[TMX]

Sounds good. Do any of these also go into why specific ingredients work best for certain styles?

Yes, that's exactly what Designing Great Beers does.

But as I mentioned, due to the lack of many ingredients years back, there are work arounds you wouldn't have to make today.

Not sure I get what you are saying here. Just because we have more grains and hops to choose from we can't use this book anymore?

DGB walks the dog through many of the basic processes of the brewing day, it also gives you a great foundation on how and where all the "numbers" come from, and then why they are important.

I guess in the end, it comes down to where and what you learned the most from.  I have been brewing for almost 8 years, and did not read the Joy of Homebrewing until last year, I don't feel I missed out on anything. I used the online version of How to Brew, but have never read the whole book.

Every time I feel I need to look something up in a book Designing Great Beers is the first on I pick up.

Tim

[hopfenundmalz]

My personal fav is "Designing Great Beers"

As great a book as that it, it'd getting long om the tooth.  While there's some great info there, like the concept of BU:GU, most of the recipe ideas are based on the unavailability of ingredients back then.  There are substitutions for ingredients that are readily available these days.

No Belgian styles either.

[denny]

From what it sounds like I think I'll be getting the Charlie P. and Mosher books first than get that series. I'm a science teacher so I enjoy the technical side of things as well. Thanks everyone!


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

IMO, you are making a big mistake if you don't have How to Brew.

[denny]

Not sure I get what you are saying here. Just because we have more grains and hops to choose from we can't use this book anymore?

DGB walks the dog through many of the basic processes of the brewing day, it also gives you a great foundation on how and where all the "numbers" come from, and then why they are important.

I guess in the end, it comes down to where and what you learned the most from.  I have been brewing for almost 8 years, and did not read the Joy of Homebrewing until last year, I don't feel I missed out on anything. I used the online version of How to Brew, but have never read the whole book.

Every time I feel I need to look something up in a book Designing Great Beers is the first on I pick up.

Tim

It's not that you can't use it, it's more like you have to know enough to avoid less than great ideas in it.  For instance (going by memory so I could be wrong), we now know that crystal malt isn't a real component of Ofest.   But when DGB was written, continental Munich mlt wasn't widely available, so crystal was used to kinda mimic it.  Kinda....

[majorvices]

From what it sounds like I think I'll be getting the Charlie P. and Mosher books first than get that series. I'm a science teacher so I enjoy the technical side of things as well. Thanks everyone!


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

IMO, you are making a big mistake if you don't have How to Brew.

+1

[jeffy]

From what it sounds like I think I'll be getting the Charlie P. and Mosher books first than get that series. I'm a science teacher so I enjoy the technical side of things as well. Thanks everyone!


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

IMO, you are making a big mistake if you don't have How to Brew.

I don't have it.

[majorvices]

From what it sounds like I think I'll be getting the Charlie P. and Mosher books first than get that series. I'm a science teacher so I enjoy the technical side of things as well. Thanks everyone!


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

IMO, you are making a big mistake if you don't have How to Brew.

I don't have it.

By the time HTB came out I was already pretty well versed in brewing and I never read it front to cover, though I did read the water section a few times. I think that for all the books out there it is the best book on brewing from a step 1 step 2 explanation.

[HoosierBrew]

From what it sounds like I think I'll be getting the Charlie P. and Mosher books first than get that series. I'm a science teacher so I enjoy the technical side of things as well. Thanks everyone!


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

IMO, you are making a big mistake if you don't have How to Brew.

I don't have it.

By the time HTB came out I was already pretty well versed in brewing and I never read it front to cover, though I did read the water section a few times. I think that for all the books out there it is the best book on brewing from a step 1 step 2 explanation.

Same here.  I went from Charlie P> Mosher > Daniels.  I did go back and read a good bit of How To Brew though.

[denny]

I don't have it.

You have special dispensation....

[S. cerevisiae]

Same here.  I went from Charlie P> Mosher > Daniels.  I did go back and read a good bit of How To Brew though.

I went from Charlie P. -> Noonan -> All of the Classic Beer Style Series publications -> a plethora of brewing and brewing science-related texts

I also owned just about every issue of Brewing Techniques at one point in time.

[HoosierBrew]

Same here.  I went from Charlie P> Mosher > Daniels.  I did go back and read a good bit of How To Brew though.

I went from Charlie P. -> Noonan -> All of the Classic Beer Style Series publications -> a plethora of brewing and brewing science-related texts

I also owned just about every issue of Brewing Techniques at one point in time.

Yeah, didn't include the Classic Beer Styles series. I think I have most of them.  Several other books, some better than others, and enough issues of BYO and Zymurgy to drive my wife nuts.   

[mindmajick]

Another +1 on John Palmer "How to Brew". Absolutely perfect beginner book. Goes over everything in just the right amount of detail. Then you come to the forums here and get the rest of the detail.

As a relative newbie myself (brewing just over a year), I highly recommend it.

-> Sent from my mind to your screen

[jeffy]

Same here.  I went from Charlie P> Mosher > Daniels.  I did go back and read a good bit of How To Brew though.

I went from Charlie P. -> Noonan -> All of the Classic Beer Style Series publications -> a plethora of brewing and brewing science-related texts

I also owned just about every issue of Brewing Techniques at one point in time.

Sounds like my route, except I had Dave Miller's book between the first two you mentioned.

[erockrph]

Something I haven't seen mentioned yet - a subscription to Zymurgy. For the price of an AHA membership you get a wealth of information each month, plus access to back issues online. Well worth the investment.

[cptnpenguin]

Erockrph I got that two weeks ago. Got the E version so I can browse through old copies


"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."