24 Best 「home brewing」 Books of 2024| Books Explorer

In this article, we will rank the recommended books for home brewing. The list is compiled and ranked by our own score based on reviews and reputation on the Internet.
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Table of Contents
  1. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Fourth Edition: Fully Revised and Updated
  2. How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time
  3. Vienna, Marzen, Oktoberfest (Classic Beer Style Series)
  4. Trappist Beer Travels: Inside the Breweries of the Monasteries
  5. Beer A Tasting Course: A Flavor-Focused Approach to the World of Beer
  6. Belgian Ale (Classic Beer Style Ser)
  7. Porter (Classic Beer Styles Series)
  8. Cider Planet: Exploring the Producers, Practices, and Unique Traditions of Craft Cider and Perry from Around the World
  9. Gose: Brewing a Classic German Beer for the Modern Era
  10. A Woman's Place Is in the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and CEO's
Other 14 books
No.1
100

Fully Revised and Updated, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is everything you need to know to brew beer at home from start to finish including new recipes, updated charts on hop varieties, secrets to fermentation, beer kit tips, and more—from the master of homebrewing.\nThe Complete Joy of Homebrewing is the essential guide to understanding and making beer, from stouts, ales, lagers, and bitters, to specialty beers and meads. Everything to get started is here: the basics of building a home brewery, world-class proven recipes, easy-to-follow instructions, and the latest advancements in brewing. Master brewer Charlie Papazian also includes the history and lore of beer, the science behind brewing, and tips on how to create your own original ale.\nThis completely revised and updated edition includes:\n\nAn expanded and updated homebrew recipe chart: How to brew 53 traditional beers\nA Beer Styles chart with easy-to-understand descriptions of key flavor and aroma characters along with homebrew technical data to make your own recipe formulations\nA list of more than 75 beer types describing strength, hop aroma, bitterness, flavor, color, sweetness, and alcohol percentage\nExpanded charts on 68 hop varieties, descriptions, and uses\nBrand new recipes\nBeer kit tips\nKey information about using and understanding hops\nFive secrets to fermentation\nAnd much more\n

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No.2
88

How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time (Fourth Edition)By John Palmer\nFully revised and updated, How to Brew is the definitive guide to making quality beers at home. Whether you want simple, sure-fire instructions for making your first beer, or you're a seasoned homebrewer working with all-grain batches, this book has something for you. John Palmer adeptly covers the full range of brewing possibilities―accurately, clearly and simply. From ingredients and methods to recipes and equipment for brewing beer at home, How to Brew is loaded with valuable information on brewing techniques and recipe formulation.\nA perennial best seller since the release of the third edition in 2006, How to Brew, is a must-have to update every new and seasoned brewer's library.\nThis completely revised and updated edition includes:\n\nMore emphasis on the “top six priorities”: sanitation, fermentation temperature control, yeast management, the boil, good recipes, and water. Five new chapters covering malting and brewing, strong beers, fruit beers, sour beers, and adjusting water for style. All other chapters revised and expanded:\nExpanded and updated charts, graphs, equations, and visuals. Expanded information on using beer kits. Thorough revision of mashing and lautering chapters:\nExpanded tables of recommended times and temperatures for single-infusion, multiple-step, and decoction mashing. Complete discussion of first wort gravity as a function of water to grist ratio. Complete revision of infusion and decoction equations. \n Revised and updated information on managing your fermentation:\nYeast pitching and starters. Yeast starter growth factors. Yeast and the maturation cycle. \n \n And much more!

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No.3
83

George and Laurie Fix have written this well-researched profile of an enjoyable beer style to both drink and brew.

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No.4
83

While beer drinkers around the world scour market shelves for Trappist beers, few understand the enigmatic lives of the monks behind these illustrious brews. Now in its second edition, Trappist Beer Travels takes readers inside monastery walls for an in-depth look at the legendary breweries of Trappist monks. From the expansive production facilities at Chimay, to the coveted gates of Westvleteren, to the ancient sun-baked walls of Rome's Tre Fontane, join three American beer writers as they travel the globe gaining rare access to the world's authentic Trappist breweries. This updated and expanded edition includes vibrant new and historical photographs and original artwork, as well as a brand-new chapter focused on the latest brothers to take up the craft of brewing, the monks of England's Mount Saint Bernard Abbey. Explore the histories of each abbey, their brewing traditions, details about the lives of the monks, and helpful travel tips so you, too, can plan a journey of your own.

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No.5
81

Develop your palate and become your own beer sommelier.\\nBeer is now brewed in a dizzying variety of styles, available to enjoy like never before. Let’s drink to this diversity with a new appreciation of just how complex and mind-expanding beer can be.\nCrack open this book and enjoy a series of guided tastings of more than 50 different beer styles—from smoked black lager to sour-fermented wild ales, triple green-hopped IPAs and cask-matured barley wines. With each tasting, you will learn to identify how aroma, taste, texture, and finish all combine to create the distinctive flavor profile of the particular beer style. You will discover which unique ingredients and aspects of the brewing process combine to produce each style, while quick reviews of the best examples from around the world will lead you to explore further.\nTo help establish your beer palate, the course starts with a solid grounding in the range of flavors found in beer and the art of detecting them—opening your nose, mind, and throat to the complete sensory experience of flavor and pouring the perfect glass!\nTravel through time and across the globe to grasp the ongoing story of beer, its heritage, and its innovation. Also learn how to pair beer with food and to cook with beer. In the end, you always return to what really matters: that miraculous glass of cold, liquid joy.

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No.6
81

Pierre Rajotte traveled the globe in search of the ultimate brew and found that Belgian ale is the pinnacle of artistic brewing complexity.

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No.7
80

A brewing veteran and renowned expert on British beers, Terry Foster has written the only in-depth book on brewing this classic style with modern ingredients and equipment. Porter reviews the history of George Washington’s favorite beer and teaches you how to create this rich, full-bodied ale for your own enjoyment. The Classic Beer Style Series from Brewers Publications examines individual world-class beer styles, covering origins, history, sensory profiles, brewing techniques and commercial examples.

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No.8
79

“[Jolicoeur] has brought his sharp intellect and endless curiosity to a new project. . . [Cider Planet is] well-referenced and utterly fascinating.”―CIDERCRAFT Magazine\nFrom internationally-acclaimed author and fermented beverage expert Claude Jolicoeur comes a globe-trotting, full-color cultural history and guide celebrating the methods, terroir, and traditions of world-class cider.\nIn Cider Planet, Claude Jolicoeur―a longtime, passionate cider maker and author of the international bestseller New Cider Maker’s Handbook―takes readers with him to the world’s greatest cider regions, providing an expertly guided tour laced with his deep understanding and appreciation for how this “Prince of Beverages” is made.\nInside Cider Planet you’ll find: Descriptions of global orchard practices Specific apple varieties used in different countries and regions Detailed histories of the world’s oldest ciderlands Profiles of different cider styles and rituals Tips and tricks from some of the most knowledgeable cider producers\\nCider, long perceived as a European country drink, is now truly a worldwide culinary delight. Jolicoeur talks about new and emergent regions that have contributed to this growing appreciation, and how they are building upon the old traditions while creating their own new ones. He explores, for example, the most revered areas for making perry, a delightful but little-known drink that, like cider, is starting to gain fans young and old. And he even transports readers to Kazakhstan in central Asia, famous as the “birthplace of the domestic apple.”\nReal cider, craft cider, farm cider, artisan cider: Whatever you wish to call it, at its best, cider should be enjoyed like a fine wine, with all of the sophistication but less of the pretentiousness. Just as there are many volumes devoted to the great wine regions of the world, we now need a “cider appreciation” manual to fully understand and delve into the rich culture of cider and perry. Cider Planet is that book, and Claude Jolicoeur is our experienced and enthusiastic guide. For the traveler or foodie, this book transports the reader around the world with wonderful stories and insight that will leave you thirsty for a fresh glass of fermented fruit.

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No.9
79

Explore the sensation of tart, fruity and refreshing Gose-style beers, popular in Germany centuries ago and experiencing a renaissance today. Follow the development of this lightly sour wheat beer as it grew, then bordered on extinction, before surging into popularity due to the enthusiasm and experimentation of American craft brewers. Gose explores the history of this lightly sour wheat beer style, its traditional ingredients and special brewing techniques. Discover brewing methods from the Middle Ages and learn how to translate them to modern day beer. Learn about salinity, spices, and lactic acid as you experiment with Gose recipes from some of the best-known craft brewers of our time. This refreshing journey captures the innovation and experimentation that is occurring within the style and help you brew your own Gose-style beers.\n"There is more to Gose than just coriander and salt. Fal Allen reveals its rich history while giving the reader an in-depth introduction to both modern and historic Gose-style beers, their ingredients, and their quirks. Follow Gose on its journey from the imperial city of Goslar into the Gosenschaenke of Leipzig and on to craft breweries in the US and the world." --Benedikt Rausch, Wilder Walt, wilder-wald.com\nFal takes us on a Dickensian journey through time, detailing what was, what is, and what may become of our beloved and mostly misunderstood Gose. Fal covers the depth and breadth of brewing Gose, with tips, cleaver tricks, and tasty anecdotes along the way. Whether you're a beer newbie or a master brewer, this book is required reading for all." --Kristen England, Head Brewer, Bent Brewstillery

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No.10
79

Dismiss the stereotype of the bearded brewer. It's women, not men, who've brewed beer throughout most of human history. Their role as family and village brewer lasted for hundreds of thousands of years--through the earliest days of Mesopotamian civilization, the reign of Cleopatra, the witch trials of early modern Europe, and the settling of colonial America. A Woman's Place Is in the Brewhouse celebrates the contributions and influence of female brewers and explores the forces that have erased them from the brewing world. It's a history that's simultaneously inspiring and demeaning. Wherever and whenever the cottage brewing industry has grown profitable, politics, religion, and capitalism have grown greedy. On a macro scale, men have repeatedly seized control and forced women out of the business. Other times, women have simply lost the minimal independence, respect, and economic power brewing brought them. But there are more breweries now than at any time in American history and today women serve as founder, CEO, or head brewer at more than one thousand of them. As women continue to work hard for equal treatment and recognition in the industry, author Tara Nurin shows readers that women have been--and are once again becoming--relevant in the brewing world.

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No.11
79

Brewers often call malt the soul of beer. Fourth in the Brewing Elements series, Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse delves into the intricacies of this key ingredient used in virtually all beers. This book provides a comprehensive overview of malt, with primary focus on barley, from the field through the malting process. With primers on history, agricultural development and physiology of the barley kernel, John Mallett (Bell’s Brewery, Inc.) leads us through the enzymatic conversion that takes place during the malting process. A detailed discussion of enzymes, the Maillard reaction, and specialty malts follows. Quality and analysis, malt selection, and storage and handling are explained. This book is of value to all brewers, of all experience levels, who wish to learn more about the role of malt as the backbone of beer.

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No.12
78

Water is arguably the most critical and least understood of the foundation elements in brewing beer. Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers, third in Brewers Publications’ Brewing Elements series, takes the mystery out of water’s role in the brewing process. The book leads brewers through the chemistry and treatment of brewing water, from an overview of water sources, to adjusting water for different beer styles, and different brewery processes, to wastewater treatment. The discussions include how to read water reports, understanding flavor contributions, residual alkalinity, malt acidity, and mash pH.

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No.13
78

In the NEW IPA, Scott Janish scours through hundreds of academic studies, collecting and translating the relevant hop science into one easily digestible book. Through experiments, lab tests, discussions with researchers, and interviews with renowned and award-winning commercial brewers, the NEW IPA will get you to think differently about brewing processes and ingredient selection that define today's hop-forward beers. It's a must-have book for those that love to brew hoppy hazy beer and a scientific guide for those who want to push the limits of hop flavor and aroma!

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No.15
78

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation is a resource for brewers of all experience levels. The authors adeptly cover yeast selection, storage and handling of yeast cultures, how to culture yeast and the art of rinsing/washing yeast cultures. Sections on how to set up a yeast lab, the basics of fermentation science and how it affects your beer, plus step by step procedures, equipment lists and a guide to troubleshooting are included.

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No.16
78

"Not just a thorough guide to the history of apples and cider in this country but also an inspiring survey of the orchardists and cidermakers devoting their lives to sustainable agriculture through apples."-Alice Waters "Pucci and Cavallo are thorough and enthusiastic chroniclers, who celebrate cider's pomologists and pioneers with infectious curiosity and passion."-Bianca Bosker,New York Timesbestselling author ofCork Dork Cider today runs the gamut from sweet to dry, smooth to funky, made from apples and sometimes joined by other fruits-and even hopped like beer. In American Cider, aficionados Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo give a new wave of consumers the tools to taste, talk about, and choose their ciders, along with stories of the many local heroes saving apple culture and producing new varieties. Like wine made from well-known grapes, ciders differ based on the apples they're made from and where and how those apples were grown. Combining the tasting tools of wine and beer, the authors illuminate the possibilities of this light, flavorful, naturally gluten-free beverage. And cider is more than just its taste-it's also historical, as the nation's first popular alcoholic beverage, made from apples brought across the Atlantic from England. Pucci and Cavallo use a region-by-region approach to illustrate how cider and the apples that make it came to be, from the well-known tale of Johnny Appleseed-which isn't quite what we thought-to the more surprising effects of industrial development and government policies that benefited white men. American Cider is a guide to enjoying cider, but even more so, it is a guide to being part of a community of consumers, farmers, and fermenters making the nation's oldest beverage its newest must-try drink.

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No.17
77

Sharing a beer or two with friends after work or play is one of life's many joys. Session beers, whose mild strength invites more than one round, adhere to high quality standards and are dedicated to balance and drinkability above all. Some naturally low-alcohol beer styles were “sessionable” long before that word was coined, but brewers have reinvented traditionally stronger classic beer styles to make them, too, well-suited to casual drinking sessions. Responsible consumption of these high-quality, easy-drinking beers gives beer lovers the freedom to celebrate community and friendship while consuming less alcohol. Such beers can be challenging to brew, but they present many opportunities to showcase skill, flavor, and refreshment. Session Beers explores the history behind some of the world's greatest session beers, past and present. Learn about the brewing processes and ingredients to master recipe development. Explore popular craft session beer recipes from some of the best brewmasters in America, and discover why beer drinkers enjoy exploring and drinking session beers.\n"For me, the great collection of beer recipes in the second half, generously peppered with the personal stories of the brewers who make them, stands as the shining heart of this book. The raw brewing talent that is represented in this compendium is stunning and a testament to Jen's ability to connect with other brewers. --John Mallett, Director of Operation, Bell's Brewery, Inc. and author of Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse\n“I was so thrilled to hear Jen Talley was writing this book. Jen always struck me as someone who could create anything despite whatever barriers were in her way. Way back in the early days of craft brewing, instead of seeing brewing in a low-alcohol state as a constraint, Jen found creativity and flavor. This book contains an immense breadth of knowledge, history, and brewing recipes. It is clear from this lovingly crafted book that every brewer should embrace the art of brewing session beers, if not for the challenge, then for the reward of being able to drink more than one and still enjoy oneself. Thanks Jen―I will have another!” ―MARY PELLETTIERI, Co-Founder and President, La Pavia Beverages, Inc. and author of “After growing ever bolder with high-alcohol beers in the US, session beers have brought back beers for us to drink and enjoy. Session Beers looks back to those authentic and exciting lower-alcohol beers that were there before the term ‘session beer' existed.” ―PETER BOUCKAERT, Founder and Brewmaster, Purpose Brewing and Cellars, and co-author of

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No.18
77

A former milkman in the small village of Hoegaarden, Belgium, Pierre Celis opened a brewery that brought back the extinct witbier style of his native Hoegaarden and rejuvenated an old-world tradition throughout Belgium and Europe. Following a devastating fire in his native country, the godfather of witbier set up shop in Texas, where his passion took fresh shape in the form of Celis Beer and influenced an entire generation of beer lovers. His legacy continues under the stewardship of his daughter, Christine, who revived the brand in 2017, along with his granddaughter, Daytona, who brews there now. Author Jeremy Banas relates how the Hoegaarden legend founded Austin's first craft brewery.

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No.19
77

This book offers a thorough yet practical education on the theory and techniques required to produce high-quality beers using all-grain methods either at home or in a small commercial brewery.

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No.20
77

The wit and weizen of wheat beers. Author Stan Hieronymus visits the ancestral homes of the world's most interesting styles-Hoegaarden, Kelheim, Leipzig, Berlin and even Portland, Oregon-to sort myth from fact and find out how the beers are made today. Complete with brewing details and recipes for even the most curious brewer, and answers to compelling questions such as Why is my beer cloudy? and With or without lemon?

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No.21
77

Mead (honey wine) is the new buzz among beverage hobbyists as more and more consumers start to make their own. This up-to-date title tells the novice how to begin and the experienced brewer or winemaker how to succeed in this newest of the beverage arts.

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No.22
77

A complete guide to using the best ingredients and minimal equipment to create fun and flavorful brews Ancient societies brewed flavorful and healing meads, ales, and wines for millennia using only intuition, storytelling, and knowledge passed down through generations―no fancy, expensive equipment or degrees in chemistry needed. In Make Mead Like a Viking, homesteader, fermentation enthusiast, and self-described “Appalachian Yeti Viking” Jereme Zimmerman summons the bryggjemann of the ancient Norse to demonstrate how homebrewing mead―arguably the world’s oldest fermented alcoholic beverage―can be not only uncomplicated but fun. Armed with wild-yeast-bearing totem sticks, readers will learn techniques for brewing sweet, semi-sweet, and dry meads, melomels (fruit meads), metheglins (spiced meads), Ethiopian t’ej, flower and herbal meads, braggots, honey beers, country wines, and even Viking grog, opening the Mead Hall doors to further experimentation in fermentation and flavor. In addition, aspiring Vikings will explore: • The importance of local and unpasteurized honey for both flavor and health benefits; • Why modern homebrewing practices, materials, and chemicals work but aren’t necessary; • How to grow and harvest herbs and collect wild botanicals for use in healing, nutritious, and magical meads, beers, and wines; • Hops’ recent monopoly as a primary brewing ingredient and how to use botanicals other than hops for flavoring and preserving mead, ancient ales, and gruits; • The rituals, mysticism, and communion with nature that were integral components of ancient brewing and can be for modern homebrewers, as well; • Recommendations for starting a mead circle to share your wild meads with other brewers as part of the growing mead-movement subculture; and more! Whether you’ve been intimidated by modern homebrewing’s cost or seeming complexity in the past―and its focus on the use of unnatural chemicals―or are boldly looking to expand your current brewing and fermentation practices, Zimmerman’s welcoming style and spirit will usher you into exciting new territory. Grounded in history and mythology, but―like Odin’s ever-seeking eye―focusing continually on the future of self-sufficient food culture, Make Mead Like a Viking is a practical and entertaining guide for the ages.

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No.23
76

Beginning with this second book in the popular series “Let There be Mead!” Rob now brings his focus to the popular style of honey meads known as Melomels. Melomels are meads made using fruit or fruit blends. As you can imagine, the possibilities of this style are truly limitless. In this edition, Rob also brings us an entire section focused solely on Polish mead making techniques. This section will provide tips, explanations, and processes detailing step by step how to make your own authentic Polish Melomels with recipes provided by award winning mead makers straight from Poland. So grab your copy of “Let There be Melomels!” and Let There Be Mead!

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No.24
76

If you have a backyard, or even a sunny porch or balcony, you can grow your own hops, brewing herbs, and malt grains to enhance the flavor, aroma, and uniqueness of your home-brewed beer — and ensure that you have the freshest, purest, best ingredients possible. Simple instructions from experts Joe and Dennis Fisher guide you through every step of the process, from setting up your first hop trellis to planting and caring for your herbs, harvesting and drying them, malting grain, and brewing more than 25 recipes specifically designed for homegrown ingredients. This fully updated second edition includes a new section featuring color photography of the plants, expanded information on growing hops in small spaces, innovative trellising ideas, an expanded section on malting, new profiles of prominent grower/brewers, and up-to-date information on grain-growing best practices.

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