The Homebrewer's Companion [Paperback]

Charles Papazian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2003

More great advice from Charlie Papazian, homebrew master and author of the bestselling The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

"Many ask me, 'What's different about The Homebrewer's Companion?' It's a book that I might have titled The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Volume 2. The information is 98 percent new information, including improved procedures for beginning and malt-extract brewers as well as advanced and veteran brewers. There are loads of new recipes and useful charts and data that I continually refer to in my own homebrew recipe formulation (I still homebrew about 20 batches a year). My theme throughout is 'Keep it practical. Keep it useful.' I wanted to answer 10 years' worth of questions in this one volume. I did ... and I had fun doing it."

-- Charlie Papazian

Get the Most from Your Malt!

• Easy-to-follow techniques and trouble-shooting tips
• Answers to the most-often asked questions
• A guide to world beer styles
• Useful facts on fermenting, yeast culturing and stove-top boiling
• Charts, tables, support information and much, much more
• Over 60 exotic recipes to try -- from "You'll See" Coriander Amber Ale to Waialeale Chablis Mead

Make sure to check out the third edition of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Founding president of the American Homebrewers Association and organizer for the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, Charlie PaPazian avidly brews lagers, ales and honey meads. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (September 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060584734
• ISBN-13: 978-0060584733
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Beer

More About the Author

Founding president of the American Homebrewers Association and organizer for the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, Charlie PaPazian avidly brews lagers, ales and honey meads. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Regurgitation of old material, December 29, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Home Brewer's Companion (Paperback)

After publishing the best introduction to home brewing Papazian released this unenlightening tome. His snappy style, so essential in his first book, sounds dull and contrived. One third of the book is complete filler as he lists 60 pages of various beer styles along with their specific gravities, etc. This information could have been presented in a two page spread. Additionally, he offers little in the way of advanced brewing technique. The one saving grace of this book is the recipe section, with interesting ideas like a lambic barley wine and a raspberry imperial stout. If you are looking for a book that offers a firm overview of all-grain brewing then I can recommend 'Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide' or Noonan's 'Brewing Lager Beer.' Papazian's book will most likely be a complete disappointment.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference, April 2, 2007

By 

Joshua Eryn Cook (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Homebrewer's Companion (Paperback)

I bought this along with The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, also by Papazian. I think both books are a must-have for any homebrewer. _Companion_ is more of a reference text, while _Joy_ is more introductory. Both books have indispensable information about the basic ingredients and processes of brewing.

When formulating a recipe, I refer back and forth to both books. Each has a variety of recipes in myriad styles that provide a good jumping-off point. For customizing the recipes, I refer to the table in _Companion_ that summarizes the various malts and their contribution to specific gravity, then I go to the table in _Joy_ that catalogs the different varieties of hops and their contribution to bitterness and flavor.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs an update badly, January 8, 2009

By 

Brew - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Homebrewer's Companion (Paperback)

Complete Joy of Homebrewing is awesome, and that book has been updated with the times. This companion book - while containing lots of useful information - suffers from dated information (check out the "list of homebrewer yeasts" which is under 2 dozen... a number not accurate for over a decade).

Much of the book is designed on the premise of expanding to intermediate and advanced brewing, with great DIY instructions for building mash tuns, etc. However when you get to the recipes, they do not fit the book's scope because many require malt extracts. (I'm not suggesting that extract indicates beginner, but rather that by calling for 'branded' extracts... cans of Coopers, etc. the recipes lose a lot of their value. It would have been far better to list pure all grain recipes, then provide supplementary tips for converting those recipes to generic extract + steeping grains).

Worth having, but a better "companion" is "Learn To Brew" by John Palmer, and the best-written recipes can be found in "Brewing Classic Styles"by by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer.