Customer Reviews

101 Ideas for Homebrew Fun

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This curious little book is essentially similar to the factoid collections you find in the reference section of any decent bookstore, though a bit more in depth. But not much. And that's fine. It's a lot of hit-and-run vignettes designed to educate the intermediate brewer on various and sundry bits of beer trivia, and even learn to make a few styles that aren't in the standard literature. There's even a few recipes using beer ingredients to keep the dedicated cook/beer snob interested. It's not a bad book at all, though perhaps a little much for a rank beginner.

Even for what it is, though, it falls tragically short of perfection. Recipes, for example, are poorly organized; the recipe for Sumerian beer falls particularly short, requiring careful reading to notice that an important ingredient was left out of the ingredient list (though fortunately was still in the directions). And there's no bibliography, no mention of where to go to read more about the topics this book scratches the surface of.

I don't know that I'd consider it an essential read, but candy isn't essential either, and that's basically what this book is. If nothing else, it's a good palate cleanser between more technical literature.

I found this book to be alot of fun. It gives ideas about lots of new things to try. The tips are each on their own page, and numbered. In addition to better brewing tips and tips on ingredients, there are ideas for fun things to do at homebrew club meetings, ideas for competitions, and even a story or two.

I really liked this book. The key word is fun.