An Analysis of Brewing Techniques (Paperback)

by George Fix (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
By furnishing brewers with research and data on the ancient art and science of brewing, the authors help increase their chances of attaining desired flavors in every batch of beer brewed. Illustrations and photos throughout.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Brewers Publications (January 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937381470
• ISBN-13: 978-0937381472
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,118,065 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For Micro- and Advanced Homebrewers, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

I disliked this book because it contained several errors and misquotes, and seemed to be an advertisement for Zahm and Nagle (though I doubt the authors have any afilliation).

Fix and Fix attribute several statements which I found surprising to author and Master Brewer Eric Warner in his excellent book, German Wheat Beers. I read Warner's book before this one, was surprised, went back to Warner, and could not locate, after several re-readings, the statements which Fix and Fix had attributed to him in that book.

There are numerous references, however, to the companion volume, also by George Fix. Unfortunately, this is overdone, and appears quite condescending. As an example, Fix's own Principles of Brewing Science is cited as the authority that esters are compounds which may be formed from an alcohol molecule and a molecule of a carboxylic acid by dehydration synthesis. Inasmuch as this is covered in virtually every book on elementary Organic Chemistry, it is questionable whether it needs citation or not. In any case, it appears that Fix himself is claiming this as his own discovery.

The illustrations, which are usually quite nicely prepared, are often on a different page from the accompaning text. While this is at times unavoidable, it was the rule rather than the exception, and usually occured for no apparent reason. The same observation applies to numerous tables.

One feature of the book which I found inspiring appeared in several of the photographs: many ribbons, trophies, etc., are visible, which the authors presumably won in Homebrew competitions.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but not very useful, June 7, 2000

By A Customer

This is an interesting book, filled with lots of experimental data. I was expecting a comparative analysis of various brewing techniques used in industry. Unfortunately, this book seemed to be more of a comparative analysis of the Fix's various home brewing techniques, most of which only translate loosly into professional brewing techniques or even practical home brewing techniques.

There are some good insights and information in this book and these save the book from being completely useless.