Good beginners beermaking book

[Vance G]

I have a bunch of mead in the aging process and want something that is ready to drink before my wake and would like to make some beer. Would anyone recommend a good inexpensive book for someone who want to make an occaisonal batch.

[Barry]

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listin..._mmca2=pla&r=1

[Autonomy Acres]

Radical Homebrewing -Randy Mosher

[Barry]

If you like extreme beers like I do, this is a great book!

Extreme Brewing

AA, looks like I'll have to pick up Randy Mosher's book.

[Autonomy Acres]

It is a really fun read. Not only are there a bunch of great recipes, it is fun to look through and is filled with a ton of history and cool ideas!

[Gus979]

I've started brewing and I didn't need the book at all because I live about 20 mins away from a northern brewer store. I buy their kits which have all the instructions you need+ their startup kit had a step by step brewing DVD that made it really easy for me.

I think the books are good for when you want to expand your experience by just making your own- but the preprepared kits you can buy nowadays are all fairly cheap and all make good beer. The site has user reviews on each kit as well so you can learn even more info and modifications.

+ whenever I get confused I just ask the storepeople what to do. + they have $15 classes that teach you beermaking.

Books are good, but if you have a good brew supply store near you, its far easier to get a kit first.

[rniles]

Homebrewing for Dummies is pretty good to get you started. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is a very good book as well. My favourite beginner's book is How to Brew by Palmer. With the last book, I like the way you get a lot of detailed information on how different components work together (malt, hops, yeast, water) - then you get into your first brew - but you're going to learn a lot and have a good understanding of what you're doing instead of just trudging through the steps. He even has his book online: http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

This thread reminds me that it's time to go brew some beer!

[ubernerd]

Skip the paper versions.

howtobrew.com by Mike Palmer is a great site that has everything you'd need to know (and then some), laid out very clearly. It's the first edition of his printed book, and is highly recommended.

[Ben Brewcat]

Charlie Papazian's New Complete Joy Of Homebrewing is the book that started it all, and it remains one of the most accessible and fun books for the beginner to intermediate brewer IMO. John Palmer's How To Brew is also excellent, with a little more "meat" for those wishing to further explore advanced chemistry, equipment fabrication, etc. Also very important is to connect with your local homebrew shop and club!

[Vance G]

The local homebrew shop is an unmitigated empty disaster! I order on line or stock up when i go see grandkids 220 miles away. Thanks for all the suggestions. This whole homebrew routine is just an adult chemistry set anyway.

[Ben Brewcat]

Sorry to hear that! Well, you can always (and glad you do!) bring questions here, we like that better anyways so we all can learn!

[sqkcrk]

Speaking of Beer, does anyone make distilled spirits from Mead? A guy who makes grape wine gave me some distilled alchohol which he made from his wine.

[Vance G]

It is on my bucket list. I have the plans, the empty keg, all I need is a serious investment in copper plumbing parts and the combo pot/reflux still will be taking up space I don't have in my shop~! I look forward to using it on batches of old chokecherry wine gone to sherry and a case of fine wine I forgot and the corks dried out and it oxydized. Think of all the space I can reclaim.

[hpm08161947]

Speaking of Beer, does anyone make distilled spirits from Mead? A guy who makes grape wine gave me some distilled alchohol which he made from his wine.

I tasted that 'grappa' (very good - perhaps outstanding) and I wonder if it were not made from "Must" (what remains after the wine is fermented) - maybe - maybe not. Yea... if you distill a wine you get a brandy - that was definitely a "Grappa".

I'm sure you can distill mead, as long as you are careful... wonder what it would taste like? Surely it has been done, and I suspect the results were disappointing.

[Bob J]

Papazian is awesome if you are looking for a good reference book for all things beer...... For a broader scope book (beer, wine, mead, etc) I like the Alaskan Bootleggers Bible.... http://www.amazon.com/Alaskan-Bootle.../dp/0967452406


For a good general forum on pretty much all forms of alcohol production I would recommend homebrewtalk.com..... For mead my other "go to" forum is gotmead.com.....