[AmandaK]

What's a good NHC plane book? I plan on buying Modern Homebrew Recipes while I am at NHC, so that my plane ride back is covered.

I already have just about every book from Brewers Publications outside of Malt, but I do not intend to buy that. I was looking at Liquid Intelligence, but it looks a bit too outside of a home-cocktail drinker's realm. Was also looking at Salumi, but I haven't made it through the projects that I want to do from Charcuterie yet... so that seems a bit silly to buy now.


Any suggestions?

[factory]

Kind of funny (to me anyway) that you rule out the two books that I would have suggested to you.  I just got both of them in the mail from Amazon, and started reading Modern Homebrew Recipes this weekend.

Sorry, I'm out of Schlitz. haha.

[pete b]

Do you have Buhner's "Sacred and healing Herbal Beers"? I say that because its a better read than most brewing books. I think you might like "The Flavor Bible" but I suppose its more of a reference book than a time killer.

[AmandaK]

Kind of funny (to me anyway) that you rule out the two books that I would have suggested to you.  I just got both of them in the mail from Amazon, and started reading Modern Homebrew Recipes this weekend.

Did you get the Modern Homebrew Recipes from the pre-sale or from Amazon? I have had poor luck with the pre-sale shipping window in the past and didn't want to have it delivered after NHC.

Do you have Buhner's "Sacred and healing Herbal Beers"? I say that because its a better read than most brewing books. I think you might like "The Flavor Bible" but I suppose its more of a reference book than a time killer.

I read the Sacred and Healing beers preview on Amazon and it seemed a bit "out-there" for my tastes. I like history and techincal books, but that one seemed a bit strange in the first few pages. Did it get better?

I have The Flavor Bible already. Good pick! 

Thank you guys - you're getting the wheels turning.  I started looking at At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, but then it started talking about "superfoods"... and I can't take people very seriously when they use that word. Dang.

[S. cerevisiae]

If you do not already own a copy, "Brewing" by Lewis and Young is the best book that I have ever read on the subject.  I am convinced that Micheal Lewis could teach organic chemistry as it applies to brewing to a rock.

[AmandaK]

If you do not already own a copy, "Brewing" by Lewis and Young is the best book that I have ever read on the subject.  I am convinced that Micheal Lewis could teach organic chemistry as it applies to brewing to a rock.

Interesting. I'll have to take a look at that, Mark. Thanks!

[toby]

Did you get the Modern Homebrew Recipes from the pre-sale or from Amazon? I have had poor luck with the pre-sale shipping window in the past and didn't want to have it delivered after NHC.

I always wind up ordering from Amazon specifically because of shipping.  The AHA member pricing deal gets cancelled out by their shipping cost (and turnaround time), so Amazon still winds up being cheaper (and faster with Prime).  I ordered mine Thursday night, and received it Sunday.

[reverseapachemaster]

I read the Sacred and Healing beers preview on Amazon and it seemed a bit "out-there" for my tastes. I like history and techincal books, but that one seemed a bit strange in the first few pages. Did it get better?

The whole book is like that. It's less of a brewing text in the conventional sense and more about encouraging people to be inspired by brewing cultures outside of the modern, industrialized brewing practices. It's like Joy of Homebrewing but for brewing with weird ingredients and unusual fermentation practices.

[pete b]

Do you have Buhner's "Sacred and healing Herbal Beers"? I say that because its a better read than most brewing books. I think you might like "The Flavor Bible" but I suppose its more of a reference book than a time killer.

I read the Sacred and Healing beers preview on Amazon and it seemed a bit "out-there" for my tastes. I like history and techincal books, but that one seemed a bit strange in the first few pages. Did it get better?

I have The Flavor Bible already. Good pick! 

It is a bit "out there" in places, especially the introduction as I recall, but in a good way. That being said there is a lot of good information about hundreds of plants and a lot of interesting history about beer, medicine, and indigenous cultures. Its not woo-woo. Its also just a good read.

[AmandaK]

Did you get the Modern Homebrew Recipes from the pre-sale or from Amazon? I have had poor luck with the pre-sale shipping window in the past and didn't want to have it delivered after NHC.

I always wind up ordering from Amazon specifically because of shipping.  The AHA member pricing deal gets cancelled out by their shipping cost (and turnaround time), so Amazon still winds up being cheaper (and faster with Prime).  I ordered mine Thursday night, and received it Sunday.

Well crap. I'll just order that from Amazon. I just talked with them on Thursday about the shipping time and concluded that I would just buy it at NHC. Now I see that 6/3 would be my delivery date.

Don't stop the suggestions from coming though! I might "need" another book.

[pete b]

I read the Sacred and Healing beers preview on Amazon and it seemed a bit "out-there" for my tastes. I like history and techincal books, but that one seemed a bit strange in the first few pages. Did it get better?

The whole book is like that. It's less of a brewing text in the conventional sense and more about encouraging people to be inspired by brewing cultures outside of the modern, industrialized brewing practices. It's like Joy of Homebrewing but for brewing with weird ingredients and unusual fermentation practices.

Yes, definitely for inspiration rather than technique. I have gotten some good ideas for ingredients I might not have thought of but I usually incorporate them in subtle ways into "normal beers" I make nettle beer every spring and also like to make a yarrow beer when its out in the summer.

[narcout]

I already have just about every book from Brewers Publications outside of Malt, but I do not intend to buy that.

I'm about 70 pages in, and I would say it's just as informative and entertaining as the other 3 books in that series.  I've learned quite a bit already.

[hopfenundmalz]

So you are not a malt lover, or not a John Mallett fan?

The book is fine, I enjoyed it and learned a bunch.

Got the new Gordon book through the AHA and am part way through it, will read more on the plane.

[majorvices]

Yes, the malt book was a good read. Not sure why you would want to skip it. Unless you don't use malt?

[AmandaK]

Most reviews indicated it was not for a homebrewer, but for a craft brewer. Many reviews also noted errors in equations. Which, as an engineer, would drive me batty. I mean, when you read a book with equations in it you're supposed to read the equations first and then the text (if the text at all), right?

If you guys are telling me it's worthwhile, I may just complete the elements series finally.