s) have you been fermenting? Have you tried rousing the yeast at all?

u/RabidMortal · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Finally watched the whole video. Be on the lookout--her slides seem correct, but she mis-speaks quite a bit and even misreads the slides. She also wings a few answers to questions that she clearly should have said that she didn't know the answer to. This video proved to be a good "test" for me since I finished reading the new Yeast book and it really taught me a lot. Interestingly, Neva is acknowledged for her help on the book so she's certainly no slouch.

u/par383 · 3 pointsr/beer

A bunch of guys in my homebrew club swear by Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong. I haven't read it myself though. http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Better-Beer-Advanced-Homebrewers/dp/0937381985

u/SxthGear · 3 pointsr/beer

Yes, it actually will. Brewing relies heavily on the salt and mineral content of the water. Salt and mineral content changes significantly if they change a water source like that. Water content is also the reason why breweries are located in certain areas in certain states/countries around the world.

The other ingredients that you mentioned really don't have a huge impact, even with seasonal variations. Yeast is the only other factor that can seriously change flavor, and the yeast used in these beers is highly controlled and not subjected to conditions that will cause mutations.

For someone with the username 'Eddie_The_Brewer' you seem to not know a lot about brewing science.

Edit: And if you really don't believe me, there's a freaking book dedicated to water science: http://www.amazon.com/Water-A-Comprehensive-Guide-Brewers/dp/0937381993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371673133&sr=8-1&keywords=water+brewing

u/NoGi_Only · 3 pointsr/TheBrewery
u/_ak · 3 pointsr/beer
u/Feruz424 · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

This book is a good read for everything water.

u/iBrew4u · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

This is correct. The calcium in your water and the added calcium from calcium sulfate (gypsum) reacts with phosphate in the malt to precipitate calcium phosphate, which releases protons that react with dissolved carbonates to create water and CO2, which reduces the alkalinity and lowers the pH. Not to mention this is all a function of malt color (darker malts are more effective at lowering pH, ceteris parabus)

Blindly adding gypsum while testing pH will get you nowhere if you don't know where you are starting from. Go here or anywhere else that will test your water and learn what you've got coming out of the faucet.

Then go here and learn what it's all about. There a useful excel sheet, instructions on how to use it, and the science behind it. You get your head around this and your next move is this book Get through all that, and not only will you understand what is happening, but you'll improve your efficiency and flavor profile by default. Knowledge is power brother.

u/beerploma · 3 pointsr/beer

Tasting Beer is by far an away my favorite read. It covers every aspect of beer well; styles, glass ware, serving, pairing, history, science of brewing and more. I have found myself referencing this book more then any other. I highly recommend you pick this one up for a good read. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

u/flmngarrow · 3 pointsr/CraftBeer

I find that Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is a good resource for beer education. Probably the best thing to do would be to organize flights for him, so you can start to work out what styles he likes. Obviously there's a lot of variation within styles, but perhaps if you give him a selection to rank or pit against each other, you can start to see whether he likes hoppy vs. malt-forward, etc. So you could start with a pilsner, a wheat beer, an IPA and a stout or a similar line-up and work your way out from there.

u/sublimefan310 · 3 pointsr/beer

If you're nervous about getting him a beer he might not like, you can always spring for something like glasswear or an experience. For example:


Glasswear - very few beer drinkers have a good set of tasting glasses or a nice Teku glass. They tend to spend their money more on the beer than the proper glasswear. Here are some to consider:


Teku Glasses
Tasting Glasses

Experience - This is completely scalable based on budget. Need to do something cheaper? Check out Yelp reviews and Beer Advocate reviews to find the best local brewery near you and take him there, followed by dinner at a great tap room or gastropub. Have more budget? Take him on a beer roadtrip or brewery tour around some of the local breweries in your area.


Beer books and merch - There are a lot of great books about the history of beer, tasting beer, etc. Here are a few to check out:


Tasting Beer
Oxford Companion

You can also get merch from his favorite brewery's online store or taproom. They'll have shirts, branded glasses, etc. All of those things should score points with any beer drinker.

u/-Zoomacroom- · 3 pointsr/beer

First resource is Tasting Beer. Here's a little piece about pairing by another industry writer (he has a full book on it too).

You can always check out the Draught Beer Quality manuals too (Short / Long)

And if you're really dedicated, and the place will fund you, you can always go through the Certified Beer Sever exam from Cicerone. The syllabus is essentially the test and the last few resources can get you through it. I know of a few breweries/brewpubs/etc that require their servers to have that cert within x days of starting.

u/tattoobikewoman · 3 pointsr/beer

Since most of your people are new to the craft brew scene you dont want to scare them with really powerful beers and a great introduction is with some smooth, sweet, and creamy dessert beers. One of my favorite beer pairings right now is to match-up porters and stouts with dessert items. I just did one for my boyfriend for his birthday. I paired a cherry/chili pepper dark chocolate with a tanilla porter, and a ginger infused dark chocolate with a double-chocolate stout. Here is a great book I like to reference for ideas: http://www.amazon.com/Brewmasters-Table-Discovering-Pleasures-Real/dp/0060005718

u/thisround · 3 pointsr/beer
u/RR_unicorn · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Can recommend this book. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition (Harperresource Book) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0060531053/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZoYjDbMJ49RNP

It have a fair few extract recipes that incorporates specialty grains. Spells out how to do everything and what it all means!

u/lukahnli · 3 pointsr/beer

Another good book when you start off.....The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Parpazian.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371682020&sr=8-1&keywords=charlie+papazian+joy+of+home+brewing

Start with extract recipes.

HAVE FUN!!!!

u/Marenum · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

In my opinion, this is probably the best book out there. It has great advice for homebrewers of all skill levels, and a bunch of terrific recipes too. I can't imagine my brewing life without it.

u/doctechnical · 3 pointsr/todayilearned

You'll be monopolizing the kitchen for a couple hours when you start a new batch, then you'll need someplace to put the fermenter (which may just be a 5-gallon pail, more or less). Then after the fermentation you'll be monopolizing the kitchen again for another couple of hours while you bottle. Then you need someplace to keep the bottles of beer. Bottom line: no, doesn't take up much room. I've homebrewed in small apartments, no problem.

Protip: when you boil your malt the place is going to reek of maltballs for a while. If you have others in the domicile who aren't agreeable with this, trot our the scented candles and incense :)

Anyone thinking about getting into homebrewing would do very well to invest a few bucks in a used copy of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. That book got a lot of homebrewers started, and it tells you everything you need to know. Easy to read.

u/Lithras · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Completely agree with this.

Also, you may find out you hate brewing (impossible I know!!) but better to start with a small kit you get for Christmas, brew a decent beer and then upgrade as you see fit, rather than jumping in head first.

More than likely you will find that you really enjoy your first brew and it will have let you get the process down without worrying much about the "extra" stuff. I suggest brewing the kit as-is and buying The Complete Joy of Homebrewing to learn more about the process and the equipment needed to take it to the next level.

And sanitize, sanitize, sanitize - a friend of mine couldn't figure out why his beer kept skunking and it was because he cleaned but didn't sanitize - good luck and welcome to the club!

u/spelunker · 3 pointsr/science

After seeing a friend do it, I've recently decided to try to brew some beer on my own. It's not hard, apparently, since basic beer is just four ingredients, and this book makes it really friggin easy.

Honey Wheat Ale, here we come!

u/GlowingApple · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

There are no bacteria, that can grow in beer, that can make you sick (source: Charlie Papazion's Complete Joy of Homebrewing), so I wouldn't worry about it.

Could just be a coincidence, or like others have said a reaction to ingesting too much yeast.

u/murp9702 · 3 pointsr/ITCareerQuestions

Relax, don’t worry, and have a homebrew! Read the book from Charlie Papazian, every brewer from amateur to world class pro has read this book and will speak highly of it. https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Third/dp/0060531053

It is a wonderful hobby that you can make work on a broke college student budget or go for a complete balls to the wall home micro-brewery. Do not go into it expecting to save money though. Just like tech there is always something new and shiny to get your hands on.

u/friendly_nz · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

I've only been brewing for ~8 months but the one thing I have now that I wish I had at the start is The Complete Joy of Hombrewing. The recipes for both extract and partial mashes are great.

Also, you could save some money, effort and risk by not doing secondary fermentation.

  • Money: no need to get a carboy, less weight for shipping cost
  • Effort: less cleaning, no racking
  • Risk: Risk of infection/oxidation during racking and risk of dropping the carboy

    This forum post does a good job looking at the pros and cons of doing so.

    Edit: forgot to add link
u/discontinuuity · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

It's usually cheaper to buy everything you need separately than buy a kit. Or check out craigslist; lots of homebrewers will sell their equipment if they are moving or if their wife is nagging them :)

Lots of restaurants and bakeries throw out perfectly good food-grade plastic buckets, and will save one for you if you ask.

An airlock, a bottle of Star-San, crown caps, and a bottle capper from the local homebrew store will run you about $35, plus another $35 for all the ingredients necessary for a batch of beer. You'll also need a large stock pot and maybe a racking cane.

Recipes and advice are free on the internet, or you can buy a book. I suggest The Joy of Home Brewing.

The moral of the story is that for about the same cost as a Mr. Beer kit and ingredient pack, you can make twice as much beer, and at a better quality.

u/TopRamen713 · 3 pointsr/IWantToLearn

I think The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is better to get started with. How To Brew is the resource I go to now, but TCJoH is much easier to read.

u/AlfLives · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Started with an equipment kit like the basic kit on Northern Brewer. Read the basic sections in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing to figure out how to do it. Then I just tried! My first beer was drinkable, but not great. But it was mine and I was hooked. Been brewing regularly for 3 years now and have no plans of slowing down!

u/craigpartin · 3 pointsr/washingtondc
u/lizard_b · 3 pointsr/beer
u/FreelanceSocialist · 3 pointsr/beer

Hornsey's A History of Beer and Brewing mentions that Abbot Adalhardus published an ordinance in 822 that monastery tenants (discussed within the scope of what millers weren't to be responsible for) were supposed to gather firewood and hops for brewing purposes. There's a second reference to a tithe of both malt and hops to be given to the porter of the monastery. These are probably the first printed references to hops as an ingredient in beer. This is also mentioned in The Oxford Companion to Beer, albeit in less detail, on p464. "Mainstream" is tough to nail down, but the French were apparently rocking hops in the 9th century. The Oxford Companion goes on to say that the use was widespread by the 11th, though.

u/UnsungSavior16 · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew by John Palmer, as others have mentioned, is wonderful. I am also a huge fan of Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels

u/Lov-4-Outdors · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

I'm just started reading "Designing Great Beers" so I can learn how to make my own recipes. The book comes highly recommended from several respectable sources. I also read Brewing Classic Styles, which, besides great recipes, it has great descriptions and guide lines for each style.

u/jowla · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

"Designing Great Beers" by Ray Daniels really got me into thinking about water pH, etc. It's a good intro to the chemistry. I've read all the Papazian books, it takes it a little further, but still accessible to the non-biochem major.

u/Yoca · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/anibeav · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

I picked up a book which really got me excited about brewing again, I mean really really excited. I would think it would go a ways to answer some of your questions, and if you are trying to make your own recipes it gives a great starting point for each style that you can build off of, it's called Designing Great Beers

u/Wigglyscuds · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Also recommend Designing Great Beers.

Hear great things about it all the time. As soonami said, can't go wrong with buying him some beer. :)

u/Stubb · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

You'll eventually want a copy of Designing Great Beers. It has all the tables, formulas, and descriptions of ingredients you need to roll your own.

u/romario77 · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

This book could help:
https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Great-Beers-Ultimate-Brewing/dp/0937381500

it's a bit old, but it's still a very nice book and in the second part of the book it goes through various styles and tells you about them.

It has tables with what commercial breweries put into beer and NHC second round entries did. It goes over the amounts of malt (the types and variation), hops, yeast, covers water chemistry for each style.
There is also cool historical info about styles and how they evolved.

It's pretty good in showing you what options you have and the ranges of each addition. If you mostly brew hoppy beers I would get a different book since this one is old and hops for IPAs changed a lot since the book was published.

u/naudir · 3 pointsr/mead

Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers has several interesting chapters on the history and mythological lore surrounding mead, gruits, beer, and numerous indigenous drinks such as pulque (Aztec fermented agave cactus). There are also a ton of recipes and discussion about traditional ingredients, although you might want to consult some modern scientific information about any alleged medicinal or healing properties these ingredients might have.

Juniper and bog myrtle were two of the most common ingredients in traditional Norwegian brewing. Yarrow was also used throughout Scandinavia, often together with St John's wort. Bog myrtle, wild rosemary, and yarrow was a popular combination for gruits. Looking into what people have done with those would be a good place to start.

u/JackanapesHB · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you are still pretty new, you'll want to be comfortable making clean beers before trying your hand at sour and wild beers. There are so many factors that go into sour/wild ales, that you'll definitely want to have your brewing process down because one small variable can have a huge impact on the final product more so than a clean beer.

That out of the way, nothing says you can't start reading up on it. A good resource on sours is American Sour Beers by Michael Tonsmeire and his website The Mad Fermentationist, which has a bunch of recipes. I also highly recommend the Milk the Funk website, wiki, and Facebook group.

u/K_Mander · 3 pointsr/beer

Brewing a sour can be only slightly more difficult (if kettle sour) or painfully tedious (if cold side sour) from a normal beer.

Assuming you know the standard process, kettle souring is throwing a bug into the sweet wort after you collect from the mash but before you boil (and depending on the bug, you might need to chill this first). You then get to sit on your pot and wait overnight to 2 days for the bacteria to get a foot hold and drop your pH to a respectable low 3 or high 2. Then you boil it and continue like normal.

Cold side sours are just like making a normal beer. The only major difference is you can't put a lot of hops in the boil since most sour cultures don't like them. Where it becomes tedious is after everything is done you need to super clean all of your gear or every beer you make from now on will be a sour.

Some great reading on how to make sour beer in your own home is the book American Sour Beers by u/oldsock

u/skeletonmage · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

Welcome! Northern Brewer and the like sell some decent $100-$150 starter kits. They'll get you into the process with extract pretty quickly to see if it's right for you. Please check out the FAQ and Wiki for a lot of information....or just use the search bar. You'll want to learn about yeast health, fermentation temperature control, and bottle conditioning for your first brew.

As for the types of beers you like: If you have 0 experience, you won't try to make a sour for awhile. They're a bit more involved and require knowledge and some extra equipment. I can't say I know what a "polish beer" is but a Belgian style shouldn't be too hard for your first couple of brews.

Either way, give NB or More Beer or someone a look at check out their starter extract packages. You need a 5-7 gallon pot and a place to crank up the heat. Just don't make the same mistake I did and think that you could get a full 5 gallons up to a boil on a gas stove. I was better off trying for 2-3 gallons and topping off with water :).

Edit:

Almost forgot about How To Brew.....

https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Great-Every/dp/1938469356/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

u/thegarysharp · 3 pointsr/TheBrewery

Yes, he lives in DC. He consulted (or consults?) with Modern Times in CA. He wrote American Sour Beers which I highly recommend. He's also pretty active in /r/homebrewing answering questions from people like me who are just getting into making sour beers.

u/sjmiller85 · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

It's all about taste and palettes. If you don't like sours, that's fine. A lot of folks don't. I gather the recent shift isn't far different than the lupulin threshold shift. It's my perception that sour fan-boi's are a bit more strong in their opinions and beliefs due to the amount of time and effort that goes into creating proper, delicious sour beers. An excellent IPA can be cranked out in less than a month, while sour beers require many months, even years to make, and require some advanced techniques such as blending in order to achieve a desired flavor or for consistency. Some may come off as elitists, or beer snobs because of this extra effort required, which isn't going to help them bring more to their cause.

It also may have something to do with the recent release of /u/oldsock's book back in June, which is one of the only really well written books on sour beers. Even if you don't like them, it's a great book to read through, as it really does open your eyes to just how complex they can be, and why their is such an appreciation for them among their loyal tasters.

u/snidemarque · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

> brewing 5 gallons or less isn't worth it

Take that as a matter of opinion. Remember, this is a hobby. I do 5 gallon batches because I can and because it will be drank. For a 1 gallon, either extract or BIAB for size and space are great places to start and learn and require minimum investment.

I would pick up the book How to Brew, or first edition is free online but highly recommend the latest as it has updates to process.

Sidebar has a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend starting there and visit the Daily Q&A for more information and to glean from others. Much might be over your head but give it time.

u/lcogan · 3 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you're going the sour route and venture away from strictly Belgian styles, u/oldsock has a great book called American Sour Beers that I would recommend picking up.

u/TTUDude · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew by Palmer
http://amzn.com/B009DH2PP4

or the free 1st edition:
http://www.howtobrew.com/

Great read for new and experienced brewers. And you can never learn enough at http://homebrewtalk.com

u/Midnight_Rising · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

The #1 book everyone starts with is How To Brew by John Palmer.

u/mirage565 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Great-Every/dp/1938469356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497567677&sr=8-1&keywords=palmer+brewing

start here, he breaks it down high level then deeper then down a the nitty gritty. really and truly do not be afraid if you can do sour dough you can do this

u/Holy_Grail_Reference · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

The definitive explanation. He really breaks everything down and it is a treasure among books. When you are done here, you can REALLY go down the water hole and read his 300 page book on water!

u/yono1986 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Get Palmer.

u/femtobrewer · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Wild Brews is a great book if you're interested in Belgian style wild beers (i.e. Flanders and lambic style). As others mentioned, /u/oldsock's blog is a great all around resource, and he's also coming out with a book that's bound to be good.

u/elzombino · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I just picked up American Sour Beers, By Michael Tonsmeire and have found it to be VERY informative as well.

u/RidgeBrewer · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I realized over the weekend, to give credit where it's due, I got this information from Michael Tonsmere's book and not from Chad Yakobson. Sorry!!! (It's a great book FYI, definitely worth a read)

http://www.amazon.com/American-Sour-Beers-Michael-Tonsmeire/dp/1938469119/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

u/KEM10 · 2 pointsr/beercirclejerk

I'm "advanced" over there and can attest that those fairs mean nothing.

oldsock, the guy who wrote the book on American sours, also has "advanced" as well as someone who told me the other month that you can just drop frozen fruit in your beer and not worry about it souring.

u/Heojaua · 2 pointsr/BiereQc

Je te conseil ste livre la : https://www.amazon.ca/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888 sinon, son site web gratuit : http://www.howtobrew.com/ Je sais pas si il est a jour comparer au livre. Ya eu plusieurs découverte de brassage depuis quelques années. C'est un super de bon livre avec la grande majorité des choses que t'as besoin de savoir concernant le brassage de la bière et c'est super bien expliqué.

r/homebrewing peux t'aider aussi. Super belle communauté consacrer au brassage de biere et plein de gens qui veulent t'aider. Incluant John Palmer lui même (auteur de How to Brew).

Ya aussi ste gars la qui fais des cherches sur des bieres historique anglaise : http://barclayperkins.blogspot.ca/ Super de bon stock qui t'apprend les ancien type biere avant la révolution industriel et les guerres qui a eux qui a tout changer.

Je recommande aussi http://brulosophy.com/. Super de bon blog qui teste des mythes de brassage de façon scientifique et les prouve correcte ou non.

Tout ca c'est le brassage de biere de type Anglais. Si tu veux du stuff de biere belge (ce qu'on a beaucoup au Quebec) je te recommande la serie - Brewing Farmhouse Ales, Brew like a Monk et Brewing with Wheat. https://www.amazon.ca/Farmhouse-Ales-Craftsmanship-European-Tradition/dp/0937381845/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519234800&sr=1-1&keywords=brewing+farmhouse+ale&dpID=51oI7VkdTwL&preST=_SY264_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Si tu cherche du stuff des biere Allemande/Czech je te conseil ste livre la : Brewing Lager Beer : https://www.amazon.ca/New-Brewing-Lager-Beer-Comprehensive/dp/0937381829/ref=pd_sim_14_18?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YJKTZ5QSPD8KH7MZQ48Z

ET Si tu cherche plus des recettes qui fonctionne que son selon les styles BJCP, je te conseil ste livre la : https://www.amazon.ca/Designing-Great-Beers-Ultimate-Brewing/dp/0937381500/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S5CFF5PGSYQN6YW5HNZH

Si tu cherche du stuff concernant les biere surrette (Lambic, Brett, Lacto etc) regarde ste livre la : https://www.amazon.ca/American-Sour-Beer-Michael-Tonsmeire/dp/1938469119/ref=pd_sim_14_9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DF5N9XVQ8FWQCNK6NKS3

Je connais malheureusement pas de literature en francais.


Sur ce bonne chance et lache pas! C'est super interessant!

u/LegendofPisoMojado · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

In addition Malt and Hops are useful resources.

u/mccrackinfool · 2 pointsr/baltimore

I'm selling all my home brew equipment and books asking 300, its an all or nothing deal sorry. I will provide pictures for any one interested.

1-glass carboy and hauler

1-bottling bucket with spout

1-fermenting bucket with lid

1-1 gallon glass carboy

1-2 gallon bucket

1-Hydrometer

3-Air locks

1-Thermometer

1-wood stirring paddle

1-40 quart stock pot

1-turkey fryer with the timer removed

1-20lb empty propane tank

1-capper and about 50 -60 beer bottle caps

1-corker for wine bottles and some corks

Auto siphon, tubing, racking cane,some PBW cleaner and Star Sanitizer left over, I have I think 12 empty wine bottles and probably have about an empty case worth of beer bottles.....I mean pretty much everything you need to brew or make wine.

Books are listed below and are in great shape.

How to Brew Beer

Designing Great Beer

For The Love of Hops

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation

Hop Variety hand book

The Homebrewer's Garden


u/ScottyDelicious · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I read this book called Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse by John Mallett. It got me really interested in brewing. I was unaware of malt extract kits before I started looking at how to brew. I already knew I wanted to create recipes based on the taste, smell, mouthfeel, and degrees Lovibond of a grain.

I use Fedora Linux as my primary desktop, and someone pointed me to BrewTarget. This software has an inbuilt database of several all grain recipes. I set up the brewing equipment section with my kettle size and evaporation rate (volume/hour), MLT volume, thermal mass, and dead space. I used the BrewTarget Saison as a base, then substituted the default grains with the equivalents available at the local brewing store. I also modified the hops additions a bit because the original recipe called for Hallertau AA 4.7% and all I could get were Hallertau AA 2.7%.

Once all this was entered into the BrewTarget software, I ran the mash wizard and it calculated my strike water and batch sparge volumes and temperatures for a goal post boil volume of 5.5 gallons.

The mash was 4.1 gallons heated to 166.9° for target of 147° for 60 min. It was locked down at 148° for the whole hour. The batch sparge was 4.6 gallons heated to 183° for target of 165° for 15 min. I hit 167°.

The first brew I did was a Brown Ale. I did not have my equipment properly set up in BrewTarget and my mash and sparge temperatures were both low by 5-8°. It turned out ok, but I think that the lower mash temp extracted way more sugar. OG was supposed to be 1.046 but I ended up with 1.056. It hit the expected FG of 1.013 and has a bit more EtOH than would be expected for a brown ale.

u/Radioactive24 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Ah.

For that, I was using a calculator. Even though BeerSmith is relatively cheap, I'm not crazy about its interface and, having used it in the past, I'm just not a fan of it.

I actually use the calculator from Brewer's Friend, but anything like BrewToad or whatever will work.

Outside of that, the grains themselves have specific yields they can offer. How to Brew has a rough table of the theoretical yields you can get out of the specific grains. Granted, this is a guarantee, it's pretty much averages and taking into account perfect scenarios.

Calculators will do almost all of the work for you, unless you really want to do it by hand, then all the math is in Malt.

Otherwise, the calculator can give you a rough estimate of what you'll get if you just start doing a little plug and play. It never seems to get super low, as I'll typically mash low and ferment high, as to get my saisons down to as close to ~1.000 as possible, but it's not usually too bad for guesstimating extraction, color, and the like.

u/efemex · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I have this yet haven't got the chance to read it yet, but have heard it is excellent. There is a whole series of books, each one on a particular subject of yeast, water, hops, and Malt

u/brouwerijchugach · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

It is advised against. Paraphrasing from Yeast, pp164, 3rd paragraph: {Yeast at the end of fermenation are not healthy cells, many dead cells and other material. You need to remove unwanted yeast material, and make sure you're pitching appropriate amounts. (They then say specifically) "Do not be lazy. Yeast growth is important to beer flavor and overpitching, (esp with excessive trub) can have a negative effect."}

u/ahoogen · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

As for books on yeast, the first one I read was First Steps in Yeast Culture by Pierre Rajotte and Chris White's Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation

Rajotte's book is a quick read and will give you a great overview of the process of propagating yeast for brewing. Chris White's book (of White Labs) is, IMHO, way more in depth into yeast selection, management and testing. But both offer something that the other does not, so I highly recommend the both of them.

As for books on brewing, I started off with what is basically the bible of homebrewing which is The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian. But don't stop there. There are plenty of great books on brewing. Papazian's book will cover the foundations of brewing, but other books that deal with specific styles of brewing will give you a lot more information about how intricate the brewing process is. A lot of this information you can also get from perusing online how-to's and articles about specific practices. There are so many you will continuously learn about ways of making bear you never thought were "standard" or possible.

I read Sibel Institute's Technology Brewing and Malting by Wolfgang Kunze cover to cover. It's really informative, but I would focus on the books above and online resources before tackling Kunze's book.

As far as getting a setup like mine, if what you want is to be able to propagate yeast, you don't need most of what I have. Just start picking up pieces when you can. Start out with getting good at managing and making starters for your brews. That's basically what I do, but I'm starting on a much smaller scale. One vial or package of yeast in 1 litre of wort fermenting for 24 hours will give you great yeast growth (as long as you pay attention to temperature). Get acquainted with that process and you'll be able to jump into more advanced yeast management principles much easier.

u/mathemagician · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

One more vote for Yeast. I just finished reading it and its full of useful information and data. It tells you not only what you should be doing to keep your yeast happy, but has a bit of the underlying science involved. But don't let that scare you, the style is kept pretty conversational so its a fairly light read.

u/mikelostcause · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

The book Yeast recommends no starters for dry yeast. They also recommend rehydrating the yeast in sanitized water for several minutes before pitching into the wort as the initial shock of hitting the higher gravity wort can kill upwards of 50% of the dry yeast.

u/soundboy4 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/schmag · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

here you go

I have been using one for a year or two and its still gtg. I mostly got mine after reading through "yeast" it is of the author's expertise that o2 saturation is huge at the beginning of the fermentation.

u/Paradigm6790 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/splatoutlikealizard · 2 pointsr/TheBrewery

A reply you've made makes it sound like they don't yet have a lab. So you are setting up a lab? Fun times!

First, micro is a fraction (large time consuming fraction) of what you'll need to know. Chemical/analytical testing will make up another, say, 1/4. Someone has linked the ASBC methods. This is a great place to start. Brush up on GLP if it's been a while since you've practiced other science streams.


Specifically regarding lab start up, ASBC also has a guide for what you should be testing at different production volumes: http://www.asbcnet.org/membership/getstarted/Pages/growyourown.aspx

Take this as a minimum. More is better, but depending if they are kegging/bottling/whatever not all of it will be relevant.

Expect paperwork review and filing. Shouldn't be too much of a shock coming from a lab. It's not glamorous but it is what it is.

Are they also looking at QA? This will include things like verification, validation, calibration, preventative maintenance, FDA/other food authorities, food safety, cleaning review, auditing, SOP generation and update, training, labelling, acrobatics etc.

Sensory! Can you taste beer? Can you detect faults? Check you ego; you probably don't. But that's okay. Get a sensory training program up and running. This should include training and review of their beers as well as basic defect training using flavour standards. If you haven't accepted you know nothing; these at 1x threshold will get you there. There's also great resources on setting up blind/triangular/etc training on their site: http://www.aroxa.com/beer


Speaking of egos; you mentioned home brewing. We have all met home Brewers that like to tell us about how they know more than us about our jobs. Don't be that guy/gal. Yes it is helpful that you understand the basics and we know you like beer, but that's about as useful as it gets. It's unlikely you'll be writing recipes or making beer.


Some good reading;

https://www.amazon.com/Quality-Management-Essential-Planning-Breweries/dp/1938469151

https://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969

u/psarsama · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew.

Yeast

For the Love of Hops

Water

I haven't read the book in the water-hops-yeast-malt series on malt yet, but I'm sure it's good. Also, the Brewers Publications books on specific styles are great. My boss has most of them and I borrow them frequently.



u/hahayepyep · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing
  1. Yeast.
  2. ​
  3. ​
u/TheJollyLlama875 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

In Yeast, the authors mention that not rehydrating dry yeast will kill about half the viable cells.

u/awithrow · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

It is also worth noting that the Mr. Malty calculator is made by Jamil Zainasheff who is the co-author of the book Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation. The other author is Chris White, founder of White Labs.

u/vinpaysdoc · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

The book Yeast is a very good place to start. Also, checking out White Labs yeast bank and reading their descriptions will give you some idea about various yeast strains.

u/SpicyThunder335 · 2 pointsr/mead

I'm not saying it won't work, I'm just saying it's not optimal. It's been repeatedly proven by yeast manufacturers that a 1.03-1.04 SG is optimal. It's also basic fermentation science that yeast get stressed when forced to ferment multiple sugar sources. This is exacerbated with mead because yeast always consume the simple sugars first. So using malt + honey means the yeast ferment all the honey first, then switch metabolic processes to consume the malt, then get thrown back into a high SG solution of honey, subjecting them to higher osmotic stresses while they are attempting to go back to fermenting simple sugars.

Yeast also hit a reproduction threshold, which happens faster the smaller the available volume - they will stop producing new cells once a certain concentration is reached. A 1.5L starter is not very big and a fresh sachet of dry yeast should fill that in a matter of hours. Once that happens, yeast switch from reproduction to fermentation, which runs them out of sugar very quickly in a low gravity starter. You want to pitch before reproduction completely falls off or it introduces further stress forcing them back into reproduction when you pitch.

The energizer obviously varies but LD Carlson's calls for 1/2tsp and GoFerm is 1.25g per 1g yeast (so 6.25g for a 5g sachet, which is approximately 2tsp). It's minor but I was really just trying to say "use the recommended amount, don't just use 1/4tsp because someone said so".

Everything above is based on accumulated kinowledge of Chris White (aka White Labs yeast) and Jamil Zainasheff's extremely extensive research into yeast behavior in brewing. I would assume you know who they are but, they literally wrote the book on yeast and many aspects of their research have been repeatedly reaffirmed.

u/theobrew · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Have you read through all of how to brew?

not sure it gets much more advanced than that unless you want something specialized or you start taking courses. The book gets really scientific.

That said... want to learn about yeast get this book.

u/azza10 · 2 pointsr/firewater

This one?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0937381969

Google is throwing a few different books titled yeast for me =\

u/Johnny_Mo88 · 2 pointsr/beer

Yeast

Brewhouse Op

These are the books I'm using in school this semester. Hope they're what you're looking for.

u/4174r-3g0 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Yeah, this is a Gordon Strong technique. (http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Better-Beer-Advanced-Homebrewers/dp/0937381985). Basically, his rationale is that since there is little diastatic power in dark grains, there is little point in mashing them since all you're trying to get from them is flavor and color.
Why let that sit at heat like a pot of coffee for an hour or 90 mins when it's probably going to be close to the flavor you want as soon as you get it wet, or like when you were just steeping grains in your extract days.

Same thought goes into hopping (or not hopping in this case.) Why boil a flower for an hour when you're trying to avoid vegetal flavors and you can get the same effects with more hop (or herb) by first wort hopping and additions with only 20 minutes left in the total boil? And it's a more rounded, delicate bitterness.

I've had fairly good results this way so far.

u/Justbeermeout · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you want to learn a whole lot about the subject of brewing water I found this book to be really useful (if a little dry to read).

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Comprehensive-Brewers-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381993

I think it is actually easier on some level to start with RO (for brewing purposes RO water is very close to distilled and generally way cheaper) and then just "build" your water from scratch at least for some styles. Pilsners are a good example because Plzen, Czech Republic has famously low mineral water and very few other places have such water. So the best option for an "authentic" Czech Pils is to start with water with essentially no minerals and add back tiny amounts.

Other styles of beer became what they are in order to make the best possible beer with the water the brewer historically had to deal with. So Irish stouts are obviously well suited to Dublin's water profile and English IPAs well suited to Burton water, etc. And with RO water, a good scale, and a few powdered minerals you can pretty straightforwardly replicate the water from anywhere in the world.

If you don't use RO water it gets a little bit trickier in that you have to know what you are starting with regarding minerals in your tap water. That's harder for some than others. Where I live, my municipal water is pulled from three different sources, they all have slightly different mineral profiles, and it's not as though the city tells you when they switch from one source to another. On top of that, because they are all sourced from surface water, their mineral content will change depending on time of year (winter water vs. spring runoff water for example). So unless you pretty routinely have your water tested (expensive to do often) you don't necessarily know what your starting mineral levels are... which makes getting your mineral additions right tricky. Luckily I have pretty good water for brewing IPAs and that's what I brew most often. But when I brew a pils I start with RO (and add very little), when I brew a stout I try to get a little closer to Dublin water by using filtered tap, baking soda, and chalk, and like I mentioned when I do American IPAs I only have to add a little gypsum. I don't try to replicate water from around the world exactly, but I do try to get my water closer to the recommended ranges.

You can get as deep into water profiles as you like, from trying to completely replicate the water where a style originated to just adding a couple of minerals to get somewhat closer to those "ideal" ranges. It's one of those subjects we can nerd out on as much as we like.

u/Boss_McAwesome · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Bru'n water is the best IMO.

Just to give a quick overview of things to consider with water, there are different reasons you need certain ions. Things like sodium, chloride, and sulfate, you can taste the impact (sodium is obviously salty, chloride makes a beer "softer", sulfate makes hops sorta stand out more).

Other ions are there for balance and/or yeast health (calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc.)

Carbonates/bicarbonates (as you can probably imagine) help with buffering the mash pH. Mash pH is probably the most important factor in adjusting water for brewing. The ideal spot depends on the beer style and grain bill.

Calcium (and I suspect other divalent positive ions, not sure) is needed for getting a good hot break (proteins breaking down and flocculating in the boil). I'm not sure on the exact mechanism, but I suspect it just forms cross links on certain amino acids.

The book Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers is something I would probably get if I were you.

u/DeathMonkey6969 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

The Basic Brewing podcast for Aug. 21, 2014 "Homebrewer Alex Baker shares his experiment brewing the same recipe with water from different springs across Michigan."

Then there is of course Palmer and Kaminski's book on Water. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381993

u/GhostSheets · 2 pointsr/TheBrewery

I think water (specifically YOUR water) and recipes will play the biggest part. Read this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Comprehensive-Brewers-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381993

A stout may call for a 5.6 or 5.7 pH where as an IPA will typically be around 5.1 to 5.3 depending on the style. There are general recommendations on how much your pH should fluctuate post mash but there are many many considerations. The pH of a stout will fluctuate differently post boil and after fermentation differently than an IPA would. So many factors. Base, adjuncts, sugars, yeast selection, etc.

It's a question that doesn't have a quick answer.

For an IPA we (WE) shoot for a mash pH range of 5.1 to 5.3.
On avg, post boil we expect it to be .3 lower. This is dependent on gear and boil off rate.
Final beer between 4.0 and 4.3.

Depending on dry hop and hop variety that number may go up or down .2

Those are my numbers.

u/beeps-n-boops · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

> Roasted malts will lower the pH of the mash more than pale malts

The gold star answer right there! ::cheers::

You have to tailor the water to the specific grain bill of each recipe, so that you end up with both the correct mash pH as well as an appropriate mineral balance for the desired flavor.

(As an aside, this is a key factor in how different regions adopted certain beer styles way back when... they didn't understand the chemistry going on in the mash, but they learned through experience that certain types of beers came out better or worse than others, because of the water available to them.)

I cannot recommend Bru'n Water highly enough... I've been using it for years, and the quality of my beers -- which were pretty good to begin with -- skyrocketed. Some beers were substantially improved, others had an "intangible cohesiveness" that they never had before.

I also went for the paid version, more to give Martin some compensation for all of his hard work than the added features (although the added features are nice).

I will also mention that once I got a pH meter, the measured results were nearly spot-on to the calculated results in Bru'n Water.

IMO Bru'n Water is far far far far far better than the water chemistry module in any of the major brewing software.

I also recommend the Water book, although it's not for the timid. I have no chemistry background (I'm a designer and audio engineer/musician, much more right-brain than left-brain!) and it's taken me a while and multiple re-reads to wrap my head around some of it... but IMO it was well-worth the effort.

u/CougsOne7 · 2 pointsr/beer

The other books that were listed are both very good (I have read both) but my favorite book that I have was The Complete Beer Course. It may be similar to what you just read but I loved it. Goes through more styles than most other books I've seen and gives plenty of examples of beer to try for each style. It is still my go to book when I want a refresher about styles/breweries.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting/dp/1402797672/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

u/gurdulilfo · 2 pointsr/beer

The Complete Beer Course: Boot Camp for Beer Geeks: From Novice to Expert in Twelve Tasting Classes (by Joshua M. Bernstein): This book looks somewhat lighter (a big coffee table book), yet interesting. Does anyone own a copy?

Edit: Amazon score 4.7/5

u/Deerfield1797 · 2 pointsr/beer

This book is a great start. It will teach you close to everything you need to know.

u/Smegma4all · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

[Best Case Saison extract kit] (http://noblegrape.ca/beer/best-case-belgian-farmhouse-saison/)

[Faucet and shank] (http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Chrome_Faucet_Beer_Shank_Combo_Kit_p/cfshank-fslash-faucet.htm) - Part 1 of upcoming keezer project

[The Complete Beer Course] (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting-Classes/dp/1402797672/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)

And, to boot, my Reddit Secret Santa sent me 3 bottles from Mak's Beer craft brewery in Hong Kong.

u/Sonny_Crockett123 · 2 pointsr/beer

Read this book and try as many of the commercial examples as you can get a hold of. Also, read whatever you can by Michael Jackson (the beer writer, not the pederast.)

u/Odiddley · 2 pointsr/beer

I love Randy Mosher's book as well. That might be the big yellow book. However, Garett Oliver's newest book The Oxford Companion to Beer is THE book to own. But it is 900 pages long

u/WildBeerChase · 2 pointsr/CFBOffTopic

How about an arbitrary amount of citrus fruit?

Or this book. It's a really good read if you feel like learning about beer.

u/_pmh · 2 pointsr/beer

I would recommend beer books:

u/fordarian · 2 pointsr/beer

Little bit of a different issue, but I would also suggest having a homebrew session with the staff before you open one day. Nothing will teach you about the process of making beer better than doing it yourself, and it really isn't hard. If you still want to accompany that lesson with literature, two great books on brewing are How to Brew by John Palmer (aka the home brewer's bible, full text is also available for free online) and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian

As far as general history and beer tasting knowledge, I'll back up those who have recommended Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, and pretty much anything written by Michael Jackson. Many of Jackson's books are separated by regions, so it would be helpful to find which one applies to the area your pub/the beers your serve are from

u/thisplaceisterrible · 2 pointsr/beer

Tasting Beer by Ray Daniels Randy Mosher.

Edit: Mixed up some of my favorite beer authors.

u/40below · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Hey there! I'm a beer-lover myself . . . and I've been enjoying homebrewing, which is very rewarding!

If you're interested in a more formal approach to beer tasting, you may want to add _Tasting Beer_ to your wishlist! I just finished reading it myself. It goes into much greater depth than I'll ever really experience, but it gives you a deep perspective on what the most serious beer-geeks and beer-snobs are doing when they take a sip, and it has seriously improved my own appreciation of the ancient beverage.

Also, if you're genuinely interested in homebrewing, in addition to the relatively affordable Mr. Beer (I haven't brewed with it, but I've tasted several people's results with it, and they've been consistently good) you may want to watch for the Groupon deal from Midwest Supplies. It's inactive now, but they do seem to keep bringing it back, and it's a very good deal for getting starting homebrew equipment.

Finally, I saw your discussion with AllOfTimeAndSpace about IPAs, and although I see it's not your favorite style, I thought I might recommend an IPA I tried recently that I thought was spectacularly good: Lawson's Double Sunshine IPA. I imagine it's hard to get outside of Vermont (though I'd be thrilled if I'm wrong, since I don't live there and just had it during a vacation), but it is one of the most delicious beers I've ever tried!

There's definitely more snobbery among wine lovers, but beer is easily as complex, varied, and interesting! Good beer goes great with all sorts of good food, and it's just as rewarding. Glad you're finding so much pleasure in it!

---

Haha! I see (having now actually looked at your wish list) that you have my two suggestions on it already. Good show!

u/ironHobo · 2 pointsr/beer

Here's the book that got me started. It's got detailed history, style descriptions and their own histories, tips for tasting and pairing with foods, and more. It's a genuinely fun read, too!

u/metal0130 · 2 pointsr/beer

Absolutely. That's sort of what I was getting at. The descriptions give you hints of what to look for, and after so e time, you won't need as much help picking out the different flavors. Don't forget that taste is subjective. If the label only mentions a few flavors but you taste a few more, you aren't wrong. You taste what you taste.

Edit to add: check out the book Tasting Beer, by Randy Mosher. It's got a lot of great information about the flavor of beer, as well as what's causing the flavors. The book has a LOT more info than just flavor though. Well worth the investment.

https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894

u/cia1120 · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This Tetris Coffee Mug is pretty amazing, and as for the beer, how about a How to Order Beer Around the World Poster? or maybe a book about brewing beer?

And to soup up his vest and tie combo, a pack of bow ties might make him feel refreshed! <3 Hope you can cheer up your buddy! You're a wonderful friend!

I'd like this wireless camera remote if I win! Thanks for the contest!

u/sambeau · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

This was my attempt at remembering an experiment quoted in "For The Love of Hops" [pp201-202] that concludes that "longer post-boil residence resulted in more hop flavour than dry hopping".

The actual time tested was 80 mins.
(80 mins generated bigger flavours than 30 mins)

http://www.amazon.com/For-The-Love-Hops-Bitterness/dp/1938469011

u/bcgpete · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I think this book maybe what you are looking for.

u/shinigamidannii · 2 pointsr/brewing
u/justcauseofit · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Actually, a lot of northern tribes didn't have beer or fermentation. Tobacco was traded all over N. America and used for ceremonial purposes, and certainly hallucinogens, but most of the non-corn-dependent tribes did not use alcohol until contact with Europeans. If you're really interested in traditional beer styles, though, check out Sacred and Healing Herbal Beers. It's a good bit of research that traces a lot of indigenous brewing techniques.

http://www.amazon.ca/Sacred-Herbal-Healing-Beers-Fermentation/dp/0937381667

u/bluemonkey321 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I was looking at buying Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0937381667/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE) - as it contains many gruit recipes but I want to know if it's worthwhile.

u/Smokey9000 · 2 pointsr/DMAcademy

Id ask r/Homebrewing about mead and whatnot, i brew beers ciders and wines myself and one thing i can tell you is that there are inumerable ways to screw it up, super easy to ruin a batch, afaik mead takes months and months, ale idk but i can brew a decent batch of beer in 2 weeks. Best guess assuming 5e id start with a general intelligence check and a nature check for portions and whatnot then maybe a survival check on behalf of the yeast, it is possibke to give it so much sugar it just says fuck it and dies (not actually what happens but you get the gist) then either a history, insight or medicine check for proper storage, i doybt your going to have them bottle it but you still gotta rack it off/ditch the trub before you let it sit as that can drastically alter the flavor, as well as skunking beer with too much light, though some people (weird people) like it. That's just what i could think of off the top of my head though, theres plenty of ways to brew

Edit i can't personally vouch for the book as i'm still waiting for payday to buy it, but the reviews seem promising on not only numerous varieties of beer but also more ancient methods of brewing, so on reviews alone i'd recommend taking a look at this book
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0937381667/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Editedit
forgot to mention that while its super easy to screw up, if you don't screw up than it's super easy to make homebrew, sounds weird but that's how it is.

Edit^3* as for how much it can produce i'm not sure on portions for mead but when i do countrywines 3lbs of fruit/veggies/roots/whatever makes roughly one gallon of wine finished product

End ramble.

u/Gordon2108 · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

Already started with KhanAcademy. I bought a book called Principles of Brewing Science and quickly realized I'm going to need an understanding of chemistry and microbiology.

u/klaserhausen · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

That actually makes a little sense to me: SMM becomes DMS above 158, but below a certain temperature, SMM never converts to DMS. So, in theory you could produce a 100% pilsner malt beer that never gets above 158, and there couldn't be any DMS in it. Very interesting... I've never heard of the "no boil" Berliner, thanks for bringing it up!
http://www.brewery.org/brewery/library/ThermoCS0995.html (a random resource, but cites the 70°C SMM->DMS conversion from "Principles of Brewing Science" by George Fix: http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Brewing-Science-Serious-Issues/dp/0937381748/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405511264&sr=8-1&keywords=principals+of+brewing+science)

u/gerbilcannon · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Learn about brewing. Even if you can't pick up the hobby right now, nothing will help you to improve your understanding of beer more than learning how the product and the flavors you end up with are created. Even on a homebrewing scale, the science is the same, so as an introduction, "How to Brew" by John Palmer is a good star for this, and "New Brewing Lager Beer" by Gregory Noonan is an appropriate next step. This kind of background knowledge is a critical foundation to understanding what you are tasting.

It is important to try to cultivate your palate as well. "Evaluating Beer" by Brewers Publications is a great starting point for understanding the basic philosophy and techniques of judging. I'd also recommend looking at the BJCP website and going through their resources, particularly the study guide. And of course, taste lots of beer! A good way to work through this terrible burden is to look at the BJCP Style Guidelines and see what is listed as classic examples. Pick out the styles that you are not as familiar with and try to find some of them. Grab a few examples of one of your weak styles all at once and organize a flight, using a score sheet (warning: PDF) to organize your thoughts on each. If you can find other judges or people interested in judging to do this with you and discuss, even better.

u/beerdweeb · 2 pointsr/TheBrewery

This book is a great resource for brewing lager: https://www.amazon.com/New-Brewing-Lager-Beer-Comprehensive/dp/0937381829

u/tsulahmi2 · 2 pointsr/TheBrewery

New Brewing Lager Beer by Noonan (It's about more than just lagers)

u/Furry_Thug · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

In addition to the books mentioned here, there are plenty of style and ingredient specific books out there.

Two of my favorite books are the style books by Terry Foster. His Pale Ale and Brewing Porters and Stouts are really great.

Heck, the second brewing book I ever bought was Heironymous' Brewing with Wheat, awesome book that I keep referring back to.

Right now, I'm working my way through New Brewing Lager Beer by Greg Noonan. It's very dense and technical, but I see it as a must read for where I'm at in my brewing.

u/schumann10 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

If anyone is interested in the science behind decoctions, the best resource that I have come across so far is this thirty year old book.

u/Deconstrained · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I tried it once after lots of reading in Greg Noonan's book. It's really, really hard without the right conditions and decent equipment. A combination of these things made it a total nightmare for me:

  • finicky burner that couldn't do medium to low flame
  • thermometer that takes just a bit too long to get an accurate reading
  • high wind

    I would say that unless you have a REALLY good thermometer, a well-behaved burner that is wind tolerant and can go down to a "simmer" level (i.e. if it's heating up too fast), and have the patience to measure things out accurately, it's too easy to screw it all up and overshoot or undershoot the target temperature for the rest mash (also, to burn/overcook the decoctions).
u/lucasmark83 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I recently brewed an India Red Ale from the Radical Brewing book (http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Brewing-Recipes-World-Altering-Meditations/dp/0937381837):
6.5 Lb 2 row
5 lb Munich 10L
.75Lb Crystal 40
.5Lb Crystal 80
.12 Lb Black Patent
2 oz Cascade (60 min)
2 oz Cascade (30 min)
2 oz Kent Goldings (5 min)
WLP001

I made a starter for the yeast and fermented at 65 degrees & let it rise to 70 degrees during fermentation.

The issue is that the beer has a nice body & malty profile on the front end, but that dissipates very quickly and the beer becomes thin. I mashed at around 151 degrees.

Any suggestions on how to fix this? I've experienced some of the same issues in some other homebrews, and would like to know how I can correct it. I lost about a degree off the mash temp over the hour. Could this be a hop schedule issue, a mash issue, a recipe issue, or even a water profile issue? I used tap water treated with campden, and the water here in Cincinnati is great for brewing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

u/yuccu · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

This, its follow on Homebrewers Companion and Radical Brewing are my Go-To's

u/mwilliams · 2 pointsr/beer

I'd highly recommend Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass

My cousin, who has brewed for a living, bought this book for me one Christmas. Lot's of great in depth information on various ingredients, recipes, stories, techniques, equipment, etc etc. It's wonderfully illustrated and just an overall fantastic book about beer.

u/bangfalse · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Yeah, I've still got over half the batch. I had read in Radical Brewing that peach didn't give a whole lot of flavor, but I'm glad I tried it for myself. Mosher says that apricots can be used to impart a much better peach flavor, and if I make a full batch I might go with a 4/1lb or 3/2lb peach/apricot split to get a little more fruit flavor.

u/natemc · 2 pointsr/beer

You should read this book, it's more about a style and culture than actual farmhouses

http://www.amazon.com/Farmhouse-Ales-Culture-Craftsmanship-Tradition/dp/0937381845

u/HungryGhandi · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

John Palmer's How to brew is great and very technically oriented. The complete first edition of his book is available free online. For a few bucks you can pick up the most recent edition. As I understand it, in the newer version he elaborates on the Brew-in-a-Bag method and does change his stance on a few techniques like always using a secondary.

Admittedly, I just read the first edition, then supplemented my education with hearty doses of Brewing TV (especially the old stuff) and Brewing Network, especially Brew Strong, with John Palmer and Jamil Zainasheff.

u/ikidd · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Get "How to Brew" by John Palmer. It's cheap, and great to have handy. He also has a great website to reference.

u/the_mad_scientist · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

a10t2's comment is spot on.

Smack packs can be enough when fresh and when making a low(er) OG beer, but if they are older or the OG is higher, the time to make a starter is well worth it.

If you want to make your own stir plate, check out Stir Starters, where you can see plans to make your own or buy one. I have both made and purchased one, but my homemade is aesthetically challenged. It works fine though. Since you are an AG brewer, I'll suggest that you look into getting a stir plate.

If you don't know Mr. Malty yet, I suggest you have a look at Mr. Malty's Pitching Rate Calculator.

I'll bet your beer comes out nicely and you'll surprise yourself. Lastly, if you haven't read How To Brew, by John Pamler, you will find it an immensely useful book to own. You can also read it online.

u/FraggelRock · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I got started using this book Complete Joy Of Homebrewing I felt this book was super friendly as introductory material.

There is also this book How To Brew I think most people will tell you John Palmer's book is better but honestly both will contain all the information you need to get started. I am sure someone more resourceful than me will be able to direct you to some great (and free) internet resources to take a look at as well.

Edit: A quick Google search yielded This Have fun and welcome!

u/DrBubbles · 2 pointsr/IWantToLearn

/u/eightwebs is in the ballpark, but dropped the ball on a couple things. Let's start from the top.

Brewing your own beer is an amazing, fun, rewarding hobby. I've been doing it for 4 years. To start out, you'll need to get a beginners kit (like this one) which will give you all the specialty equipment you need to make 5 gallons of beer (about 2 cases). You'll also need ingredients which can be found on the same website.

Your first batch will be simple. You will more than likely be brewing extract (which is similar to making a cake from a boxed cake mix -- the finer details are taken care of for you, you just have to follow some easy directions). It will take about 4-5 weeks to be ready. It needs to spend 1-2 weeks fermenting, and then 2 weeks in the bottle.

It probably won't be the best beer you've ever had, but it will have alcohol, it will be carbonated, and I guarantee it will be satisfying. Then you can work on getting better and better.

Brewing is one of those hobbies where book knowledge is good, but you won't actually get good at it unless you do it a lot. Here's where you start: buy this book and read the sections about getting started, fermentation, ingredients, and the extract batch walkthrough. Read them twice. Read the whole book if you feel so inclined. That book is considered by many to be the brewers bible. There are some other good books out there, but none as comprehensive as Palmer's. Then buy the kit I linked above (or a similar one), some ingredients, and get started.

Also, come check out /r/homebrewing. I very active, very helpful place for all your brewing questions.

Feel free to ask any more specific questions you have.

u/Aquascaper_Mike · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

My top suggestion would be "How to brew" By John Palmer or "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" By Charlie Papazian and read before buying anything. You will get a strong understanding of the process and be able to make sure it's something you will want to do before dropping $100 dollars on getting started.

If you want to jump in with smaller batches (1 Gallons) I would suggest buying one of Brooklyn Brew Shops kits or another small batch kit. The process is pretty much the same just in smaller portions. If you decide from there you want to go bigger you always can and then you have a better grasp on the process and what will be needed to make better beer.

u/mredding · 2 pointsr/explainlikeimfive

I recommend the book How to Brew. The first couple chapters explain in more detail you'd ever want to know why yeast, what it is, how it grows, what it eats, in what order it will eat those things, and how temperature effects it's metabolism and thus it's products. If you're interested in brewing beer, you can get away with knowing almost nothing. Boil malts, bring the temperature down, add yeast in a sterile container with an air lock, and you will make beer. But pretty soon you'll want to up your game. For $12, this is one of the few books that should be on every amateur homebrewer's shelf. Also check out r/homebrewing and exBEERiments.

u/Digitized_self · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

This? I sure will. I'm making a list of things I found out I need, such as, big ass brew pot, and lots of bottles. Thank you for your reply!

u/RefBeaver · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Beer and science you say! I have a few recommendations for you then.
The essential book to beginning homebrewing is John Palmer's How to Brew. This dives right into the science and explains things clearly for a beginner.

And what is science without some equipment! For the scientist there is a nice refractometer that can be used to measure the gravity of your beer and use that to calculate the ABV%.
Also, ever beer scientist needs to keep track of what they are working on. How about picking up a brewer's journal.

Maybe you want a more DIY project to get into it. How about a home made mash paddle? They are easy to make and it's something that you two can design and make together.

Since he most likely doesn't have a kit, stop on over to Northern Brewer and check out some of the starter kits.

There are also options for wine, mead and cider so no matter what your taste you can get something that you two can enjoy together. I love brewing and my wife helps out. We get to spend time together and create tasty drinks.

These may not be the most original choices but the clues you've given us really lend to a hobby I'm very passionate about. Hope this helps and if either of you have any questions about gear or brewing etc... feel free to drop me a line.

u/MrBirdBear · 2 pointsr/myfriendwantstoknow

Having his/her own hops is a great start, but their next step should be to learn a little about the fundamentals of the brewing process and fermentation science. For beginners just trying to make a brew, the very very basics will work fine. No need to get complicated just yet.

Have them check out Papazian's The Joy of Home Brewing or Palmer's How to Brew. Or if they want, Palmer has an online edition.

Next they'll need equipment and ingredients. Check out these vendors or search for a local brew shop:

Northern Brewer
Midwest Brewing
Austin Homebrew Supply
William's Brewing

Cheers.

u/Probabledrunkenness · 2 pointsr/Austin

I'm guessing you want some info on brewing not my quest for this redditor's kegs. There are some really good books to pick up that will help you out a ton, learn you some basics real quick and the science behind it. I picked up this one, which is also sort of the standard 101 book. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381888/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_caAWub1JT7F56
There is also the sub reddit where you can get some great tips, ideas, and also jelly of other peoples set ups.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing

Locally there is Austin Home Brew Supply up off metric and 183. Everyone there is pretty knowledgable and are really welcoming to newbies and vets alike so if you're starting off they can hook you up and get you on your way to a solid first brew.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/

As for tips, really it comes down to sanitation, that shit is no joke. Keep it clean, take your time, and always have a beer in hand while brewing. You'll need a shit ton of ice to cool down your brew because water here doesn't come cold out of the tap so to chill your wort, you'll probably need more than you expect. Be adventurous when your doing it, try dumb shit, keep a journal/log on how and what you do so you will be able to avoid or repeat things depending on what you want. In general its a great way to have quality brew, that you would pay 10$ a sixer for like 1$ and some change cost to you per beer. Oh, also don't buy bottles, just stock up on empties that are non-screw off tops. Hopefully that spurred your interest to brew battle it out with your friend and pick up a great hobby/drinking habit.

u/MarsColonist · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

How to Brew by John Palmer.

u/pandaisconfused · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I would suggest you go read this book http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344437906&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew

I was using Mr. beer kits and wanted to dive into extract brewing using recipes. All my questions were answered by the first 125 pages. I would strongly recommend that book

u/Tarindel · 2 pointsr/beer

You can get it the latest edition from Amazon. If you're interested in become a homebrewer, it's definitely worth it.

u/giritrobbins · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

There are two pretty much bibles of home brewing: The Joy of Home brewing is the first, I have never read it but I hear good things. The author is pretty famous in home brewing circles and this book is credited with jump starting home brewing.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Complete-Joy-Home-Brewing/dp/0380763664/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259699032&sr=8-1

The second (and the one I own because of the vast amounts of knowledge) is How to Brew. It has information on the ingredients, basic process for beginners and advanced techniques.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259699116&sr=1-1

u/wisenuts · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

First thing I did was read http://howtobrew.com/ - that's an older version but still good info. you can also get an updated version on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888)

u/Damnyoureyes · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

All that info is actually from the book "How to Brew" by John Palmer. I highly recommend that to ANYONE who's just starting.

u/BLOPES · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I personally started by reading John Palmer's How To Brew but what really engrossed and elevated my interest in all things brewing-related was James Spencer's Basic Brewing Radio

Edit: fixed Basic Brewing iTunes link

u/dwo0 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

In this post, I'm going to link to examples. They are examples: I'm not necessarily recommending that specific item. (I'm pretty much doing a search on Amazon and linking to the first thing in the search results that is actually what you need.) It's just an example to let you know what you're looking for.

Yes, you will need a metal stockpot. Five gallons should be sufficient.

You will need some type of stirring apparatus. Some would recommend a large metal spoon, but I recommend using a plastic mash paddle.

I would recommend getting some type of thermometer to put on your stock pot. A candy thermometer is where I'd start, but, if this is a hobby that you'll stick with, it's probably worth investing in something better.

Also, I see that they put a hydrometer in your kit. If you want to take measurements with the hydrometer, you'll need either a turkey baster or a wine thief. I'd start with the baster.

If you need a book on homebrewing, Palmer's How to Brew is pretty much the standard, but Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is well regarded. Palmer's book is in its third edition, but you can get the first edition of the book online for free.

Depending on the ingredients that you use, you may need common kitchen items like scissors or can openers.

You'll also need bottles. If you brew a five gallon batch (which is pretty typical… at least in the United States), you'll need about fifty-four twelve-ounce bottles. However, you can't use twist-off bottles; they're no good.

Lastly, you'll need ingredients. Different recipes call for different ingredients. My advice is to buy a kit from a local homebrew store (LHBS) or one online. Some kits make you buy the yeast separately. If so, make sure that you purchase the right strain of yeast.

u/Brewhaha72 · 2 pointsr/beer

Have you read The Brewmaster's Table?

I found this book fascinating, as it coveres all the popular styles, food pairings, etc.

u/jcpearce · 2 pointsr/beer

I highly recommend The Brewmaster’s Table. It taught me so much about beer styles, making, and pairing.

u/etu001 · 2 pointsr/beer

A Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver is a great place to learn about food and beer.

https://www.amazon.com/Brewmasters-Table-Discovering-Pleasures-Real/dp/0060005718

u/thibedeauxmarxy · 2 pointsr/atlbeer

Nice! A similar link was posted to /r/beer a while back, and I recommended that for further reading, check out Garrett Oliver's "The Brewmaster's Table."

u/FishBulbBrewer · 2 pointsr/beer

Beer and food is definitely getting more respect in the food industry. There's been tons of beer and food pairing dinners offered around me, with a lot selling out. The article is a good jumping off point, though there are some pretty broad generalizations (which the author concedes).

If anyone has interest in food pairing, or is just looking for another beer book to add to their library, I can't recommend The Brewmaster's Table enough. Brooklyn Brewmaster Garrett Oliver has compiled an all-encompassing, easy-to-reference food and beer guide for drinkers of any interest level.

u/jamezracer · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I suggest driving to your nearest homebrew store. Most of them are very helpful and carry everything from entry level supplies to top-tier goodies. They should be able to offer you recipes based on what ingredients they have in stock and explain anything you want. Two that are near you are:

Canadian Homebrew Supplies
263 Vodden Street East
Brampton, Ontario (Canada).
Canada L6V-1N3

Jake's Windsor Brew Factory Inc
2785 Howard Avenue
Windsor, Ontario (Canada).
Canada N8X 3X8

I also suggest buying "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" here http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Harperresource-Book/dp/0060531053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317760188&sr=8-1

u/brandonpb · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I would say The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is another really good book to check out.

u/treetree888 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

We made the vagabond ginger beer from Joy of Homebrewing by papazian. It was really quite good - I felt like it needed a little more malt to balance the ginger, but the ginger levels were pretty prime.

u/SamsquamtchHunter · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

What do you like to drink?

Heres how I started. I saw a post somewhere in my pre-reddit days about how to brew out of a coffee maker, and make a jars worth of beer. I bought everything I needed, then headed to the local homebrew store (LHBS) and asked for "2 cups of grain"

Guy behind the counter, suspicously asked why, and after I explained, he sold me the deluxe starter kit they had, and I was on my way to my 1st 5 gallon batch. We learned as we went.

It came with this book

I read that, then went to town with my new kit and recipe, and haven't looked back in years.

My advice is dive in. Buy some gear, and if it doesn't work out, resell it on craiglist. Brewing isn't for everyone... but drinking your own beer is pretty amazing. It won't be the greatest the first few times, but its yours, and that makes all the difference.

u/realmccoy_ucf · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Don't overlook The Joy of Homebrewing. A lot can be learned. It may not be as in depth as Designing Great Beers, but it probably has all the information you need to make a good first shot.

Also, to design a beer that you love, you need to understand what are the characteristics in your favorite beers. So starting with a clone recipe of a favorite beer and tinkering with it is a great thing to do too.

u/thereisnobusiness · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

The science behind everything is fascinating. I no joke could not ever finish reading a book all the way through until I started brewing. I read The Complete Joy of Homebrewing in only a couple of days! 432 pages of awesome.

u/epk22 · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

"Laws" as in the legality of it or like actually homebrewing procedures and principles? The former, your state probably has some info online. The latter, How to Brew is a good start. AHA is another good stop (which may also have links to your state ABC info as well if that's what you meant) - they have a tutorial section. There are a plethora of books as well; The Complete Joy of Hombrewing is one that people recommend (haven't read it myself) and on the more advanced side the Brewing Elements series are great for brewing in general.

u/iowaherkeye · 2 pointsr/beer

I posted this a week or so ago when somebody asked the same thing. There's the link, I only copied my reply.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantToLearn/comments/eef8y/iwtl_how_to_brew_beer/

"also, http://www.howtobrew.com/ by John Palmer is a pretty good starting point. He has a book, but here's the free online version. Also, Charlie Papazian released a book in the early 80's called The Joy of Homebrewing, which should also be checked out. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Harperresource-Book/dp/0060531053, only $10.

To probably figure out if you want to go balls-out and if this is a hobby you will enjoy, probably starting with extract is a good start. The beers might not be quite as good as all-grain, but you'll get an idea of what the hell you're doing and if you'll like it.

You could also look and see if there are any local homebrew clubs, as more are popping up as craft beer gets bigger and bigger.

fredman has a good point, as a lot of homebrew shops have kits and whatnot to help "clone" some of the more popular craft beers.

Also, as a side note and a cheap as hell way to brew, there is always Mr. Beer--but it's pretty meh."

u/superstuwy · 2 pointsr/beer

Anything by Charles Papazian, this is more than a home brewing book, but it also taught me a lot about beer tasting/ styles.

u/perlov · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Buy this book Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Another way to do it while you are still getting used to making your own recipe-- make the recipe then check Brewer's Best website. You can see exactly what they put into each kit.

u/cdahlkvist · 2 pointsr/twincitiessocial

I just got into real brewing (started with a Mr. Beer 4 years ago and it has taken me this many years to start up again after that nightmare).

The basic equipment is cheap. I spent $89 for a proper starter + add-on kit.

I made a wort chiller for $7 and bought an additional carboy so I can have multiple batches going.

I spent $20 on hops rhizomes (Cascades) and those went crazy this summer.

10 days ago I did a honey wheat (having a friend walk me through the process - and he did most of the work).

He set it up for a 2nd fermentation on Saturday ( since it was so nasty out I wasn't able to get to his place) and I'll bottle it next weekend.

This past Saturday I made a Stout and a Nut Brown Ale. And that is the problem with brewing. I like dark beers that usually take weeks before bottling (looking at 4 weeks to bottling for the last 2 and then another 2 weeks in the bottles).

I really need to start drinking Pilsners. That way I can drink them 7-10 days later.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's cheap and it really is easy but the waiting game sucks.

If you want someone to help you with your first batch just let me know and you can come over and we'll make a couple. I'm going to try to brew 5 gallons a week for a while so I can always have some homebrew ready to drink.

I'd recommend getting a copy of The Complete Joy of Home Brewing

It has everything in it that you need to know and has a bunch of recipes from beginner to advanced.

I also just picked up Clone Brews which has a lot of popular beers in it and how to make them yourself.

And as they say at Midwest Supplies , you really should do 5 or 10 batches from their brew kits to learn the full process and how different ingredients affect the flavor of your beer.

Just my two-cents.

I also started r/TCBrewers but no one has used it yet.

There was some talk of a Brew Party (As Midwest_Product pointed out) that was going to be Nov. 20th but I haven't heard anything about it in quite a while.

Anyhow, it seems there is a lot of interest in a Brew Party so if no one else steps up I could always have it at my place but it would probably have to be outside in turkey fryers. I have a nice bonfire pit so that would be our source of warmth.

u/nihilite · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Buy this book... really covers everything you need to know about brewing.

besides that, a wort chiller would be good and kegging equipment.. but read that book first!

u/muffin159 · 2 pointsr/beer

Try posting on the homebrewing reddit. If you're brewing from a kit I'd suggest True Brew. I've brewed many of them before including that IPA and they all turned out pretty well. I'd also suggest reading the Complete Joy of Home Brewing for recipes and other tips.

u/GradesVSReddit · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Good luck! I'm still a beginner but a great book that I've been using to help me is The Joy of Homebrewing. Hope that helps.

u/Drumlin · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Midwest Supplies and Austin Homebrew both have good prices on equipment. Austin's flat rate shipping usually puts it under most other on-line suppliers.

My wife got my starter kit for me for Christmas at my LHBS. It is a Brewer's Best kit...but what makes it a really good deal is that it comes with Papazian's book: The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

u/explohd · 2 pointsr/beer

Redbridge is made with sorghum.

You might also want to try to brew your own. The startup costs can run a few hundred to brew properly, but 5 gallons for ~$30 makes up for it. A great book to start with is Charles Papazian's The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

u/dbfish · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

"Relax! Have a Homebrew." -Charlie Papazian

Your beer will be great- leave it for a week, rack it, bottle two weeks after that and crack a beer two weeks after bottling. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060531053/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

u/kungfusansu · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Like others have said, How to Brew is a great book.

The other one I like is Designing Great Beers. Its a pretty technical read, but, chock full of information on general brewing and specific styles. I picked up both of these to start out with because I have my eyes set on making my own recipes.

u/ninjapiehole · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I have a lot of books but I mostly refer to Palmer's How to Brew which has already been mentioned and the classic styles books. The other 2 I use when building recipes are:

Designing Great Beers

Brewing Classic Styles

u/SuckMyJagon_ · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Wow you're really lucky, I wish I'd got that much to spend on brewing for a grant!

Feel free to ask this subreddit any question at any type of course, and I'm sure we'd also love it if you posted your findings as you study the chemistry too.

Are you completely new to brewing? Do you want to make beer or mead or what?

Some good sources:

Designing Great Beers - Great book full of hard data and numbers on tons of brew related topics. This would be good to use as a reference for experiments.

Brew Judge Certification Program website - This is the official certification site for beer judges and it outlines a large variety brew styles from various types of beer, to styles of mead, and explains what is used to make them, how it should taste, etc.

u/OllieFromCairo · 2 pointsr/boardgames

Oh, ok. Then you can raise the temperature of your mash partway through to get more non-fermentable sugars.

You should investigate this book: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Great-Beers-Ultimate-Brewing/dp/0937381500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522868535&sr=8-1&keywords=designing+great+beers

Most libraries don't have it, but getting it through interlibrary loan is pretty easy.

u/LoveDaCheese · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing
u/mraaronfreeman · 2 pointsr/beer

My Secret Santa sent me this book.
It just arrived today, so I've only had a chance to leaf through it, but it looks to be a great resource for the experienced brewer. It touts itself as "The ultimate guide to brewing classic beer styles."

Good luck!

u/oupablo · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels is a good place to start. As for equipment, you can usually just go to your local homebrew store and they will give you what you need to get started. That kit you linked to seems a little expensive. You really don't need two carboys. A fermenter, bottling bucket, air lock, brew kettle, capper, bottles, auto siphon, caps, and bottles are what you should be looking to buy and i can almost assure you it would be cheaper at your LHBS.

u/theGalation · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

If you can tell the difference between extract and all grain it's not necessarily the ingredients but the brewers level of skill. Ray Daniels lays out reasons why you can make great beer with extract.

As zebbielm12 pointed out, you'll get better tasting beer with Ferm Temp control than you will doing AG. But AG is cheaper to get into and provides another level of fun to brew day. I'd recommend using equipment you probably already have to do a partial mash. I just picked up a 2 gal cooler and some paint stainer bags for <$15.

Finally, to answer your question, I have. Sounds like we have the same beginnings. I didn't want to waste money transitioning to AG and went straight too it. I found it was annoying to have all of that equipment in a small apartment so I went to extract with steeping grains. I'm able to brew more and enjoy having less things to worry about.

u/cadwallion · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers covers this in the 'Hitting Target Gravity' section and means of adjusting to a mash too high/low. A great read if you're interested in more info on the equations that make up brewing, btw.

  • PrGU = Pre-boil Gravity Units
  • PrV = Pre-boil Volume
  • PoGU = Post-boil Gravity Units
  • PoV = Pre-boil Volume

    *(PrGU PrV) / PoV = PoGU

    Thus, if you want to adjust your post-boil gravity units to target, you can either increase/decrease the final volume, or add malt extract to compensate. The formula for calculating the extract needed is:

    Extract = (Target Gravity Units - Mash Gravity Units)/(Extract per pound value)**

    Extract per pound value depends upon type/brand, but generally 45GU/lb for dry, and 38GU/lb for liquid.
u/MudTownBrewer · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers is another excellent resource for learning how different ingredients affect your beer.

u/Podnaught · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

I'd recommend this as a reference for intermediate brewers: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0937381500

u/georgehotelling · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers has a lot of good advice on what goes into a recipe. Books like How To Brew and Complete Joy of Homebrewing spend of lot of time on the "how", Designing Great Beers does a good job with the "why" of recipes.

u/i_cant_mathematics · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing


Caraway Ale (From Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers by Stephen Harror Buhner)
Original Recipe:

  • 3 pounds Dark Malted Barley
  • 1 pound Unmalted Dark Rye
  • 2 gallons water
  • 1/2 ounce caraway seeds
  • yeast

    My adaptation of the recipe:

  • 5% Biscuit Malt
  • 5% Brown Malt
  • 5% Chocolate Malt
  • 25% Rye Malt (couldn't find unmalted rye)
  • 60% Marris Otter
  • 1/4 oz caraway seeds per gallon of batch size

    This came out to be a very malty beer. There are no hops in it to balance out the maltiness. This is probably the reason why it calls for unmalted rye. Nevertheless it is a delicious beer. There is something to be said though for the aroma. It is quite strange, and if you brew this I strongly suggest waiting 2 weeks after primary for conditioning because the aroma can be overwhelming at first. I thought I was going to have to dump it because of how awful it smelled, but the smell cleared up nicely after 2 weeks. The aftertaste is a bit unusual too.

    If I were to brew this again, I'd probably lighten up on the malts a bit. Probably would raise the % on the pale malt and reduce the chocolate to no more than 2%.

    Caraway supposedly has medicinal properties that help you digest food, making this a fantastic beer to have with a meal. So far even with its minor flaws it has been a hit with everyone who has tried it.


u/bouncybouncy · 2 pointsr/Homebrewing

they used herbs like mugwort and wormwood in everything, read this book

some ale spoiled

some ale was exquisite

Belgian Lambic is a great study in natural fermentations

I don't have any problems with bacterial infections, but I use all glass or stainless steel and any hose or air lock or cork I use gets rinsed in Starsan so that the surfactant and phosphoric acid form a no rinse layer of acid that is uninhabitable for the spoiling bugs.

Just start some good brewing habits, brewing GREAT beer is easy, when you know how

u/Cake954 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

A lot of people are saying sanitation here but not saying how to go about it. Use StarSan (can get from any brewing supply store, Northern Brewer for me). For extract kits, it is unnecessary to take gravity readings, but still fun! I recommend this book if you haven't read it already. Take your time, relax, and have a beer. Good luck!

Edit: Someone did say StarSan, my apologies.

u/iamfarfromnormal · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Honestly the worst thing about the hobby is that the initial setup (equipment) is really your largest cost factor. After that it's simply a matter of buying the elements of beer (malted barley, hops, vials of yeast, etc). I'm not saying you have to drop a ton of money on stainless steel mash/lauter tuns, HLT, infusion chillers, fermentation vessels, etc or start doing all grain mash brewing (versus simpler brewing techniques such as extract brewing or partial mash) -- although you certainly can -- but it is a hobby that does require some special preparation on the front end before starting.

My best advice to you is to find a local brewing club and attend a meeting. Join them during a buddy brew session and they can help you get started.

As a primer for brewing I recommend reading The Complete Joy Of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian.

Also, great reading (online) is John Palmer's How To Brew

u/LocalAmazonBot · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: The Complete Joy of Home Brewing


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

u/Pr4370r1u5 · 1 pointr/brewing

Do you have a hydrometer? If not, get one and learn how to use it. It is the most important tool for troubleshooting fermenting beer. There is no other accurate way to tell if a beer is finished.

Most yeast strains have a documented alcohol level that they can handle. Google is your friend. With a precursory search, I'm finding 9% for English ale, but I've gotten higher. 9/10 times the beer finishes, unless you're pushing your sugar to some crazy heights.

I highly recommend picking up some books if you haven't yet. I cut my teeth on The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. It contains a huge amount of information for the beginner up to all grain. Simply laid out techniques, recipes to try, and the origin of RDWHAHB. Designing Great Beers is a great book to get guidelines on a lot of the major styles, it is the one I am using most often these days. Online forums like r/homebrewing and HomeBrewTalk are also great sources of information.

u/B2Dirty · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Check your local library for books, I know there are a few out there.

At my library I found these books 1 2 3

u/speirus · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Here is an online book to get started.

http://howtobrew.com/

or this is the bible

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Harperresource-Book/dp/0060531053/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1321407194&sr=8-12

Also check into the local homebrewing club, you can get pointers and such from them. There is also brewingtv.com that has some usefull information.

u/ryeinn · 1 pointr/homebrew

Good luck! Just a heads up, there is a more active community for beer and wine making over at /r/homebrewing, but n2deep gave a pretty perfect list of items. I started out with Charlie Papazian's book "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing," and I've heard people recommend John Palmer's "How to Brew." It made my life easier, but is by no means a requirement.

Have fun with it!

u/NJhomebrew · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

DO NOT BUY A KIT. Buy a book, like The complete joy of Homebrewing or The Homebrewer's Companion both are Papazian book and can help you out. Making your own recipes and buying the ingriedents seperately can help to expand your hobby.

u/ijustwant2feelbetter · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Yeah, that midwest kit looks great... You also definitely need the wort chiller, cleaner and sanitizer. Also, get The Complete Joy of Homebrewing if you don't already have it. It will explain everything you need to get started and is also a really good jumping off point if you decide you all want to move into all-grain brewing. Good luck!

u/loial37 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I have not read any of that book, but i have read a bit of this book. I plan to revisit it before I start the process, it's just nice to hear what other people who have to contribute.

u/foxykirby · 1 pointr/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu

There is an awesome book with this title (also available to download via pdf). There are also sick recipes online, clone beers that we all know and love and free programs, BeerSmith in particular to help you with what hops to use/amount and such.

u/POGtastic · 1 pointr/AskMen

Charlie Papazian wrote the seminal book on homebrewing. Get it and learn. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

u/jamello29 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Not sure what country you’re in, but I’ve used Northern Brewer and Brewer’s Best for most of my recipes. I started the same way you did with a 1 gal kit APA and was hooked instantly.

I upgraded by buying a kit for ~$100 that came with an IPA extract kit, a primary fermenter bucket, a bottling bucket, airlock, etc that I’m still using 9 batches later. I’ve expanded now to three separate 6 gallon fermenters (they’re only like $20 for the bucket, lid, and airlock!). You’ll definitely want a large kettle as well and I’d recommend getting a hydrometer to test OG and FG so you know the ABV of your beer. All said and done, $200 should get you a really really solid base set!!!!

The biggest thing I can recommend is buying a copy of [The complete Joy of Homebrewing] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Third/dp/0060531053) by Charlie Papazian, you won’t regret it!

There’s tons of great advice for starters, midrange, and advanced brewers with a lot of good basic recipes. Good luck, and enjoy!

u/clamflowage · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

My wife got me this book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331648779&sr=1-1

And thus our homebrewing journey began. The nice thing about this book is that you only need to read the first 20 pages or so and you can brew a yummy beer. But it also contains a great deal of information on other, more advanced techniques for making some really awesome beer.

u/nazzo · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

> If you have zero experience homebrewing and aren't part of a local homebrew club it might not be a bad way to start

A better place to start is reading up on proper brewing through choice books.

u/kalvaroo · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Congrats! I would recommend doing some reading before you dive in. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition is a good read as well as How to Brew which is available online and free.

Edit: I read The Complete Joy of Homebrewing cover to cover before I bought any equipment. I started with extract brews bought as a recipe kit, my first few were strictly extract then I got into using specialty grains. I did around 12 batches this way before I put together a DIY mash tun and stepped into all-grain. There's a good learning curve involved, be patient and don't get too far ahead of yourself. I've had buddies try to do that and their equipment ended up on Craig's List.

u/MagicalHobo42 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Hi all, I'm a novice brewer looking to brew a raspberry hefeweizen. I've done some research and have decided that I want to pay for raspberry puree to avoid having to sanitize and mash the berries myself. I have a few questions regarding using fruit:

  1. In The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Papazian states that one may leave the fruit in the wort and ferment in the primary, but the fruit "should be removed after initial fermentation," (see page 90 of the third edition; in this case, he is speaking of self-mashed berries instead of a "professionally blended" puree). Would it be easiest to siphon the beer into a secondary fermenter to avoid having to strain the puree out?
  2. Do I need to worry about the extra sugar from the fruit causing a stronger response during fermentation?
  3. Will that sugar make a difference as to how much priming sugar I should use when bottling?
  4. How long will I be able to keep the beer before it starts lose the berry flavor? I'd like to brew this beer within the next two months or so to drink during the summer months.

    Thank you all for your help!
u/detaer · 1 pointr/LinuxActionShow

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

Drinks have been well documented and open sourced for years.

u/hessbrewing · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Pretty simple. Basics can be had for less than a guitar. Check out this book: The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. It can be had for about $10. If you decide not to do it, it's still a good book about beer.

u/Cactapus · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

One week is not long enough. Others will know much better than me, but my recommendations is 1, 2, 3. 1 week in primary; 2 weeks in secondary; 3 weeks in bottles. Don't worry if you don't have a secondary for your first couple of batches, but count on at least 10 days.

You will do just fine with an ice bath to cool it down. It takes obnoxiously long, but it works just fine. I assume you are doing a partial boil - 3 gallons? If you are topping off then you can put the extra water in the fridge/freezer to get it extra cold. Try to put the fermentor in a part of your house/apartment that has a stable temperature.

OG and FG - beyond my ability to tell ya. There are tons of programs out there that can estimate that for you.

Priming - 5oz of corn sugar (~3/4 of a cup) is normally used for a 5 gallon batch. So just use a little more than that.

Books are a good idea if you don't have more experienced brewers to learn from
http://www.howtobrew.com/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

u/_MedboX_ · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I started with the Williams kit and it's been great over the last year. It's for extract, but could be upgraded to all-grain pretty easily.

There are cheaper kits out there somewhere, but this was the only one I could find (at the time) that came with a pot (pre-drilled) and wort chiller.

For your first brew, I would advise to follow a kit, and then make the same kit again for your 2nd brew. It will familiarize yourself with the process, and back-to-back beers are a great way to see how process improvement affects the taste and quality of your beer. It might sound boring, but once you got the basics down, then you can really go buck wild with your own recipes. Makes for a lot less hard lessons.

Use the search bar first, but don't be afraid to post questions, this sub is pretty helpful to new guys.

Other helpful tidbits

Brulosophy

Mad Fermentationist


BrewUnited

The Bible

The other Bible

Edit: Many edits...

u/watso4183 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Got a chance to watch the replay. I joined just at the "made you look", so I has JUST missed the question.
Ordered the book on amazon today (as well as Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels which was recommended in this thread), and plan on a trip to my homebrew shop this weekend.

Not sure if you've done this before, but I'd watch this religiously if you continue to do these.

Thanks for getting my question in.

u/sosondowah · 1 pointr/beer
  • Get and read Charlie Papazians Complete Joy of Homebrewing.
  • Try out Beersmith. You might not use it on your first beer, but later on it is incredibly useful.
  • You want to remove labels off every bottle before sanitizing them. I found that to be the most annoying part of the process until someone recommended using TSP - same stuff you use to get paint off paintbrushes - and the labels literally fall off the bottle. You should be able to get that from any hardware store.
  • Depending on how much beer you drink, you should gradually invest into more advanced beer making equipment. I did some rough calculations and found that every investment saved me a ton of money. When I was using malt extract, the average price per beer bottle was around $0.75; after investing into wort chiller and switching to grains the price dropped to around $0.45 per bottle. Now, if I could get a big enough room to store my own 50lbs grain bags and use my own barley crusher, I could probably drop the price down enough for a $1.50 six-pack.
u/TinctureOfBadass · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

The first books I bought were Homebrewing for Dummies and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. Both of those are a little older and a lot of people regard them as outdated, but they'll get you on the right track. For something more modern (and a lot more thorough and sciencey), go for How to Brew.

u/LordXenu23 · 1 pointr/UniversityofReddit
u/Thrillingtonn · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I'd highly suggest picking up a book. It also wouldn't hurt to head on down to your local homebrew shop and ask for advice/starter kit recommendations. Most shops are very friendly. If you have any friends or co-workers that brew try and shadow them for a brew or two. Just being there to observe the process helps a ton. Also, welcome to the club! It's a great hobby that can be very rewarding. :D

u/thedoorkeep · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Our bible

That and right here, asking questions (I strongly believe there is no such thing as a dumb one)

Most of the time, this is a pretty supportive community and I've learned a lot from just browsing the posts every day

u/bongozim · 1 pointr/freemasonry

This is kind of the classic text on how to brew http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053

It's a fun hobby, it's not really that hard. Expect to spend about $100 in equipment to get your first batch going.

u/beachbrewin1 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Yes. I would recommend reading

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Third/dp/0060531053

It's a good start!

u/ExplodingBarrel · 1 pointr/gaybros

I did my first brew this summer, a simple American pale ale, and it turned out great! I would have done another batch or two but it's been so hot in SoCal and I have no A/C, so I don't have a very good temperature environment to ferment in (and haven't felt like spending hours over the stove).

I started by reading the beginner chapter of The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, which I highly recommend, and went from there. I'm lucky enough to have a pretty solid homebrew store nearby and the staff there helped me pick a recipe and buy everything I'd need too.

Here's the book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Edition/dp/0060531053/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348267170&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+joy+of+homebrewing

u/drummerinattic · 1 pointr/brewing

We have this book in our brewery. We refer to it as "The Bible"

Sorry for Amazon link, it was the first thing to pop-up on google and I'm lazy: http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138
Edit: I didn't read this well. If you're looking to learn how to brew, I recommend the Joy of Homebrewing. It's what I used.

u/shutyourface · 1 pointr/beer

Oxford Companion to Beer!
Been reading this quite a bit lately, learning alot that i had no clue about.

u/matzohballs · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

This. Should be required reading before they let you buy a carboy.

Also get the Oxford Companion to Beer:
http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Beer-Garrett-Oliver/dp/0195367138

I started off with a Mr. Beer as well--as the guy at my local brewshop put it, it's the Spaghetti-os equivalent of homebrewing. Very simple, but a great gateway to real brewing.

As for a kit, it depends on where you live. Here in LA you can get completely set up for an all-grain system for about $120-$150 depending on a few things.

If you can get your hands on a turkey fryer it will make the boil start that much faster.

One last thing--if you have the resources, I strongly suggest splurging for a keggerator and kegging your beer instead of bottling it. Easier, no risk of broken bottles, and pulling a pint that you brewed yourself is priceless.

u/hedwind · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Heavy Googling up front. If it's a common/popular style, a quick search of the webz should turn up a number of articles on the history of the style, as well as common approaches to create it. If it's a common style, Daniels' "Designing Great Beers" is a good resource and takes a systematic approach to recipe formulation by means of evaluating the recipes of past AHA competition winners.

If you're looking to do a style that is less popular or obscure, finding articles and other people's experience in recreating is much tougher, but necessary. Sometimes reaching out to a brewer (via Facebook messenger) on advice pays off. If you find foreign text, and it's the only resource, snag it anyway and work at getting it translated.

u/kingscorner · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is on the front page right now, it is an excellent book and a must read. One that really helped me out as well is Designing Great Beers. YouTube also has a lot of great videos of people showing you the basics.

I would also second brendanmc6 comment to jump to Brew-in-a-Bag. Get some extract batches under your belt so you can understand the entire process but purchase equipment geared towards Brew-in-a-Bag, brewing will become so much more enjoyable!

Cheers!

u/BeerIsDelicious · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Awesome! Welcome to the greatest hobby there is. If you are really interested in creating your own recipes, Designing Great Beers and Radical Brewing are two of my favorite resources. The former is very technical and contains detailed information on ingredients and how the play with other ingredients to affect the flavor of your beer. The latter is a great, well-rounded brewing book that focuses a lot on brewing with non-conventional ingredients, and how to use them in your recipes.

u/CalebC83 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Designing Great Beers also has a really informative chapter on water that goes through the calculations for mash and sparge additions. I've done my own calculations the last couple of brews and found that I can come up with much more accurate numbers than if I let BeerSmith tell me what to do.

Even if you still want to use BeerSmith it's very helpful to know what's going on behind the scenes.

u/mchicke · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I enjoyed the book Designing Great Beers . It helped me understand ingredients by style.

u/FleetAdmiralFader · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Definitely get a kit to start. If you really want to learn about different styles and how to make recipes then designing great beers is the book to get. It can be pretty sciencey but is a great resource

u/zorak8me · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

With BIAB you'll save time setting up equipment, brewing, and cleaning afterward. I have it down to around 4 hours and it's a really low-stress experience. My efficiency is much lower than when I fly sparge, and I have trouble hitting a target gravity. If I know I have a few hours free on a weeknight I'll go BIAB, or if I'm brewing an AG fly-sparge batch with someone else, I'll add a second BIAB batch on the side. It's really easy and the first couple beers came out clearer than expected.

Regarding the gravity of BIAB, in Designing Great Beers, Ray Daniels said that you can use extract to boost gravity once you've gotten to around 1.050 with grains. I haven't tried this myself yet but plan to do so in the near future.

u/dmnota · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Heya, I'm two secondaries away from this stage myself. I bought a book that goes into pretty good detail about where to start and the different styles. Personally, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for so I'll save you what I learned:

I started off making an excel sheet that calculates pretty much everything but SRM (or color). While this is great for me (I have it tell me what each grain/hop/yeast contributes) there's better options. I use qBrew for now. Why these softwares are nice is because they allow you to figure out your style. This leads to OG, color, IBU, etc.

You've certainly got some OG ready in there (qBrew claims around 1.085). And you've definitely got some hops. IMO, I would put some more into the boil. I've only done DH once and haven't tasted it yet, but it seems like you're headed for a very aromatic beer with a mild bitterness. That's a lot of grain (around doppelbock levels IIRC) so you might want to consider upping your boils to match and then overcome that maltiness. Not smart enough to comment on your yeast yet. I'm sure its fine :D

If your hops are providing some earthy tones, I could see some orange bitters being a really cool addition.

Edit: if you get a brewing software: http://www.2shared.com/document/0wxR6IAU/soulfrequencies.html

u/aossey · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I know you'll probably still want an answer from the Hangout, but if they don't get to it, or you're looking for another opinion, Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels is an awesome book for learning how to create recipes.

u/ReKast · 1 pointr/Dallas

Ofcourse you could make it yourself, depending on how aged you want it it can be ready from anywhere between 1 month to a few years. Here is a good link: http://www.bardicbrews.net/. Also wholefood and Central Market have a few varieties. BTW meads are excellent, a superb book on the origines of mead and other indigenous fermentations: Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers

u/SCThornley · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Just use the web, I've been brewing for around 20 years

edit, However there is one book that I've found very refreshing

Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation

u/graphikartistry · 1 pointr/Columbus

Are we talking about just beer here? Anyone thinking about something like Mead?

I've looked into home brewing off and on, try reading this book

u/CarsTrucksBuses · 1 pointr/beer

This is what you're looking for

http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Herbal-Healing-Beers-Fermentation/dp/0937381667

The best collection of intoxicating and medicinal fermented drinks from all over the world. My favorite chapter is entitled "Psychotropic and highly inebriating beers"

u/MeatnBones · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Hey guys, I've been brewing Gruit for a couple of months now. Got turned onto it by my neighbor who has been doing it for years. Here is a video of his process Brewing Beer Over A Fire Pit, and we will try to upload more as we go.

The brew bible we are working from is Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, by Stephen Harrod Buhner. I've been doing research trying to find more information and recipes for gruits, and this book seems to be a major resource for almost everyone. It's also a great read, exploring the history of brewing around the world.

The main reason I love gruit, is that without the hops you don't feel tired or full when drinking it. And with the yarrow and wormwood you get a mild psychotropic effect so you feel pleasant and alert. My friend drinks it every night during the winter because these herbs are used for skin care and drinking a bottle or two a night keeps his skin from cracking when he's working outside the next day.

I'm starting to experiment with new recipes, just tried a sage ale and a ginger beer. Bottling tonight, if there is interest I will post info/pictures.

u/beernite · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Brewing Elements) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381969/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ei8pDbNP3EY5M

u/no_username_here · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Yeast goes through three stages during fermentation. The third phase is the stationary phase and it's explained on page 69 of the Yeast book.

"Yeast reabsorb much of the diacetyl and acetaldehyde produced during fermentation, and hydrogen sulfide continues to escape from the top of the fermentor as gas."

So you're doing yourself a favor if you wait. The end product will be better.

u/benhdavis2 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I frequently count my yeast cell counts with a hemocytometer and methylene blue stain. I used the method straight out of the Yeast book.

http://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Practical-Fermentation-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381969

u/runyontr · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

What I Did Last Week::

  • Bottled my first beer! - Nothing too special, just a Pilsner based Ale. Trying to get my feet wet. Had to break open a bottle during the masters, and it tasted great.

    Primary::

  • NEIPA - Have the Citra & Mosiac hops to go in tonight for my first Dry Hop, with another dose on Saturday.

    Secondary:

  • No Secondary yet.

    Kegs/Bottles::

  • Pilsner Lager

    In Planning::

  • Summer Saison. Only doing extract brewing now, so have to think about modifying recipes like this Hoppy French Saison. I really love the dry hop IPAs, and will have trouble not adding a treatment to these recipes to spice them up a little.

    Active Projects:

  • Reading Palmers book and Yeast. Anyone have other recommendations?
u/Crabmeat · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

You should treat your lager yeast starters the same as your ales, as far as temperature goes. In my experience lager yeast take longer to take off in primary, but they should behave almost exactly like ale in the starter.

My source is Jamil's book on yeast, which is great by the way.

u/jpellett251 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Jamil co-wrote the book Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation with the founder of White Labs. I know that's not really an answer, but he knows his stuff enough that I trust the list.

u/TheForgottenn · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Right, I will try my best.

  1. Lager malt, as was labeled on the malt sack, is Extra Pale malt with an IOB of 3.2. As I am in the UK it will most likely be 2 row barley. It is common in production of pale beers and lagers.

  2. As for the yeast. The actual title is "The Viability of Serial Repitching of Yeast and the Development of Petite Yeast Colonies" What I am primarily looking at is the formation of yeast colonies that are unable to respire. This means no alcohol formation which is obviously not ideal. It also means that the colonies will not reproduce reducing the cell count over time. Within the industry it is common practice to reuse yeast. However within the literature there is a lot of debate about how many times you can theoretically use the yeast before you should revert back to your starter. The dogma seems to be between 10-20 brews before this happens. I am looking to see if there are any glaringly obvious reasons why you shouldn't keep reusing the same yeast over and over.

    These books 1 2 give a great overview of yeast and yeast management.

    I hope this has answered your questions. If not please ask more
u/drinkinalone · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Brewed: Edwort's Haus Pale Ale.

Racked to secondary: Skeeter Pee which I added my finings and stabilized, and my Blackberry Wine.

Cleaned and delabeled: 10 cases of wine bottles that I scored for free from a local winery. (Still working on this).

Ordered: Ingredients for Raging Red Irish Red Ale, and BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde (I've got a few kegs to fill). I also ordered some one gallon fermentors for experimental batches, I think the first one is going to be a Banana Wine. I should also be getting a couple books, For The Love of Hops and Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation, as well as a refractometer, and a 10lb CO2 tank.

u/MagicGinger · 1 pointr/Homebrewing
  1. Probably cold/hot break proteins or even some yeast. Probably just stagnating due to temp differences. Doesn't look like big deal.

  2. Read up more on this. After upgrading to wort chiller to help reduce the hassle in your brew day, spend a lot more time learning or getting equipment to get consistent and vigorous fermentation. Minimal equipment, partial grain brews can outmatch all-grain $2000 rigs if you are better at that part of the process.

  3. No big deal, won't be fermenting anything so you aren't helping your pitch rate, but not like it will hurt.

  4. Musilin bag or 5-10gal paint strainer bag from hardware store.

  5. Doubtful if you were meticulous about sanitizing
u/bbddbdb · 1 pointr/TheBrewery

Take notes on your phone as he is telling you things, if it’s something really involved take a video of him explaining it to you. It helps to have notes and people like when they don’t have to repeat their instructions a bunch of times.

Also, start to pick up some books to familiarize yourself with the process. There are 4 books in this series and it’s pretty informative.

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Brewing Elements) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381969/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_G8WdBbCZZY0JE

u/TMaccius · 1 pointr/Homebrewing
u/okami89 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

The sugar's there because I'd like to boost ester production (glucose can affect fermentation flavor, a claim made in this book) and because I have it on hand already.

I'd love to try out honey malt sometime; I've never used it before, but I've heard only good things.

u/Brew_Wise · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I think one issue here is that the terms "lagering" and "cold conditioning" have become synonyms which isn't exactly right to my understanding.

Traditional lagering is the process of cooling down the wort slowly in a way that doesn't shock the yeast into dormancy, which can cause more flavor compounds (mainly esters) to express and allows lager yeast to continue to uptake compounds in the beer down to the conditioning temperature.

Cold conditioning is the same for both lager yeast and ale yeast insofar as causing some compounds to drop out. Ale yeasts by and large don't do well at cold condition temperatures so instead of doing all the extra meddling with temperatures, we just usually crash to the condition temperature. From that point on they're essentially the same.

I've played with lagering ale yeast before and it did seem to reduce esters and produce a very clean beer compared to regular crashing, but I didn't do a triangle or anything so confirmation bias is in play. If you have the ability to lager, I would strongly suggest playing with it to see what the process does for ya. Might also be a great brulosophy experiment to compare lager to crashing, hmmmm....

There's more detailed info on page 114 in Yeast by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff. A great book but not a casual read =)

u/EskimoDave · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I definitely recommend 1 and 2. I haven't read Yeast yet.

My buddy picked up http://www.amazon.ca/Brewing-Better-Beer-Advanced-Homebrewers/dp/0937381985 and he highly recommends it.

u/LeonardAshcroft · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Might want to check out Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong.
http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Better-Beer-Advanced-Homebrewers/dp/0937381985
It's been a big help to me. Won't teach you how to brew, but goes into evaluating and improving.

u/pollodelamuerte · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I'm brewing a Pride of Warwick Strong Bitter. The recipe was taken from Gordon Strongs book on Brewing Better Beer

I'm trying to find a recipe online, but worst case I'll export my recipe from Beer Alchemy and share that.

Right now I'm dealing with squirrels trying to get close to my brewing equipment. Jerks :/

Edit: Added link to recipe

u/geeklimit · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Agreed. How To Brew, as mentioned above, and then when you've got all that down and have done a half-dozen batches or so, check out Brewing Better Beer.

u/h3rbivore · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

IMO you can make pretty decent beer with bottled spring water. Depending on the chemistry of that spring water, it'll make some beers better than others, but spring water generally has a mixture of minerals that tastes pretty good and this often translates to good-tasting beer.

I'd say that the differences you get from water treatment are subtle but effective in making the difference between a pretty good beer and a very good beer.

This book is generally regarded as the classic source for water treatment in homebrewing.

You do not need a pH reader if you use a calculation like that in Bru 'n' Water. I don't have a pH reader, but I definitely want one now.

u/LughnasadhFarm · 1 pointr/brewing
u/Amf08d · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

If you havent already checked out the Brewing Elements series I would highly recommend doing so. They are fantastic for geeking out about brewing. I havent read Hops yet but Yeast was fascinating and Water is pretty advanced but really informative.

u/JusticeToad · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Thanks I'll give that a read when I finish John Palmer and Colin Kaminski's Water book. Is the article what you personally do each time?

Mostly curious of what everyone does personally - not necessarily what 'should' be done :D.

u/mhelgy · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I use the Bru'N Water Sheet and it has yet to fail me yet for it's estimates. I sent in my tap water to Ward Laboratories for analysis, plugged those numbers in, then adjust my desired water for each beer. it took a tad bit of practice to learn to use, but now I can do it in my sleep and understand why I am doing these certain adjustments.

Also, I recommend the Book Water (https://www.amazon.com/Water-Comprehensive-Brewers-Brewing-Elements/dp/0937381993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493317229&sr=8-1&keywords=water+book) I read this first before getting into water chemistry stuff and it was great.

u/Ron_Sayson · 1 pointr/ncbeer

I think our water is fine to brew with if you do a couple of simple things. Water is a complex topic, so before you go too far down the rabbit hole, understand that. When I was a homebrewer, the things that had the most positive impact on my beer from a water perspective were:

  1. Camden tablets to drop out the chloromines
  2. I bought a white, drinking quality, hose for my brewing water, rather than using that old nasty green one. This is like $20 at Home Depot. I think these first 2 changes are all you really need to do at a minimum.
  3. I tried using the brewing water calculators that are out there, but they never seemed to make much of a difference and I lost interest.

    Here's an old thread I started on beerinator. GCBrewingCo who adds the final word is one of the most experienced beer judges in the area.

    If you want to really focus on water, you sure can. John Palmer's How to Brew covers the topic at a high level and Palmer & Colin Kaminski wrote a whole book on water for brewers.

    One more point: annually in March, Raleigh stops adding ammonia to the water and just relies on straight chlorine for the month. This makes the water smell & taste different. Unlike chloromines, chlorine can be taken out with just a charcoal filter. Water customers affected by this change include those who pay water bills to the City of Raleigh and to the towns of Rolesville, Garner, Knightdale, Holly Springs, Wendell, Wake Forest, Zebulon and Fuquay-Varina.
u/kevroy314 · 1 pointr/Coffee

Yeah I could definitely be remembering incorrectly. I'll have to check in a week when I'm home unless any other owners of Water can chime in with the part on preboiling water.

u/jaapz · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Nobody measures the actual amounts of any brewing ion in solution in your water.

You either:

  • send a sample of your tap water to a lab and have them measure the amounts of several brewing ions in your water
  • are lucky (like me) and your water supplier periodically measures and reports those things and makes that available to the public
  • start from distilled water (which is pure water, with no (actually very little) ions in it)

    Using one of the above you determine the base amounts of brewing ions in your water. Then you use something like bru'n water, brewersfriend, any of the other tools out there to determine a water profile and which salts to add to achieve that profile.

    After adding the salts, you just assume the desired amounts will be achieved, no need (or possibility, really) to actually measure those as a homebrewer.

    The tools I mentioned above also calculate mash pH and other important brewing water measures.

    Water is a very interesting topic to dive into, and if you really want to research this thoroughly I highly recommend Palmers "Water" book. Only part of that book is applicable to homebrewers, but it very clearly explains what water chemistry entails and what is important. It was only after reading this book that I fully understood how "residual alkalinity" works in brewing water, for example.

    Also, in my experience, getting the mash and boil pH right is way more important to the final product than the amounts of ions in your wort (as long as they are not exceedingly low, or high). When I brew with tap water without adjustments, my mash pH will be too high (especially for pale beers) which in turn means my boil pH will be to high. Invariably, those beers will take way longer to become clear, and the bitterness will be "weird". When I adjust my water to a (calculated) mash pH of ~5.4, the beer is already clear when I move it from the fermenter into bottles, and the bitterness is way more pleasant.
u/Wanderer89 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0937381993

The 'water book' in question for those wondering. (I assume)

The yeast book was great.

u/ZOOTV83 · 1 pointr/beer

The Complete Beer Course is a fantastic read. Bernstein provides a great overview, history, and examples of tons of styles. He writes pretty conversationally, so despite lots of history and beer jargon, it never felt like a beer textbook if that makes sense.

u/CraftBeerCat · 1 pointr/KingstonOntario

Wow! V pleased at the interest! I've got plans this weekend, but might be able to set something up initially around the 16th. I am not a homebrewer (yet) but my husband just built us a canning/homebrewing station in our basement that I hope to get started with sometime later this summer.

I can totally recommend reading the Complete Beer Course by Joshua Bernstein as a way to get familiar with beer styles. It's pretty accessible in terms of talking about beer.

https://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting-Classes/dp/1402797672

u/beer_SS · 1 pointr/SubredditSimulator

I honestly think craft should be about the quality of the beer peeps are suggesting in this thread is so serious! Sure. https://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894/. https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Beer-Course-Tasting-Classes/dp/1402797672/. Also since you're talking about Yards, some of those westy's, they are probably fine, sadly.

u/sdarji · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Google " 'how to identify' site:seriouseats.com" and read the first eight search results. Then you can read the book "Tasting Beer" by Randy Mosher.

u/chewie23 · 1 pointr/beer

I'm reading Tasting Beer right now. It's really, really good.

u/schoofer · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Any time is a good time, once you've got a basic understanding of different malts and hops and yeasts. Two books have helped me immensely, too: How to Brew by John Palmer and Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher

u/brewingbryan · 1 pointr/beer

Start with Tasting Beer and move on to the Beer Bible when you want something way more in depth.

u/yourmother-athon · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I definitely recommend Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. It is a brilliant book. May not be the best for homebrewing exclusively, but opens your eyes to beer.

u/shoryukenist · 1 pointr/beer

Randy Mosher: Tasting beer really is great for learning history, a little chemistry and all about styles. Highly reccomend it.
http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Beer-Insiders-Worlds-Greatest/dp/1603420894/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343758259&sr=8-1&keywords=randy+mosher+tasting+beer

u/jrlemay · 1 pointr/beer

As a lot of people have said, I think flights are a great idea. I would add that going somewhere that has a good selection of traditional styles would be a good place to start, and if you like American lager-style beer, try some craft versions of that so you can have something to compare to what you're used to (might I suggest Oskar Blues Mama's Yella Pils or Victory Prima Pils).

I'm in academia, so I found that some light reading on the subject helped a lot - ingredients and their respective characteristics, the brewing process, history and characteristics of all the different styles, etc. Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is a great place to start.

u/NightAudit · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Is this the right book?

Also would you know how difficult it would be to cut the recipe in half? I think it would be interesting to try both schedules to expand my palette. I assume it would just be twice as hard, just cut the recipes in half.

u/cryingosling · 1 pointr/beerporn

"Randy Mosher, one of America’s leading experts on the topic, thinks so. [...]

At a recent beer-tasting event held at the Workman headquarters, Randy told me that, generally speaking, bottled beer should be poured straight into the dead center of the glass, not into a glass tilted at a 45-degree angle, as is popularly believed. When beer is poured into a tilted glass, Randy argues, the head never fully forms, and you miss out on the beer’s creamy introduction.

True to his word, in Tasting Beer, Randy describes how beer should be poured for judging at a competition: 'Pour the beer right down the middle of the glass, wait for the foam to settle, and if needed, pour a little more.'”

source

edit 01: formatting

edit 02: i got the straight down pour from reading the book, but he does also go on about how you're not "wrong" to pour it other ways, just a method he pushes. he actually goes into another multiple step method of pouring down the center harder, letting it settle, and repeating. i've done it but the time it takes isn't worth the result in most cases.

u/TheMoneyOfArt · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

> Is anyone out there up to giving me a consolidated and complete guide on how to get this from the start all the way into the keg?

Yes, John Palmer already did. Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First-ebook/dp/B009DH2PP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394766726&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew. Yes, It costs money, but it will be more than worth it. This will answer all questions you have, and questions you never thought of. There's a free edition at howtobrew.com, but it's out of date and seriously you've spent how much on your kegs? just buy the book.

> What do I boil and for how long?

It's hard to say for this recipe. You might benefit from doing a packaged kit first. Generally assume a 60m boil, which means getting to a boil, adding your extract, and then adding hop additions at n minutes before turning off the heat. A 15m hop addition(as specified here), means you boil for 45 minutes, add hops, boil for 15 more minutes, then turn the heat off.

This recipe is a bad first one for leaving certain things assumed. I guess the people on that forum have a well-enough established dialogue that they can trust each other, but it makes the recipe less accessible to outsiders, and especially new brewers.

> How do I get it from the kettle into the fermenter?

After you chill your wort, a funnel, if it's a carboy, or straight into a bucket. Later you might use a siphon and tube, but for now, pouring into the fermentor will do.

> Do I rack to a secondary?

No. There's a sidebar post, but the answer is still no.

> How do I get the beer into the keg?

A siphon. google auto-siphon, or, if you're strapped for cash, auto-siphon alternatives.

> How long should I leave it in each stage (primary, secondary, carbing, any other time before drinking)?

primary: until your hydrometer has stayed the same for 3 days. Don't bother measuring in the first 2 weeks. Anything else you hear is a guess.
Carbing, IDK. Once it's carbed, start drinking.


> Should I use a hop ball or hop sock or add straight to the wort both for boiling and dry hopping?

Optional. It'll mean less to clean up later. If it's convenient, go for it. Keep in mind that you should sanitize it for the dry hop. A spray bottle of star-san is the way to go here.



u/elusions_michael · 1 pointr/beer

For a detailed source on the topic, I recommend this book. While it focuses on American sours, it also discusses the origins of them in Europe.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938469119/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GUH7yb1V0QZRT

u/narnwork · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

FYI that link is an older version there's a newer updated one out now:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Great-Every/dp/1938469356/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

u/thatmaynardguy · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

>what do I need to know before I start on my journey?

Aside from this forum and the FAQ, there are two books to choose from that are both fantastic but are from different points of view. For more engineering minded people I suggest How To Brew by John Palmer. For more art minded people Mastering Homebrew by Randy Mosher is fantastic. Either way you'll get a wonderful introduction introduction to brewing your own beer.

>What kit should I get?

There are many beer kits out there by you can also start with a simple cider instead. This will teach you about the basics of fermentation and help you find out if this type of activity is for you before you spend more than you need to on a kit. When you do go for a kit you will probably start with an extract kit. Just look for a style that you like to drink and go for it.

>What types of beer are best for learning?

To me a classic SMASH (Single Malt And Single Hop) is a perfect way to learn all grain brewing. For extract just any kit that you want to drink should be fine. Be sure to use a good online retailer if you don't have a local homebrew shop. MoreBeer is a popular, independently owned online retailer that I've had good experiences with.

>Anything else that you think may help.

RDWHAHB - Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew. This line from the great Charlie Papazian is probably the most often repeated line of advice in homebrewing. It's important to not freak out about anything. Brewing beer has some weirdness when you're new to it. There's a lot of vocabulary, acronyms, techniques, style guidelines, etc. Don't let it overwhelm you. Take it easy, follow basic good practices, and you will make beer.

Also, don't be afraid to look for local homebrew clubs. I didn't join one for many years and kinda regret that now. Some clubs are competition focused, some are social, some are event-centric. Look around for one that fits your interests and make some friends!

Finally, do not get tied down to styles or what beer is "supposed" to be. Brew what you want to drink and kick the haters to the curb.

Welcome to the obsession and cheers!

u/BigAndSticky · 1 pointr/brewing
u/pilt · 1 pointr/linkoping

Skaffade precis How to brew (Amazon-länk). Jag ska läsa den då jag känner att jag behöver lite mer kött på benen innan jag startar själv, särskilt om det blir mäskning.

Om du planerar att göra en batch snart skulle jag gärna titta förbi och lära mig lite!

u/bcoopers · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

> Mash at about 153F at a ratio of about 1.5 quarts to 1 lb of grain in a pot. Keep the pot in the oven at the same temperature to maintain the temperature. Stir occasionally.

This is a very low ratio. To take the highest target OG you've done, 1.070, Palmer chapter 19 recommends mashing at a ratio of 2 quarts to 1 lb of grain, which should give you 71% efficiency. For lower gravities you should mash at an even higher ratio for even higher efficiencies. At a ratio of 1.5 quarts to 1lb of grain you'd expect an efficiency only of 64%.

Increase the amount of water for your BIAB, sparging should not be necessary. Palmer has a table for different amounts for a 6 gallon batch, you can scale it up and down for different volumes.

Edit: was looking at the wrong table, adjusted the numbers.

u/Evilsmurfkiller · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Had to do your own math. How to Brew by John Palmer is a good place to start.

u/BrewCrewKevin · 1 pointr/schoolofhomebrew

Maybe a note that Malt is coming out in September to complete the series.

u/Oh-fiddlesticks · 1 pointr/northernireland

No problem. I'm relatively new to brewing myself, the kit gave a beer which is decent enough, the last kit I brewed was a single hop IPA with a Mangrove Jack's brew kit. I've bought worse beers in a pub so I was pretty happy with the result. I've now moved onto extract brewing which is basically a kit but with more DIY. Next step is all grain brew.

If it's the theory and the process you want to learn there is no better starting place than "How to Brew" by John Palmer. Here's a wee link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1938469356/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ljhoDbJMM5HP0 or there is a website with the whole book on there -
http://www.howtobrew.com/

Everything you need to know is in that book from sterilisation (the most important part) right through to your first full grain brew

Hope this helps

u/SGoogs1780 · 1 pointr/NDQ

Sure, tons! In no particular order:

  1. Pick up a book. The two best intros are How to Brew and The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. My girlfriend and I started with How to Brew. It can be a little science-y, but it was a great beginner's book that starts with the basics and gets more complicated as it goes. Basically the first chapter is enough to brew a beer, but the next few chapters help you learn how brewing works, and so on. I've never read The Joy of Homebrewing, but I've heard it's just as good, only a little less science based and more "fun and accessible." Really, either one is probably great.

    Also, How to Brew is based off a blog, and a lot of the book is on there. If you don't know which book you'd prefer start with A Crash Course in Brewing and decide if it's for you or if you'd like something a little more readable.

  2. Google around and see if you have a local homebrew shop. Lots of them offer classes, and sometimes local breweries will have homebrew classes on groupon or living social. Often times the beer you drink is work the price of the class, and it's super helpful to see brewing done first hand. This is actually how I got into it: I used buy beer at my LHBS in Ft Lauterdale, and saw that classes were only $30 and came with beer and food. I signed up with my girlfriend - no intention to start brewing, just thought it'd be a fun Saturday - and wound up totally hooked.

  3. Use the community, people love talking about brewing. If you're not sure how to make something work for you, someone's probably been there. Ask folks in your LHBS if you have one, post in /r/homebrewing, heck even just come back some time and reply to this post and I'll be more than happy to tell you what I know. I was worried because when I moved to DC I lost the outdoor space I used to brew in Florida, and couldn't get 5 gallons of beer boiling on a regular stove. I mentioned it casually to another brewer and he walked me through adapting recipes for smaller, more concentrated boils to be topped up to 5 gallons afterwards. Now I can brew on my electric apartment stove and haven't seen any loss of quality.

    Sorry if that's a total data dump, I just love chatting about and getting new people into brewing. If you ever give it a try, let me know how it goes!
u/mpak87 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

This is the newest, updated version of How to Brew. Now to be fair, I haven't read the 4th edition of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, it could have been modernized a bit. But the folks I deal with sure could use an upgrade in their new-brewer processes.

u/GUI_Center · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

The Mad Fermentationist, aka /u/oldsock blog, is a great place to start and also check out his book on amazon.

u/stressfulpeace · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

A lot of people have recommended How to Brew, and I cannot recommend that enough. Click this link to start reading the free version of the book. This was my single best resource when I started last year. Here is a link to the book on Amazon. The book is less than $17 and worth MORE than every penny if this is a passion for you. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to message with any questions at all that you may have.

u/J-Brosky · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

check out www.themadfermentationist.com There is a lot of good information there about sour beers. There is also a book on American sour beers that was recently released. If you are really interested on learning everything about making sour beers you should get this book.

u/NeoH831 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938469356/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LOFNDbTQ8KM55

This book has been recommended to me by multiple people. It's well written and breaks everything down in a way I believe is easy for anyone to understand. It's been a great resource so far.

u/Kurai_ · 1 pointr/mead

Schramm's book is definitely at the top some other good reads are:

On Mead:

  • Making Mead (honeywine) - Roger A Morse Link
  • Making mead - Bryan Acton and Peter Duncan Link

    WineMaking in general:

  • The art of making wine - Stanley F Anderson and Raymond Hull Link
  • Country Wines - Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling Link
  • Techniques in Home Winemaking - Daniel Pambianchi Link

    Good Reads for science:

  • An analysis of brewing techniques - George and Laurie Fix Link
  • Principles of brewing science - George Fix Link
u/madsbrain · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Since a lot of people are suggesting home brew kits, how about adding on some books on the science behind beer like Froth!: The Science of Beer, Experimental Homebrewing: Mad Science in the Pursuit of Great Beer (which comes with lots of recipes to try), or even Principles of Brewing Science.

And I know you said no clothing, but I felt compelled to share this shirt and the matching ornament as well

u/rocky6501 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Wild Brews and Radical Brewing are both really good if you want to go down the more advanced routes of using wild yeasts, bacteria, and exotic fermentables.

u/sunburnt · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Interestingly enough, I just started picked up Radical Brewing, which was published in 2004. The first chapter on beer history points out loud and clear how American craft brewers unencumbered by centuries of tradition are experimenting and innovating into quite a vital and amazing beer culture. As I read that I was thinking that, since American craft brewing market is getting saturated in some (many?) areas of the country, maybe it'd be interesting to start a craft brewery some place in Europe. It's good to see someone--Stone--giving it a shot.

BTW, I haven't been to Europe since the late nineties. So, I don't have any first-hand experience with beer culture there. If the original premise is inaccurate, I'd be really interested to hear about it.

(Based on the little that I've read of the book so far, Randy Mosher--the author--is probably a Stone fan.)

u/bjneb · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Recipe came from Radical Brewing, or at least the grain bill did. Aimed for more of an American Barleywine with the hops.

u/MadDrApples · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I'd suggest getting a book too. I started out with Radical Brewing.

u/3Vyf7nm4 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Markowski's Farmhouse Ales is an exceptional source for Saison. He describes the Wallonian water thus:
>
>
> The water in most Wallonian farmhouse breweries comes from wells and, as is the case in the surrounding region, is moderately high in temporary hardness (bicarbonate). Minerals such as carbonate and sulfates have the net effect of emphasizing hop character and perceived dryness in elevated quantities. A water profile such as that shown on table 8* would yield enough residual alkalinity to warrant pH buffering with an acidifying agent.
>
>
> Table 8: Typical Saison Brewery #1
>
> Component | Value (mg/L)
> ---|---
> pH | 7.2
> Bicarbonate | 350
> Calcium | 52
> Chloride | 20
> Magnesium | 17
> Sodium | 35
> Sulfates | 107
> Total Hardness | 454
>
>
---

As for my personal preferences, I always put at least .5lb (0.23kg) of flaked wheat in my saisons, for body and head retention.

u/deiol · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I'm currently reading Farmhouse Ales and was surprised to find out that what I always considered to be 'Saison' was not necessarily what the original Saisons tasted like. According to the book, beers considered to be Saison were typically either very bitter or slightly sour. They would be aged for a long time before drinking, so lots of hops could be added to preserve them, or they'd end up soured by a wild yeast. So now when I see a beer or yeast marked as Saison, I don't make any presumptions before trying it.

Perhaps the broad range of what can qualify for a Saison can explain why your Saison Blend yeast didn't come out Saison-y. As others suggested, I'd try a higher fermentation temperature next time. Also, since you said it's lacking that funk, you may want to check out using this Saison/Brett blend by Yeast Bay.

u/thatsmoothfuck · 1 pointr/brewing

Dude. Step back, read this book and then start brewing. It's rough advice, but you will thank me later. How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time https://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381888/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_D-xByb8KA8EWN

u/dryicebomb · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I recommend you pick up this book, it's quintessential for learning the ins and outs of brewing.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484145106&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew+john+palmer

I'd also recommend doing a pre-made beer kit or two first to get the processes and ideas down before jumping into custom recipes.

u/msjtx · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Get this book before you buy anything else and just familiarize yourself with the process.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404955862&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew

After that, Northern Brewer has some really good starting options, this one is pretty awesome at $80 considering it comes with your first kit to make a 5 gallon batch (usually $30 alone):
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/essential-brewing-starter-kit.html

The only thing you need to add is empty bottles and a kettle for brewing.

u/mjdonnelly68 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Anyone serious about brewing should buy the book:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397475635&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew

It's updated with new information, it's the single best general brewing resource I know of and it's a nice way to thank John Palmer for his contributions to home brewing.

u/no_sissies_allowed · 1 pointr/DIY

Like I mentioned earlier, I haven't brewed with it yet, but it's everything you'll need. You might want to pick up How to Brew. It's the golden book when it comes to brewing. Teaches you the hows as well as the whys.

Oh, you will need bottles. Don't get the screw off caps, only pop off caps will work.

Edit: You'll also need a sizable brew pot. You'll want to get one min. 7 gallons to prevent boil overs, which are a bitch to mess with. Just join the sub and do some research and you'll figure it out. Brewing has been happening for thousands of years. No reason you can't figure it out!

u/omarsdroog · 1 pointr/beer

I think you'd do better with Palmer's How to Brew. I'd also recommend listening to the podcasts on The Brewing Network, esp BrewStrong. Also, find and join a local homebrew club. There's a lot of info you can get by reading or advice from forums, but nothing compares to having other beer nerds tasting your brew and giving good feedback.

u/beertastic · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

The Midwest groupon deal is probably the best way to get into the hobby at an affordable price. This is real homebrew equipment and not some big box cash in. She will want to build on this kit, not replace it.

If you want to add anything, I'd add this book (~$11 w/free shipping):
http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322454904&sr=8-1

u/SomnambulicSojourner · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I'm going to disagree with you here. I started with The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and while it is a good book, I believe that John Palmer's How to Brew is a better introduction to brewing and infact gets quite advanced. You can even read the first edition free online.

u/bad_keisatsu · 1 pointr/DIY

Thanks! Well, it would be easier to answer specific questions (and I am no means a master), but making beer is pretty easy and not terribly expensive (but more expensive than just buying beer, sadly). The most important thing to remember if you do decide to head down this path is to properly sanitize your equipment to prevent stray bacteria or yeast from ruining your brew.

This book is amazing but also goes into a lot of detail, so be prepared: http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310938085&sr=8-1

u/SgtMaj_Obvious · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

They don't get a lot of love around here (though they don't get much hate either I suppose, lol) but I started with a Mr. Beer from the hobby shop. I quickly out grew it, but it was ~$60 and came with two batches worth of extract and yeast and allowed me to figure out that despite the beer not being as great as I'd hoped, I enjoyed the process. So it was definitely worth the money and effort even though I don't use the Mr. Beer anymore.

As far as DIY equipment, most individual parts of the process are relatively inexpensive. You can save money by using Aluminum instead of stainless steel for boiling your wort (unfermented beer), and you can do without things like immersion chillers to cool your wort and use ice-baths instead. But the beautiful thing is you can upgrade different pieces of equipment as you see necessary. You can start out cheap but decide it's worth the $60 to get an immersion chiller. Or if you are handy with metal and such you can make your own! Again, a lot of answers can be gained from books (and here of course!). Like I said earlier, this book is great. I too was afraid of the cost of the hobby and worried I wouldn't like homebrewing and be out a bunch of money. Turns out I enjoy it enough to warrant the cost!

u/KnightFox · 1 pointr/brewing

Have you had problems with only 2-3 on the trub? I know John Palmer specifically talks about off flavor not being an issue for a primary less then a month long.

u/cosmic_cow_ck · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

> John Palmer

I'm guessing that this book is what you're referring to?

Thanks; that alone is helpful. As with any craft, there are plenty of useless books among the treasures.

u/Altoid_Addict · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I would recommend starting with extract, but if you do start with all-grain, read through How to Brew first. It's got wonderfully detailed information on both extract and all grain, and some cool recipes for the basic styles. I'm kind of surprised nobody's mentioned it yet.

u/FetusFeast · 1 pointr/AskReddit

/r/homebrewing and a forum called homebrew talk are great places to start. The brewing community is incredibly nice and helpful.

After you do a batch of mead and see if you like it, try some beers. Extract brewing is also incredibly easy and can have very fine results. Recommend reading How to Brew for beer.

u/blistermania · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

It sounds like you're familiar with the process, so I would recommend learning more about the mechanics of brewing. John palmer's book (see below) is a great source of information in this regard. Also, there's a whole section dedicated to styles and recipes that you could experiment with.

My top three resources:

  • HowToBrew.com (I recommend the book, though)
  • BeerSmith podcasts - I learned quite a bit from just listening to experienced people talk about the craft. At first the jargon was overwhelming, but I just kept listening to several a week and suddenly everything started falling into place. I use the Pocket Casts app to listen in the car.
  • /r/Homebrewing :)
u/paulshoop · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Keep the 1 gallon kit and use it for exbeeriments...

Sell the gift card and buy something like this:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/essential-brewing-starter-kit

Buy this book:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451367064&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew

Buy these cleaning supplies:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-San-oz-PBW-lb/dp/B00YVF1RMK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451367192&sr=8-2&keywords=32+oz+star+san

Then, when you are ready, you can add the below to do all-grain BIAB 5-gallon batches.

10-gal pot w/ lid - $60 (16-gal pot with steamer basket is better but is $110)

BIAB bag - $30

Immersion cooler - ~$50 (25ft)

20" wire whisk - $10

Racking Cane- ~$15 (get the 1/2inch size... not an auto siphon)

Hose for racking - ~$10

Annual membership to BrewersFriend website (it is awesome, trust me) - $10

Propane burner (Bayou Classic SP-10) - $50

Propane Tank - $30

u/emvy · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

Here's my advice to a beginner from a recent beginner.
A lot of people start with a small batch kit like Mr. Beer or Brooklyn Brew Shop that they got as a gift or bought on a whim. However, if I were going to recommend a 1-gal starter kit, I'd probably go with something like the one from Northern Brewer. Or you can get a 5-gal setup for just a little bit more and you get a lot more beer for you money, and it's really not that much more work. However, it was nice learning the process on a 1-gal batch, because it's a lot more manageable and you can easily do it on your stove with a pot you already have. Also, if you stick with it, and upgrade to bigger batches, you will still be able to find good uses for your old 1-gal equipment.

Whether you decide to test the waters with a small batch or jump right into a 5-gal batch, I would do an extract w/ specialty grain kit for your first brew. All grain is not that much harder, especially with small batches, but for your first few brews it's nice to just learn the process without having too many variables to worry about.

Also, buy a copy of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing or How to Brew or both and read the first chapter or so and you will have a good idea of what you're in for.

u/jedi111 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

it has nothing to do with snobbary. you are on a homebrewing forum. i get that you have to start somewhere. but really. that's an absurd question. they come dried.

try doing ANY amount of research into the craft before you start asking people for answers to questions like that.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Right-First/dp/0937381888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426492930&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew

u/allowishus2 · 1 pointr/exmormon

The first thing you should do is buy this book and read it. It will give you a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. Then when you are ready, it's an excellent resource for the basics of brewing and it's a lot easier than trying to track down good info online. It doesn't have everything though, that's where /r/homebrewing and www.homebrewtalk.com come in. You can find an answer to almost any question by searching homebrewtalk.

u/Kzang151 · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

In addition to the kit I bought below, I also bought:

Super Efficient 3/8" x 25' Stainless Steel Wort Chiller
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004D4QPQW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

AND how to brew book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937381888/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I bought the Gold Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 Gallon Glass Carboy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BU7CVM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Gold Homebrew Kit has all you need to get brewing and adds a glass carboy for secondary fermentation resulting in a cleaner finished brew. Each Equipment Kit Includes: True Brew Handbook & Kit Instructions, 7.8 Gallon Fermenting Bucket, 1 Lid Drilled & Grommet, True Brew Rack & Fill kit, 6 Gallon Glass Carboy, Fermometer Fermentation Thermometer, Small Buon Vino Drilled Stopper, Hydrometer, Bottling Spigot, Emily Double Lever Capper, 3 Piece Airlock, Bottle Brush, C-Brite Sanitizer 8-Pack.

(See post below? and this. I'm not sure the best way to respond to post. Super new to reddit! lol)

So a Fermtech plastic bottle filler, fermtech large (0.5-inch) auto siphon, and 7/16 vinyl tubing would set me up? (Minus the kettle pot?)

u/ProfessorHeartcraft · 1 pointr/Homebrewing

I would strongly caution against a 35 quart pot. The Bayou Classic 44 quart (11 gallon) pot is only a little more, and it's of dimensions more ameniable to brewing (tall, rather than squat). If you plan to migrate to BiaB, the version with the basket is quite useful; you'll be able to fire your heat source without worrying about scorching the bag.

For ingredients, I would recommend looking around for a LHBS (local homebrew shop). You'll likely not save much money ordering those online, due to their weight/cost ratio, and a LHBS is often the centre of your local community of homebrewers.

With regard to literature, my bible is John Palmer's How To Brew. You can also read the first edition online, but much has been learnt since that was published and the latest edition has current best practices.

That equipment kit is decent, but there are a lot of things in it you'll probably wish you hadn't bought.

You will want:

u/freeheelsfreeminds · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

This book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0937381888

Is an invaluable resource for beginners and experts alike. It's got all the basic stuff you need and a lot of advanced stuff you won't think you'll need, but will as you learn more.

u/miclip · 0 pointsr/Homebrewing

I like "Brewing Lager Beers" by Noonan. If your friend is the technical/engineering type they might enjoy it.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Brewing-Lager-Beer-Comprehensive/dp/0937381829

u/varonessor · 0 pointsr/Homebrewing

I'd recommend checking out the book Yeast: The Pracical Guide to Beer Fermentation as a good starting point. It covers basically everything you could need to know.

u/plsenjy · 0 pointsr/askscience

Just finished that book. It does a terrific job of toeing the line between the scientific and the anecdotal if you don't have any formal training. Have recommended it to every one of my friends that homebrews.

u/vegandread · 0 pointsr/beer

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.

It may not help you for your interview tomorrow but if it's a field you're interested in, this is your bible:

u/Taubin · 0 pointsr/newzealand

No I do not grow my own hops, however I have used plenty of them in brewing many many beers. I have used fresh hop cones a few times as well. I have also used hops from different seasons of the same plant, and I can promise you that's not where a pine flavour comes from.

Here are a couple of resources you might want to glance through if you are actually interested in different hop flavours and aromas.

https://byo.com/resource/hops/

https://home-brew-stuff.myshopify.com/pages/hop-profiles

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/homebrew_beer_hops

There is also this great book about hops, which I am willing to lend to you if you'd truly like to read it. I have a copy sitting next to me.

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Hops-Practical-Bitterness-Elements/dp/1938469011

u/Pattern_Is_Movement · 0 pointsr/beer

check this out, one of my favorite beer books.. loaded with recipes like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Herbal-Healing-Beers-Fermentation/dp/0937381667

u/Beardedfury1980 · 0 pointsr/Homebrewing

Check to see if there are any local home-brew shops or brewing clubs in your area, pop in and start picking their brains, I've found the brewers in my area to be very open and welcoming to people interested in picking up the hobby. Other than that John Palmers book ( https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Everything-Great-Every/dp/1938469356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519527151&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+brew ) is a great read and you'll learn a lot from it.

u/openthewell · -1 pointsr/Homebrewing

Read this: Yeast

Its a great read and filled with everything you should know (and then some) about brewers yeast.

u/EndlessOcean · -1 pointsr/Homebrewing

Best thing to do is buy/borrow this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Third/dp/0060531053

Relax. Don't worry. Have a cup of tea until you can have a homebrew.

u/runb4ithitsu · -2 pointsr/mead

This books techniques are outdated. I recommend How to Brew by John J. Palmer. It's for beer brewing but the idea behind brewing combined with an in-depth look at the theory. Every time I brew mead this book is next to me because it's a great all around reference. I haven't picked up The complete meadmaker more than a few times.

u/weeglos · -2 pointsr/Homebrewing
  1. tl/dr.
  2. http://www.northernbrewer.com has really nice kits.
  3. RTFM. Palmer: dead tree / electrons

    Read Palmer's first chapter (free online at that link), then come back with questions.

    Make sure you have a good craft brew on hand, because you won't have any homebrew yet. It's an integral part of the process - when you're stressing, just sit back, relax, have a homebrew. Repeat that mantra, and you'll be just fine.

    Good luck!