The Brewer's Apprentice: An Insider's Guide to the Art and Craft of Beer Brewing, Taught by the Masters [Paperback]

Greg Koch (Author), Matt Allyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2011 | Series: Apprentice

Drink up and pay homage to your favorite hobby—craft brewing beer, ciders, and meads—alongside the legends, innovators, and rising stars of the beer world!

In The Brewer’s Apprentice, you get incomparable behind-the-scenes access to the craft brewing world, along with tutorials on everything from mastering the perfect pour to designing a world-class IPA. This illustrated handbook escorts you through the steps of the brewing process and offers a unique curriculum that supports and enhances your knowledge of brewing basics.

Inside, you'll find:

- 18 world-class brewers, including Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River), Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head) and Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada) as they share their expertise in vivid, engaging interviews

- Advice on sourcing the best hops, barley, wheat, and more; farm-to-table and seasonal brewing

- Strategies for setting up your homebrewing workshop to master brewing chemistry 101

- Methods for tinkering with nontraditional ingredients and extreme brews

- Techniques for brewing mead, sour ales, and cider

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Koch (coauthor, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.), cofounder and CEO of Stone Brewing Company, and freelance writer and beer judge Allyn have put together an in-the-trenches-with-greatness empirical guide to beer brewing. After laying the groundwork with extremely concise nuts and bolts (with charts, print and online references, a glossary, and ingredient profiles), the authors turn to guidance, as each element of the process or varietal character trait is broken down by experts and notables. Maestros from Summit, Russian River, Schneider & Sohn, Dogfish Head, BrewDog, Fuller, Captain Lawrence, and Tugwell spill on mash and lautering, bittering hops, ales, Belgian style, lambic, brewing with fruit, barrel aging, ciders, meads, and evaluating beer. Verdict: Just as a choice session brew is guided by mood, circumstance, and season, this book is designed to be browsed as your taste dictates—not necessarily read straight through. That said, it is not to be dismissed as casual—there is heady methodology, insight, a troubleshooting guide, and evidenced trial and outcome here. For those who see beer as a means, not an end. In the best possible sense, you will need a drink to get through this." —Library Journal Xpress Review

About the Author

Greg Koch is co-founder and CEO of Stone Brewing Co. (www.stonebrew.com) in Escondido, California. Since Greg started the company with his partner, Steve Wagner, in 1996, Stone has become one of the fastest-growing and highest-rated breweries in the world. Brewing 115,000 barrels in 2010, Stone is the fourteenth-largest craft brewery in the United States, and the largest American-owned brewery in the southwestern United States, a position it achieved without advertising, discounting, or giving away freebies. Greg passionately believes that environmental and social sustainability goes hand-in-hand with brewing mind-blowing beer, and he frequently speaks on topics ranging from craft beer to business to food to marketing, bringing a bold, entertaining, and often humorous approach to public speaking engagements.

Matt Allyn is a freelance writer living, drinking, and brewing in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He’s a certified, card-carrying beer judge, and has been homebrewing award-winning beers for six years. His writing has been published in Men’s Health, Draft, Zymurgy, Runner’s World, and Bicycling. And while he doesn’t have a favorite beer, he prefers whatever is fresh, seasonal, and in his hand. Visit his website at www.mattallyn.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592537316
• ISBN-13: 978-1592537310
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.8 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Beer

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Informative, and a Joy to Read! January 13, 2012

By C. Jensen

Format:Paperback

I picked up this book not really knowing what to expect. From the description, it wasn't totally clear to me if this is a book for homebrewers, people trying to work in the industry, or general beer lovers. In fact, my local library stocks this book under "careers." This is definitely a great book for homebrewers and beer enthusiasts alike, but for those looking to learn more about industry careers, I'd look elsewhere.

The book alternates between chapters on brewing ingredients, equipment, and techniques with chapters that dive deeper into those subjects from some of the most respected brewers in the industry. It's like reading the "Tips from the Pros" section of BYO, told from the experts you'd most want to hear from on a subject: Bill Covaleski (Victory) on lagering, Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River) on hops, Sam Calagione (DFH) on brewing with fruit, and, best of all, Jean Van Roy (Cantillon) on lambics/sours. Plus several others. Although the brewing instruction chapters are good (I think a brewer of any level could learn something from them), these "expert" chapters are where this book really shines. Told in an interview style, it feels like you are having a conversation with these experts (in some cases legends) of brewing.

Finally, the photography in the book is top notch. Some of the best I've seen in a brewing book. This book would do well on a coffee table as in your brewing library.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Edition on iPad badly formatted, buy the print edition. January 16, 2012

By Mark in Van

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As someone new to homebrewing, I found this book really interesting and full of useful information. While I enjoyed the information the book contained, the kindle edition was difficult to read. Formatting to the kindle edition, when viewed on an iPad is horrible. There are charts where text from one area runs into text in the next area making it almost impossible to decipher. Photos appear by themselves on one page with the caption alone on the next page. An otherwise beautifully laid out book was not translated to the digital edition. I returned the digital edition and bought the hard copy.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good content... badly formatted for kindle February 20, 2012

By BrianG

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was the first book that I downloaded for my Kindle that I received as a gift. While I generally like the content, the transition to kindle format leaves a lot to be desired. Specifically the charts are an absolute mess to look at, and this book has its fair share of them. Without these issues, I would have given this book 4 stars.