Read a Good Book

Most people will want to read a book in their native language. That's not nearly as simple as it might seem! The UK is in a state of flux between the imperial and metric systems of measurement. People under 50 will have been educated using metric units, older ones the Imperial system with pints and gallons, pounds and ounces. Most freely-available material on brewing at home is written in US 'English' and uses US units that have deceptively similar names to UK ones - but are different sizes! Nonetheless, well-written, comprehensive accurate and up-to-date books on home brewing, are hard to find and the only ones we know of are John Palmer's 'How to Brew' and Graham Wheeler's Brew Classic European Beers at Home. If you're at home with the Imperial system, the books of Dave Line may be of interest, but reflect the methods used over thirty year's ago before Line's untimely death. If you'd like to get a flavour of John Palmer's book, the rather smaller first edition is available on his How to Brew website.

Other basic books are reviewed below. Some of the reviews are taken with permission from Gillian Grafton's original UK Homebrew website.

Beer Inn Print supply an extensive range of specialised brewing and pub books, not to mention some gems on cider and whisky. You may well have met Paul Travis at a beer festival, but if not, have a look round his site. It's a real Aladdin's cave.

Basic Home Brewing Books

How to Brew - 3rd edition, John Palmer, Brewer's Publications, 2006

If you're looking for a well-written, comprehensive book on home brewing, look no further. Palmer starts with brewing a kit and moves through to advanced techniques. While he generally makes a good attempt at providing metric measures for the rest of the world, the content is rooted in US practice and terminology. However, in the absence of a successor to Wheeler it's far and away the most comprehensive and up-to-date book available. Its size might make it daunting to the raw beginner with a couple of buckets and a tin, but anyone with aspirations to progress beyond that will find the book well-written and useful. (David Edge 2007)

Brew Classic European Beers at Home, Graham Wheeler and Roger Protz, CAMRA, 1995

In 1997, Gillian Grafton reviewed this book and said "I wouldn't recommend the book for a new brewer, but for one who is experienced and looking to produce high-class, commercial standard beers, this book is a must. You will obtain not only a collection of excellent recipes, but also some useful, even novel, tips on homebrewing". Ten years later, in the absence of any replacement from the pen of Graham Wheeler this is the only modern book on UK home brewing practice in print and deserves a higher recommendation.

Home Brewing: The CAMRA Guide (new edition), Graham Wheeler, CAMRA, 1993

Useful reference with good recipes; much more information that Brew Your Own Real Ale At Home. Good to read and re-read at ten minutes per night. (David Orland, Midlands Craft Brewers, 2005) Currently out of print and attracting outrageous prices on eBay. The 1993 and later editions are fine, but the earlier one had a few errors in - beware. While the theory is generally good the practices described are becoming a little dated - the book was written in the mid-1980s. John Palmer's How to Brew is probably a better bet despite being written round US practice. (David Edge, 2007)

Brewing Lager Beer, Greg Noonan, Brewers Publications, 1986

Comprehensive and detailed account of the process. Good chapter on liquor treatment, ions, salts and includes reverse osmosis, a technique unusual in Britain for home brewers. Good illustrations of some of the kit and a guide to troubleshooting. Useful recipes and a helpful guide to recipe formulation. Chapter on clarification and filtration interesting to compare with British practice. Available second-hand from Amazon. (Peter Fawcett, Midlands Craft Brewers, 2005)

The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing, Dave Miller, Garden Way, 1988

ood coverage of basic to intermediate home brewing and in the current famine of good British home brewing titles, worth buying if you see it second-hand. Only drawback is exclusive use of US units. (David Edge 2006)

Brewing, Dave Line, Amateur Winemaker, 1980

A decidedly dated handbook of homebrewing, first written in the 1970, Line's book is nonetheless the only one owned by many enthusiasts. Re-reading it thirty years on, the technical bits are well explained, but equipment and techniques have moved on. The biggest problem for the new brewer may be that it is written exclusively in Imperial units. If Fahrenheit and ounces mean something to you, then this is a straightforward and approachable book, and still in print.

The Historical Companion to House Brewing, Clive la Pensée, Montag Publications (out of print), 1990

Contains a large amount of unusual information including Home malting, Hop drying and Home roasting of malts. There are many historical recipes although mash temperatures seem high by modern standards and there is a nice section on unhopped beers. (Paul Alder 1995)

The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, Charlie Papazian, New York: Avon Books, 1991

A how to guide to homebrewing at all levels together with some recipes. A good introduction for the complete novice but contains some pretty basic mistakes. Haven't seen the new edition(Gillian Grafton 1995) Buy Wheeler instead or Dave Miller (David Edge 2006)

The Brewmaster's Bible, S Snyder, Storey Publishing, 1997

Very much a beginner's book. Almost all of the recipes are for extract or partial mash. US units are used throughout. Few of the yeast types mentioned are still available. Not sure it has much for the British reader - try Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing instead. (David Edge 2006)

A Guide to Craft Brewing, John Alexander, Crowood, 2007

...while I would not recommend it for absolute beginners it is spot on for those of us who want continuous improvement in our brewing process and have a thirst for more in-depth information. Because of this additional depth I found it hard to read in places and had to really "dig in" and make several passes over those areas before I could move on. This book bridges the gap between the well-known Graham Wheeler and the late Dave Line books and those aimed at the professional brewer. (Derek Spedding 2007)