Customer Reviews

Brew Chem 101: The Basics of Homebrewing Chemistry

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am an analytical chemist and homebrewer. I thought this book would be targeted towards an audience that was interested in both. Seriously, who else is going to buy it? In its attempt to be "non-technical," it simply doesn't cover the subject matter.

The worst thing is its complete failure to discuss water chemistry and pH control in the mash. There is a table of ions, but nothing more. Despite being a "chemistry book," it never even defines pH. Look up "pH" in the index and you get "pH, measuring." That's it.

The "best" chapter -- on off-flavors -- offers trite answers; lots of info on what to do, no guidance whatsoever on HOW TO DO IT.

The last chapter is on how to be a homebrew judge. Sorry Dr Janson, but that topic is UTTERLY IRRELEVANT to the subject of your book!!

I have been more disappointed in a book purchase, but not often. I anticipate having a difficult time even giving it away. Do not buy this book.

If you have a degree in chemistry, microbiology, or biology, this book is not for you. Buy George Fix's book or one of the texts by the Siebel Institute. This book is also not for the all-grain veteran looking for insight on the mysteries of recipe formulation and yeast interaction. Finally, Brew Chem 101 is certainly not for the professional brewer. This book is best for beginning - intermediate homebrewers looking to move from extract brewing to partial mash or all grain brewing.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to brewing science for people long out of high school and/or not really science-types. It is fairly light on technology and terminology, while providing sound fundamentals on good brewing. As others have pointed out, the science in the book is not 100% accurate, but it is accurate enough for homebrewing and it seems the author intentionally simplified the science to save overly long explainations on obscure (read, boring) topics. I have some issues with the techniques used in the book, especially regarding boiling grains, but ask 50 award-winning brewers to define the perfect brewing technique and you'll get 50 different answers.

I do wish Janson had provided much more information on water chemistry and the effects of temperature at different stages of mashing, but I understand this book is meant as a springboard to further reading.

I appreciated Janson's chapter on off flavors. He provided easy to understand descriptions, possible sources, and ways to avoid them. While his solutions may seem obvious to advanced brewers, they are accurate the provide a fix to 90% of the problems encountered by novice brewers.

Everything in this book can be found on the Internet or through your local homebrew club, and there is no published "perfect" book on homebrewing. However, it is nice to have a reference book on the shelf and, for what it is, Beer Chem 101 is very good. In conjunction with Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide or Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Janson's book provides an easy progression from extract brewing to all-grain brewing. I would have liked an advanced section on water, yeast, and mashing to ease the transition to Priciples of Brewing Science by George Fix, and I had a few issues with technique, so I have given it 4 stars.

Brew Chem 101 is an informative book that is targeted for the home-brewer who is just moving into mash-extract or all-grain brewing. The author keeps the explanations simple and gives definitions of the terms used. It's a good introduction to the chemistry of brewing for people who don't have a lot of chemistry background. I had thought it would get a little more in depth in explanation of chemical reactions, but after realizing who this is written for I would say it is a good start for someone wanting to learn the very basics. Advanced All-Grain brewers need not read this book though since it spends a lot of time explaining the proceedures and why they are done.

This is a clear, concise and not too nerdy intro to brewing chemistry. For advanced home-brewers or chem buffs it might be too basic, but for us non-nerdy types this book will be very helpful. The book is only about 100 pages, so it isn't a major undertaking to get through. The author deliberately avoids getting too technical and keeps things simple. So rather than discussing exhaustively the many chemical reactions in the brewing process he tends to highlight the most important molecules and chemicals, discussing their properties and what qualities they contribute to the final beer (such as fruity, spicy, dry, bitter, pleasant, unpleasant, etc.) This book would make a good stepping stone to George Fix's book on brewing chemistry, which is more techical and requires some knowledge of biochemistry and some math too (not too surprising, since George was a Harvard mathematician). If you've read books on home-brewing and want more information, this book will be very helpful.

Although brewing chemistry is quite complex if one considers all the details, the basic idea is quite simple. Yeast ferment a sugar-rich combination of malted barley (or other grains, such as rye or wheat) and hops to produce alcohol and a variety of other metabolites that give the different flavors and qualities to beer. For example, I learned that one difference between lager and ale yeasts, besides the well-known distinction that ale yeasts are warm temperature, bottom-fermenting and lager yeasts are cold temperature, top-fermenting, is their ability to digest the sugar raffinose. Unlike sucrose or glucose, which are disaccharides and monosaccharides, respectively, raffinose is a heavier trisaccharide and ale yeasts are unable to metabolize it. Thus, heavier sugars, such as amylose, amylopectin, and so on, get into the final brew, which is why ales are typically heavier, fruitier, and sweeter than the cleaner and dryer-tasting lagers. The yeast primarily digests glucose, fructose, and sucrose, and maltose. Melibiose, a disaccharide like sucrose or maltose, is also present but can't be used. This is because the bond between the two glucose molecules is the same as raffinose.

The other important ingredient is hops. Hops are just the leaves of the hop plant, and the important thing is that the leaves contain glands that house essential oils and acids that provide bittering and flavoring to the finished brew. Although these glands contain 250 essential oils, the most important ones are the alpha acids such as humulone, cohumulone, and adhumulone, which are derived from the soft resins in the glands. The beta acids derived from the hard resins are less desirable. It is the isomerization of the desirable alpha acids, the changing of the molecule to a slightly different structural configuration with the same chemical constitution, that produces the pleasant bitterness in beer. The beta acids produce a less pleasant and desirable bitter quality.

Terpene molecules such as myrcene and humulene are also important. The oxygenation of humulene gives an elegant and refined flavor and aroma to beer. The same thing happens with myrcene, which produces a floral and herbal character from the production of two molecules, geraniol and linolool, and two other related molecules, geranyl acetate and geranyl isobutrate. However, this is also accompanied by a bitter quality that can be unpleasant if these myrcene by-products are present in too great a quantity, which is usually only a problem with certain species of hops, such as the Cascade strain, which contain high percentages of myrcene. But the widely used Cascade strain is prized for the floral and spicey ales they can produce.

There is also a discussion of ions and their contribution to flavor. For example, the English Burton ales are famous and use water from Burton on Trent which is high in calcium, sulfates, magnesium, sodium, and chloride. Janson notes that the presence of these molecules (and in the hands of competent brew-masters) results in a very complex and delicious brew, which is why one must pay attention to the quality of the water for certain styles of beer.

Well, I've gotten more nerdy in this review myself than I intended. But Janson's book will provide you with much more information if you're interested. Overall, a very readable and informative introduction to the area of brewing chemistry. After reading this, if you're game, pick up Dr. George Fix's Principles of Brewing Science, which is more technical, but which bridges the gap between the even more technical journals and big professional manuals of brewing chemistry. If you can get through that you're definitely eligible for your brewing chemistry nerd badge.

Brew Chem 101 clearly informs the reader what happens when grain, water, hops, and yeast come together to produce beer. Janson's non-technical book is the shortest book I've read on brewing, but the most informative and the easiest to follow. You don't need a chemistry or math background to comprehend this easy to read book. Its a great book for the beginning and advanced brewer alike or for anyone interested in beer. Janson starts off with a quick overview of the Basic Chemistry of Beer (chapter 1). He follows with Biochemistry of Beer (2), Yeast and Fermentation (3), Mashing and Sparrging (4), and Understanding and Avoiding Off Flavors (5). The author, a certified beer judge, then leaves the subject of beer production to address Evaluating Beer in his last chapter. In the middle of this chapter on prepouring, pouring, smelling, looking, and tasting, Janson puts things in perspective by stating: "Just sit back and taste it for pure, unadulterated enjoyment." Janson complets his book with a usefull glossary and annotated bibliography ("Further Reading")

I read Brew Chem 101 in one day. It's an easy read and not too technical. Chapter 3, "Yeast and Fermentation" is a good explanation of how different strains of yeast work and the general environment needed for good yeast growth. Chapter 5, "Understanding and Avoiding Off Flavors" is the goldmine of the book. Not only does Lee W. Jason, Ph.D. explain the taste or smell, he explains the technical cause and methods for avoiding each flavor. The beginner should check this book out before brewing his next batch. The brewer that's been around the block for a while might find parts of the book interesting too.

Easy to read. Content well suited to "101" level knowledge. Content was well ordered and liked the methodology for debugging brewing problems.

As I sat in my Beer Judge Certification Class learning about glucose, fructose and raffinose, and about chlorophenols, dimethyl sulfide and oxidation, a feeling of panic began to rise. What is this ion stuff? If only I had foreseen how important chemistry would become in my life, my attitude toward the scientific curriculum of my salad days would have been different.

Fortunately, one of my BJCP classmates, a water analyst for the EPA, recommended a book, "Brew Chem 101 - The Basics of Homebrewing Chemistry," written by Lee W. Janson, M.D., Ph.D. I liked the idea of the "101" - a clue that this was basic stuff. This is not an intimidating textbook from the halls of academia, but a friendly guide for those of us who need a foundation to support our new-found knowledge of brewing science. In straightforward language, Dr. Janson spoon-feeds the reader with useful information.

He describes the "real" differences between organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry. Janson elegantly discusses "charged atoms...collectively referred to as ions," the dissolving characteristics of water, hydrophobic molecules, and isomerization (described simply as a "change to a molecule with some partial charges that can, therefore, dissolve.") His idea of chemistry lessons allows the reader to impale herself on an idea in a matter of minutes, and climb the necessary steps to the temple of knowledge.

The Table of Contents presents brewing in a methodical relay, while each topic is covered simply, yet thoroughly enough for the non-chemist. Besides his acknowledgments, intro, recommended further reading, and glossary, Janson covers:

The Basic Chemistry of Brewing; The Biochemistry of Beer; Yeast and Fermentation; Mashing and Sparging; Understanding and Avoiding Off Flavors; Evaluating Beer

For the Beer Judge, the chapter on Off Flavors is invaluable in its simple presentation. Nothing significant is skipped; yet, the gentle immersion into the whys and hows of chemical reactivity are well laid out.

This is a good starter book for the novice, and serves as a stepping stone to more comprehensive books like Principles of Brewing Science by George J. Fix and Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles by Ray Daniels.

I also wish the book was more technical, but given the name "101", I understood that this is a quick overview of brewing chemistry. I find it useful as an amateur home brewer looking to expand my knowledge.

While you get the impression that the author knows his stuff, he doesn't write much of it down. The information provided is incomplete and not well supported, either with explanations or references. No topic is addressed in sufficient depth or detail as to provide a basis for good brewing decisions.

I would recommend that anyone interested in a good introduction to the chemistry and biology of brewing instead acquire either one or both of George Fix's books, "Principles of Brewing Science" and "Analysis of Brewing Techniques".