Brewing Better Beer is a comprehensive look at technical, practical and creative homebrewing advice from Gordon Strong, three-time winner of the coveted National Homebrew Competition Ninkasi Award.
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44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
By David Huber
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like many active homebrewers, I own a decent number of books on homebrewing and I have read them all cover-to-cover. These include all the well-known ones from Papazian (several), Palmer, Noonan, Daniels, etc. I am a scientist by trade, so I particularly enjoy digging into the technical chapters so that I can do all the brewing calculations myself using a pencil, paper, and my trusty HP calculator. I'm also a long-time listener to a number of homebrewing podcasts, and I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my Zymurgy and BYO magazines. There is very little you can teach me with regards to brewing processes or techniques that I have not heard about before. Although I would love to experiment more and learn for myself the pros and cons of various techniques, I brew infrequent enough that I have settled into a system that works for me. All that being said, this is a book I enjoyed reading and one I highly recommend for the wealth of information inside.
I purchased this book for exactly the reasons Gordon Strong lays out in the introduction: it tells you how and why Gordon Strong brews the way that he does. His credentials show that he has mastered homebrewing, so I was very interested to see if there were tips or procedures I could pick up that would improve my brew day and/or to improve my beer. He covers just about every angle from recipe formulation all the way through to packaging and shipping the beer off for competition. Every chapter either taught me something, reinforced an idea, or gave me something to think about.
The book is divided into three main sections: Philosophy, Mastering Your Craft, and Applying Your Knowledge. The Philosophy section, which is just one chapter long, talks about how to approach making beer and formulating your approach; how to find inspiration, draw on unrelated experiences, etc. The Mastering Your Craft section covers chapters on process, equipment, and ingredients. There is nothing inherently profound about any of the stuff here, but that isn't the point. You're not being taught what a base malt is, but how to evaluate it, how to taste it, how to think about using it. You're not being taught how to make a dark beer, but how to think about the different ways of using dark malts or steeping practices. The last section deals with tasting and evaluating your beer, looking for faults and fixing them, including a lengthy section on blending beers. There is also a very good chapter on brewing for competition, and preparing your beers for shipping to competitions.
Because of the personal focus of the book, it is written in the first person voice. The tone is conversational and never condescending. Often, such as when talking about various brewing techniques, he will describe all the different ways to do something (for example, if talking about mashing, he'll describe batch sparging, decoction, etc.), then he'll tell you which technique he would use in which particular situation. He is not locked into a particular way of doing things and will choose what he thinks works best for what he wants to accomplish.
The thing to keep in mind is that this is not an introductory book to teach you how to brew. As the title suggests, this is a book to tell you how to brew better beer. The book is written for all-grain brewers and it assumes the reader knows how to make beer. Some of the reviews here take issue with the fact that they didn't learn any new techniques, or that they weren't told what the best techniques to use are, like there is some special secret ingredient or piece of equipment that has been the reason for Strong's successes. I think this is missing the forest for the trees. This isn't a hand-holding book that promises you'll make better beer by using such-and-such kind of mash tun, with such-and-such kind of fermenter, etc. And yes, ultimately you need to figure out for yourself what techniques or ingredients works best for you on your equipment. This book delivers exactly what it promises: it shows you how Gordon Strong approaches making beer and tries to point out the tools and approaches you can use. It is best summed up in his own words (p. 26): "...I will try to lead you through the decision process and discuss some of the choices I have made in developing a personal brewing style. The goal isn't to have you emulate how I brew, but to use how I brew to help you develop your own way of brewing."
My only gripe is stylistic and not one for which I'd ding the book. At various places in-line are side bar type of material that contains a recipe or some kind of brief discussion on a topic. The beginning and end of these pieces are delineated well with horizontal lines. However, the text in these regions switches from a serif to a sans-serif font (the book doesn't have a colophon, so I can't tell you what the specific fonts are) that I find uncomfortable to read. I think that it would have worked much better if these regions were delineated with a change in the background color, or with a switch to a different font than the one chosen.
Ultimately, the best way to become a master brewer is to brew a lot and learn from your own experiences. I'm not going to make any grandiose statements that this book is like sitting with Siddartha on a spiritual journey into making beer, but I got a lot out of this book and some good ideas for things I want to try on my system.
I purchased this book for exactly the reasons Gordon Strong lays out in the introduction: it tells you how and why Gordon Strong brews the way that he does. His credentials show that he has mastered homebrewing, so I was very interested to see if there were tips or procedures I could pick up that would improve my brew day and/or to improve my beer. He covers just about every angle from recipe formulation all the way through to packaging and shipping the beer off for competition. Every chapter either taught me something, reinforced an idea, or gave me something to think about.
The book is divided into three main sections: Philosophy, Mastering Your Craft, and Applying Your Knowledge. The Philosophy section, which is just one chapter long, talks about how to approach making beer and formulating your approach; how to find inspiration, draw on unrelated experiences, etc. The Mastering Your Craft section covers chapters on process, equipment, and ingredients. There is nothing inherently profound about any of the stuff here, but that isn't the point. You're not being taught what a base malt is, but how to evaluate it, how to taste it, how to think about using it. You're not being taught how to make a dark beer, but how to think about the different ways of using dark malts or steeping practices. The last section deals with tasting and evaluating your beer, looking for faults and fixing them, including a lengthy section on blending beers. There is also a very good chapter on brewing for competition, and preparing your beers for shipping to competitions.
Because of the personal focus of the book, it is written in the first person voice. The tone is conversational and never condescending. Often, such as when talking about various brewing techniques, he will describe all the different ways to do something (for example, if talking about mashing, he'll describe batch sparging, decoction, etc.), then he'll tell you which technique he would use in which particular situation. He is not locked into a particular way of doing things and will choose what he thinks works best for what he wants to accomplish.
The thing to keep in mind is that this is not an introductory book to teach you how to brew. As the title suggests, this is a book to tell you how to brew better beer. The book is written for all-grain brewers and it assumes the reader knows how to make beer. Some of the reviews here take issue with the fact that they didn't learn any new techniques, or that they weren't told what the best techniques to use are, like there is some special secret ingredient or piece of equipment that has been the reason for Strong's successes. I think this is missing the forest for the trees. This isn't a hand-holding book that promises you'll make better beer by using such-and-such kind of mash tun, with such-and-such kind of fermenter, etc. And yes, ultimately you need to figure out for yourself what techniques or ingredients works best for you on your equipment. This book delivers exactly what it promises: it shows you how Gordon Strong approaches making beer and tries to point out the tools and approaches you can use. It is best summed up in his own words (p. 26): "...I will try to lead you through the decision process and discuss some of the choices I have made in developing a personal brewing style. The goal isn't to have you emulate how I brew, but to use how I brew to help you develop your own way of brewing."
My only gripe is stylistic and not one for which I'd ding the book. At various places in-line are side bar type of material that contains a recipe or some kind of brief discussion on a topic. The beginning and end of these pieces are delineated well with horizontal lines. However, the text in these regions switches from a serif to a sans-serif font (the book doesn't have a colophon, so I can't tell you what the specific fonts are) that I find uncomfortable to read. I think that it would have worked much better if these regions were delineated with a change in the background color, or with a switch to a different font than the one chosen.
Ultimately, the best way to become a master brewer is to brew a lot and learn from your own experiences. I'm not going to make any grandiose statements that this book is like sitting with Siddartha on a spiritual journey into making beer, but I got a lot out of this book and some good ideas for things I want to try on my system.
61 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By K. Patton
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read the reviews and was torn about ordering the book based on several of the rants against it. After reading about half the book, and browsing the rest to get an idea of all that it had to offer, I am glad I bought it. I have already incorporated some of the tips given in the book into my brewing.
I've been brewing for about 20 years, 7 of it all grain. I brew on average twice a month, sometimes more. I have single tier three vessel system. I am a scientist by training, but to be honest, I never thought of my brewing from a "process" viewpoint, until I read the book. I am at that stage in my brewing where I am focusing more on improving my beer, rather than seeking out new methods or techniques. The book offers those kind of insights. The author gets you thinking about beer and your brewing from a different perspective. He emphasizes that no two brewers make beer the same way, which is very true and is amply demonstrated if you belong to a brewclub. Homebrewers can all make great beer on their variety of systems: the book helps you think in a way to maximize your system to make the most of what you have and the processes that you have adopted. It offers alternatives, and shows the up and down sides of them all, so the brewer can decide if he has made the right choice for him.
It is a shame that I almost missed out on this book due to a few petty reviews, that in hindsight seem more like bulletin board rants, by know it alls with brewpot envy. Guys, please go get yourself a 15 gallon Blichman and get rid of the little 5 gallon enameled pot, then maybe you won't be so sour on life and can move on.
The book was never meant to be a book on beer design, or a how to book which is what the harshest critiques are comparing it to. I mean, Pappizan's book, really? Really? It was good for its day, but is about 20+ years old and can hardly be considered relevant to anyone but a rank beginner. This book delivered on what it was meant to be, a thought provoking discussion. It reminds me of my days as a martial arts instructor, students would go through the motions, master the katas, but it was only when they start to think in terms of it as a systemic art, do they make that leap from someone just making a bunch of dance like movements to someone who could effortlessly move from one technique to the next without so much as thinking about it.
If you are serious about homebrewing and want more than just a "how to" book, this book is for you.
I've been brewing for about 20 years, 7 of it all grain. I brew on average twice a month, sometimes more. I have single tier three vessel system. I am a scientist by training, but to be honest, I never thought of my brewing from a "process" viewpoint, until I read the book. I am at that stage in my brewing where I am focusing more on improving my beer, rather than seeking out new methods or techniques. The book offers those kind of insights. The author gets you thinking about beer and your brewing from a different perspective. He emphasizes that no two brewers make beer the same way, which is very true and is amply demonstrated if you belong to a brewclub. Homebrewers can all make great beer on their variety of systems: the book helps you think in a way to maximize your system to make the most of what you have and the processes that you have adopted. It offers alternatives, and shows the up and down sides of them all, so the brewer can decide if he has made the right choice for him.
It is a shame that I almost missed out on this book due to a few petty reviews, that in hindsight seem more like bulletin board rants, by know it alls with brewpot envy. Guys, please go get yourself a 15 gallon Blichman and get rid of the little 5 gallon enameled pot, then maybe you won't be so sour on life and can move on.
The book was never meant to be a book on beer design, or a how to book which is what the harshest critiques are comparing it to. I mean, Pappizan's book, really? Really? It was good for its day, but is about 20+ years old and can hardly be considered relevant to anyone but a rank beginner. This book delivered on what it was meant to be, a thought provoking discussion. It reminds me of my days as a martial arts instructor, students would go through the motions, master the katas, but it was only when they start to think in terms of it as a systemic art, do they make that leap from someone just making a bunch of dance like movements to someone who could effortlessly move from one technique to the next without so much as thinking about it.
If you are serious about homebrewing and want more than just a "how to" book, this book is for you.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Patrick
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is not for everyone. Read the first 10 or so pages and you should have a good idea if it's for you or not. This book feels more like Gordon is sitting down with you and having a conversation than helping you with your brewing. Are there books that do a better job explaining the basics of brewing? Yes. Are there books out there that do a better job at explaining the science of brewing? Yes. There are definitely better books for homebrewing out there. I own some. But Gordon's book really helped me to look at my brewing and make some changes, to figure out where I want to take my brewing, and to set goals for myself. This is not a beginner's book. This is not a book for a beer geek. This is a book for someone that has been brewing for a while and is looking at competition brewing or to better their brewing by seeing what someone does and thinks. I really enjoyed this book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I found in Brewing Better Beer a great book for those who have a basic knowledge about homebrewing and craftbrewing. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Hernan Bonino
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book.
This book has a lot of great info in it. If you are just learning to brew or have experience I think this is a worthwhile purchase. Read more
Published 1 month ago by real guy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written. Very informative.
Easy to read. Well organized. Excellent content. If you are serious about brewing, buy this book. it's a must have
Published 1 month ago by Chris Christian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
Gordon Strong is a wonderful resources for information and techniques that I will incorporate into my brewing processes. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for beginners
This is an interesting zen-like book about brewing. In some ways its a little abstract and high level, and others very specific. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kevin Rehbein
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brewers at every level of experience can glean something from this...
I highly recommend this book, written by Gordon Strong, one of the leaders in the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) and avid home brewing promoter. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Shawn M. Crawford
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book on brewing Ive read
If you've brewed a few all grain batches and know what you are doing, the advise in this book is priceless. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Caleb Bybee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brewing Better Beer
I think the book is laid out in an easy to read format. He shares his way of doing things and with alternative ways too.
Published 4 months ago by jhofstra
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book for all-grain brewers
This book was written specifically for advanced all-grain brewers who want to improve their techniques or learn new ones. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Ryan Mullen
5.0 out of 5 stars
So far my favorite brewing book!
I have purchased and read many of the popular brewing books. Some were dreadfully boring and dated , some were wonderfully inspirational ( Randy Mosher- Radical Brewing) But, this... Read more
Published 5 months ago by phrogz
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