[kgs]

Thanks for all the kind words and honest opinions.  If any of you have read it, would you mind rating it and/or posting a review on Amazon.com?  I've seen some noise on various forums about the lack of reviews so far.  Given that some people seem to be discussing it without reading it, I thought it might be helpful to those who haven't bought it yet if they got some independent assessments.

Thanks.

Gordon, got my copy yesterday and already read 50 pages on the treadmill last night. I admit I began skimming the "philosophy" section but then slowed down to carefully read word-for-word on mashing and lautering. I appreciate the strategic placement of illustrative recipes. I promise to review it on Amazon as soon as I'm done (helping a student with her masters thesis this weekend so it will be another week I think).

[udubdawg]

Gordon, are you dosing yeast nutrients?  Perhaps I simply missed if/when you covered it in the book, but with RO and what seems like a "less-is-more" approach to salt additions, do you end up having to add Mg, Zn, etc for the yeast?  *edit* - yeah I worded that poorly; my bad.  Many of us have been told RO water won't have the nutrients the yeast need. You seem to have some different ideas on water chemistry and I mentioned your water salt additions as an example.  I was basically asking if not using yeast nutrients with RO was another example.  My apologies if I confused anyone.  I'm at work, and I write better after I drink.   

cheers--
--Michael

(I am almost to the end of the book and will write a review on Amazon when I reach it. Thanks again for writing this book.)

[gordonstrong]

Most nutrients come from the malt.  When I make starters, I use Wyeast yeast nutrient at recommended dosages.  Same for repitch.  I mention this on p. 130 and 132.  I don't normally add extra yeast nutrient beyond what's in the starter, at least on first gen yeast pitches.

Water salts don't provide trace elements for yeast nutrition, either.

[BrewQwest]

Received my copy as pre-ordered from the AHA site... Immediately followed your advice on the simple salt addition for the mash instead of my normal additions.. Left feedback on Amazon...thank you for a great reference book, Mr. Strong !!

[gmac]

Got my copy today. Looks good from what I've seen so far. 

[thomasbarnes]

Don't forget too, grinding the book up & adding it to a batch will make that batch the BEST beer on Earth - ever!    

Except for the papery off-flavor. . .

I got it two days ago, read much of it and skimmed the rest with the intention of reading it more carefully later. My opinion is that it's an instant classic. If you're an experienced brewer, some of the process and ingredient information will be familiar, but there's enough good tips than even a veteran will find it useful. If you're a beer judge, but not such a good brewer, the information on off-flavors will be nothing new, but the sections on style faults, tasting procedure and troubleshooting will be very helpful.

But, two suggestions for improvement.

1) Include a bibliography. While the introduction specifically says that it's not an academic book and there won't be footnotes, it would be helpful to have a short list of books mentioned in passing in the text. Maybe the page count limits precluded it, but it's the sort of useful information which could be listed on the website.

2) Add Photos, Illustrations and Graphs. The graphic design of the book is minimalist, to say the least. While graphics aren't usually necessary for a book of this sort, there are a few places where they would be handy. Also, while a master doesn't give away all his secrets, I'd love to see homebrew porn pictures of Gordon's brewing system, from modified grain mill to walk-in refrigerator full of blender beers.

[thomasbarnes]

Water salts don't provide trace elements for yeast nutrition, either.

Unless you're talking about trace amounts of metallic salts (i.e., FeSO4, CuSO4) due to water contamination and whatnot, but that's an entirely different kettle of finings.

[gordonstrong]

Don't forget too, grinding the book up & adding it to a batch will make that batch the BEST beer on Earth - ever!    

Except for the papery off-flavor. . .

I got it two days ago, read much of it and skimmed the rest with the intention of reading it more carefully later. My opinion is that it's an instant classic. If you're an experienced brewer, some of the process and ingredient information will be familiar, but there's enough good tips than even a veteran will find it useful. If you're a beer judge, but not such a good brewer, the information on off-flavors will be nothing new, but the sections on style faults, tasting procedure and troubleshooting will be very helpful.

But, two suggestions for improvement.

1) Include a bibliography. While the introduction specifically says that it's not an academic book and there won't be footnotes, it would be helpful to have a short list of books mentioned in passing in the text. Maybe the page count limits precluded it, but it's the sort of useful information which could be listed on the website.

2) Add Photos, Illustrations and Graphs. The graphic design of the book is minimalist, to say the least. While graphics aren't usually necessary for a book of this sort, there are a few places where they would be handy. Also, while a master doesn't give away all his secrets, I'd love to see homebrew porn pictures of Gordon's brewing system, from modified grain mill to walk-in refrigerator full of blender beers.

Good suggestions.  I wanted to have graphics and such, but the deadline for that passed before I could do it.  I thought I would be able to have those ready while the book was being reviewed and edited, but nope, they needed to be submitted along with everything else.  Something good to know for the next book...

[Pawtucket Patriot]

I'm about two-thirds of the way through the book so far and I've really enjoyed it.  Here are some of my thoughts:

1) Thank you for being a good writer!!  This is probably just me being nitpicky, but so many authors of brewing literature don't write well.  I find this distracting.  Your thoughts are well-organized, your sentences well-constructed, and your language well-chosen.  It makes the book read so much better.

2) I love the cooking analogies peppered (pun intended  ) throughout the book.  I share your love of cooking and I really find the comparisons helpful.

3) I am by no means the master that you are, but I've felt somewhat validated as a brewer while reading this book.  I tend to think of many aspects of brewing the same way as you do (particularly in the practical sense).  While I approach certain things a little differently, I feel like I share much of your brewing philosophy.  For example, I like your focus on a brewing system's control points -- manipulating the things in a system that are susceptible to reasonably easy adjustment.  I've spent much time over the past few years evaluating my control points and honing in on what I can tweak to make my system more efficient.

4) I feel challenged to reevaluate certain processes, especially when it comes to recipe formulation.

[gordonstrong]

Awesome!  Thanks for the wonderful review. I'm glad it's helping you think about your brewing; that's what I was trying to accomplish. Mind sharing that with the people at Amazon?

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Mind sharing that with the people at Amazon?

I'd be happy to!

[thomasbarnes]

Good suggestions.  I wanted to have graphics and such, but the deadline for that passed before I could do it.  I thought I would be able to have those ready while the book was being reviewed and edited, but nope, they needed to be submitted along with everything else.  Something good to know for the next book...

Lets hope for a second edition, then.

I'm just a bit surprised that your editor didn't pick up on the need for a bibliography. Half the books you cite in passing are published by Brewers Publications, so it would be a sales opportunity for them.

[denny]

Good suggestions.  I wanted to have graphics and such, but the deadline for that passed before I could do it.  I thought I would be able to have those ready while the book was being reviewed and edited, but nope, they needed to be submitted along with everything else.  Something good to know for the next book...

That's what pretty much killed the book deal I was offered a while back.  They wanted the entire book, including photos and graphics, in less than 3 months.  Looking forward to another one from you with all the stuff you know you need in it!

[tschmidlin]

Good suggestions.  I wanted to have graphics and such, but the deadline for that passed before I could do it.  I thought I would be able to have those ready while the book was being reviewed and edited, but nope, they needed to be submitted along with everything else.  Something good to know for the next book...

That's what pretty much killed the book deal I was offered a while back.  They wanted the entire book, including photos and graphics, in less than 3 months.  Looking forward to another one from you with all the stuff you know you need in it!

Everything in 3 months?!  Were they offering an advance large enough for you to quit your job and do nothing else, then have 6 or 9 months to find a new job?  I'm guessing not . . .

[denny]

Everything in 3 months?!  Were they offering an advance large enough for you to quit your job and do nothing else, then have 6 or 9 months to find a new job?  I'm guessing not . . .

The advance they were offering was about 1/3 of my already meager yearly salary.  IOW, about a month's worth of what a normal person makes!