Brewing Encyclopedia

[user 18576]

Can anyone recommend a 'one stop' comprehensive Beer Brewing book or
encyclopedia type (with colour pictures) that covers all aspects of brewing beer.
From beginner to most advanced.
Also could include wine - thinking ahead.

Cos I recon that if I do the washing up, housework & DIY jobs for the next couple of months Father Christmas might bring it me.

Paul

 

[Linalmeemow]

Greg Hughes - Home Brew Beer. Excellent book, covers kit, partial mash and all grain brewing and has loads of rock solid recipes.

 

[Godsdog]

Greg Hughes - Home Brew Beer. Excellent book, covers kit, partial mash and all grain brewing and has loads of rock solid recipes.

second that,think I had mine off fleabay last year a hardback copy for around a fiver delivered:thumb:

 

[Linalmeemow]

second that,think I had mine off fleabay last year a hardback copy for around a fiver delivered:thumb:

The Wife got me my copy for my Christmas a few years ago, but she found it at The Works, the discount bookshop, for £3!

 

[m_rawdin]

I agree, Greg hughes home brew beer is the Bible for home brewing, got loads of recipes in it too. If you want something a bit more technical and scientific then try John Palmer how to brew.

 

[DoctorMick]

If you want beginner to advanced I’d go with the John Palmer book. The Grg Hughes book is excellent but doesn’t get into the detail. Also, there are a series of brewing books (yeast, water, hops and malt) which are exceptionally detailed although probably not great for a beginner.

 

[GerritT]

Radical Brewing by Mosher is a good third. No colour pictures but by the time you finished the other two books, there will be more need for text than for pictures.

 

[Sadfield]

I'll throw Mastering Homebrew also by Randy Mosher into the debate as doing the job of all the books mentioned thus far, and being the most continually useful book, whatever level you are at.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[user 18576]

Thank you for all the replies on the books,
I will check them out and decide on which one(s) I would like to unwrap on Xmas morning.
(now I wonder where the vacuum cleaner is kept)?

Paul.

 

[GerritT]

Last but not least: if you can pick up Moyle's 'Brew it yourself' for less than £2, do it. It has some nice recipes. But not worth much more than £2. Especially the part where they tell you to dump hot most in a glass dj :-(

 

[Leemond]

I've learned a lot from this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1852493194/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Zephyr259]

I largely agree with what's already been said. I started with How to Brew, it's a great "technical manual" for a beginner that you will keep going back to, it's even got a brand new edition. Then I got Greg Hughes Home Brew Beer and Radical Brewing at the same time. HBB cover the process but it's basic, the real deal are the recipes which are fantastic. Radical brewing might be my favourite because it discusses processes and history and how to change things up a bit. The Camra book is good but I feel that every recipe looks the same, partially because what separates a lot of british beers is the yeast and the book doesn't state yeasts because in truth you'd need the brewery's yeast.

Then the more specific books for the future; if you like Belgian styles then Brew Like a Monk and Farmhouse Ales are both excellent, as is Wild Brews if you want to get funky. Finally, Designing Great Beers is well worth it, it's a bit dated (90s) and technical but covers a lot of styles and gives good information on how to brew them based on commercial and competition examples.

 

[GerritT]

I've learned a lot from this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1852493194/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That one is already on my amazon delivery list. Somewhere next month, but no delivery charges :mrgreen:

 

[Pavros]

I would put the Greg Hughes book first as it gives you the processes and a wide variety of recipes for all styles of beer.

I would also add Brew by James Morton. Just because it's written in a style which is very easy to read (it's not like a textbook), it's like having a conversation about homebrewing in the pub with someone who knows what he is doing. The only downside is that he uses a shedload of hops in his recipes.

 

[IainM]

I'm with Zephyr and DoctorMick. The Greg Hughes book is a great recipe book, but far from encyclopedic. The 'how-to' parts at the front are pretty basic. I'd recommend John Palmer or Graham Wheeler for technique, then get the Hughes book to get at least one solid recipe for all the major styles.

 

[Deadhead]

Lots of good recommendations on here, but one not yet mentioned is Charlie Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing

Pictures aren't in colour, but there are pictures. And you do have to have in your mind that things are written in U.S./Imperial so you need to think a wee bit about the conversions (I can't remember if he includes metric in the recipes, etc). But it's still a good book and a fun read.

 

[Simonh82]

I think How To Brew by John Palmer is probably the best bet. If you want something that you can keep coming back to and getting more from as he tackles things in significant detail but also gives you enough info to get brewing quickly.

Palmer is a real expert on things like water treatment, which you may not want to get into straight away but which will definitely make a difference to your beer when you do.

 

[Honk]

I think How To Brew by John Palmer is probably the best bet. If you want something that you can keep coming back to and getting more from as he tackles things in significant detail but also gives you enough info to get brewing quickly.

Palmer is a real expert on things like water treatment, which you may not want to get into straight away but which will definitely make a difference to your beer when you do.

I've read most of the books listed so far and wouldn't discount any of them, I had always been a bit put off by the title of the John Palmer book, thinking it's a bit basic for the stage I'm at now but downloaded after reading your recommendation. Glad I did, he does go into some detail, I'm early in the book but hoping to learn lots from it.

 

[Simonh82]

I've read most of the books listed so far and wouldn't discount any of them, I had always been a bit put off by the title of the John Palmer book, thinking it's a bit basic for the stage I'm at now but downloaded after reading your recommendation. Glad I did, he does go into some detail, I'm early in the book but hoping to learn lots from it.

Did you get the latest edition, or just the one that's available free on his website? The free version is great but quite dated now.

 

[Sadfield]

I think How To Brew by John Palmer is probably the best bet. If you want something that you can keep coming back to and getting more from as he tackles things in significant detail but also gives you enough info to get brewing quickly.

Personally, I didn't find this. Once I'd got a few brews done, and a rough handle on the process, I never picked it up again. I also started on AG, so a good chunk of it was redundant to begin with.