This is one of two books that came out at the intersection of winter and spring, 2015. Mastering Homebrew was written with the intention to be an all-purpose homebrewing book for homebrewers at all levels, built on the bones of my first book, The Brewer's Companion. Based on what was currently available as well as what I perceived as the unmet needs of the audience, I decided to emphasize an artistic approach to homebrewing, along with with the necessary science.
I asked some of my friends and colleagues in the brewing world to offer their insights on various topics, so the book is peppered with personal statements from many well-known brewers, both amateurs and professionals. One topic that kept coming up was the need to develop skills as a taster, so the book includes an overview of the tasting process as well as a comprehensive vocabulary of flavors found in beer, both good and bad.
This emphasis on flavor led to a very large and comprehensive ingredients chapter, along with some novel ways of organizing ingredients to help tease out their relationships. There is a malt color wheel, and 70 varieties of hops are organized into groups by flavor and ranked according to specific attributes.
When it comes to getting started homebrewing, the book really encourages people to make their own decisions and not simply rely on other peoples' recipes. The starter recipe is called the Amazing Shape-Shifting Recipe, and the new homebrewer can create more than 100 different beers by making alternate choices of malts, hops and yeast within the safe guidelines of the recipe.
There is plenty of information about the brewing process, equipment, yeast, fermentation and packaging.
The recipe formulation section is extensive and encourages brewers to think about every aspect of their intended beer product, and to be deliberate about their recipes and the many choices they must make along the way.
Classic and historical styles are fully described and in many cases charted out visually, making the relationships easier to understand. There are recipes for many of the major styles and some are designed so the brewer can make several variations from the same recipe.
The book then moves into the land beyond styles and presents some recipes inspired by growing homebrewing movements across the planet, including Italy, Denmark, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and beyond. There are recipes for ingredient-focused beers and others that reflect seasonal inspirations. A detailed section on troubleshooting wraps it up.
PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
In this major new homebrewing guide, author Randy Mosher (Radical Brewing, Tasting Beer) lays out what it takes to create stellar beers at home. Leveraging his wide experience as a homebrewer, lecturer at the Siebel Institute brewing school and now as a creative consultant and partner in several commercial breweries, Mosher has created a comprehensive homebrewing book that will enlighten, entertain, provoke and most of all help you brew fantastic beer.
Beginners will find the basics laid out clearly, with an emphasis on flavor at every turn. Creativity is encouraged right from the start. While most books offer a single dumbed-down starter recipe, Mastering Homebrew presents "The Amazing Shape-Shifting Recipe," which can morph into any of a hundred different beers depending on the choices made by the brewer.
Advanced brewers will find a wealth of information and ideas to increase their understanding of how ingredients and processes affect the flavors in the glass, as well as some unique tools and techniques for building complex, harmonious recipes.
After a brief coverage of brewing terminology, science basics and the characteristics of beer, the book moves on to its biggest chapter: ingredients. Particular attention is paid to the origins of flavor and the unique characteristics of malts and other brewing grains, mapping out their relationships in a malt color wheel. More than 80 varieties of hops are covered in detail, as well as being mapped by flavor affinities, making it easy to see relationships, find alternates, and build recipes. Water, sugar, fruits, spices and vegetables round out the chapter.
The book moves on to the brewing process, equipment, yeast and fermentation, bringing an up-to-date perspective to each. Next is recipe formulation from both a functional and creative point-of-view, with many tools and techniques based on Mosher's experience not only as a brewer, but as a visual artist as well. The recipes begin with classic beer styles and move on to modern craft beer interpretations, global homebrew, seasonal beers and more. Troubleshooting and resources round out the package.
Brewers at any experience level will benefit from the insightful quotes from many legendary brewers. The creative energy of international homebrewing ripples through the book with recipes from Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Scandinavia, Australia and elsewhere.
It's wide, deep, tons of fun and contains content you'll find nowhere else. Mastering Homebrew is full color, with over 400 illustrations, charts and photographs, enlivened with homebrewer-designed labels and other testaments to the profound creativity and joy shown by the global homebrewing movement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Jim Koch of Boston Beer Co.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Beer
Quick Start Guide
About this book
What's in Here?
Brewing with Both Halves of Your Brain
Thinking Like a Scientist
What to Worry About
Chemical and Biochemical Concepts
Brewing Like an Artist
Getting Started and Getting Better
Chapter 2: Understanding Beer
Anatomy of a Beer
Measurables
Intangibles
Tasting and Evaluating Beer
Our Senses
The Tasting Act
An Atlas of Beer Flavor and Character
Judging, Competitions, and Certifications
Chapter 3: Brewing Ingredients
Barley, Malt, and Grains
Malting
Kilning and Roasting
Malt Types
Understanding a Malt Analysis
Unmalted Grains
Malt Extract
Roasting and Smoking Your Own Specialty Malts
Brewing Sugars
Making Your Own Caramel
Honey
Hops: The Spice of Beer
Hops’ Form and Function
Hops in the Brew
Hop Varieties and Personality Groups
Hop Varieties in Detail
Water without Tears
Brewing Water Minerals in Detail
Water Minerals and Brewing
Water Trace Minerals in Detail
Alternate Ingredients
Herbs and Spices
Fruits
Vegetables and Beyond in Your Beer
Chapter 4: The Brewing Process
The Amazing Shape-Shifting Beer Recipe
Your First Beer: Getting Started with
Extract Brewing
Extract Plus Steeped Grain Procedure
Grain Crushing
Mashing
The Mash: Magic Porridge
Enzymes in Detail
The Mini-Mash Method
Infusion Mashing for All-Grain Brewing
Doing It the Hard Way
Lautering and Sparging
Additional Sparging Techniques
Sparging with Recirculating Mash Systems
The Boil
What Happens in the Kettle
Managing the Boil
Cooling
Cleaning Up
Cleaning and Sanitizing Chemicals for the Home Brewery
Cleaning Your Equipment
Chapter 5: The Brewery
Safety in the Brewery
Your System, Your Goals
Design Considerations
Gear
Grain Mills
Scales/Balances
Burners, Flames, and Heaters
Mash/Lauter Tuns
HERMS, RIMS, and Direct-Heated Systems
Grant (Wort Reciever)
Moving Wort
Hoses
Pipe and Tubing Fittings
Pumps
Brew Kettles
Hop Back
Wort Chiller
Wort Aeration
Fermenters
Measurements and Instrumentation
Packaging Beer
Bottling Gear
Keg and Draft Systems
Firkins, Pumps, and Real Ale
Chapter 6: Yeast and Fermentation
Yeast in Brewing
Yeast Biology
Yeast and the Biochemistry of Beer Flavor
Yeast Flavor Chemicals in Beer
Yeast Growth and Fermentation
Yeast Types
Wild Yeast: Aliens in Your Brewery
The Care and Feeding of Yeast
Pitching Rates
Wort Aeration
Yeast Unleashed: Practical Fermenting
Conditioning and Maturation
Packaging and Serving Your Beer
Capping It Off: Bottling
The Delights of Kegging
Cellaring Your Beer
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beers
Chapter 7: The Art and Science of the Recipe
Thinking through Your Goals
Integrating Ingredients and Process
Record Keeping
Art and the Brewer
The Tools of the Art
Ideas and Inspirations
Structuring a Beer
The Numbers Game
Calculating the Grain Bill
Hops in the Recipe
Other Flavorings
Spices and Seasonings in the Recipe
Recipe Considerations for Fruit Beers
Yeast and Fermentation Choices
Chapter 8: Recipes: Styles and Beyond
Calculations and Assumptions
Brewing Methods in the Recipes
About Styles
A Timeline of Beer History and Technology
A Brewer’s Overview of Beer Styles
English Ale, Stout, and Porter
German Ales, Hybrid Ales, and Weissbier
Lager
Belgium
New American Classics
Planet Homebrew
Italy
Scandinavia
Brazil
Argentina
Nuevo Latina Cerveza en Chicago
Australia and New Zealand
Ingredient-Driven Beers
Herb and Spice Beers
Creative Fruit Beers
Vegetable-Flavored Beers
Screw Styles
Brewing with the Seasons
Brewing the Perfect Party Beer
Chapter 9: Troubleshooting
Ingredients, Recipes, and Brewing
Yeast and Fermentation Behavior
Sensory Problems
Packaging and Serving Problems
Resources
Conversion Scales for Common Units of Brewing Measurement
Weights and Measures Conversion (U.S./U.K.)
Glossary of Beer and Brewing Terms
Further Reading
Modern Books on Beer Styles and Brewing
Historical Brewing Texts
Organizations
Schools
Herbs and Spices Resources
Index
FOREWORD BY BOSTON BEER FOUNDER JIM KOCH
Copy to come...
RECIPE LIST
Copy to come...
ERRATA
Copy to come...
PUBLISHERS AND EDITIONS
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (February 10, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1452105510
ISBN-13: 978-1452105512
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
Available in English-language only at the present time. We are currently seeking publishers in other languages, so if you are associated with a publisher of wine or beer books, cookbooks or similar topics, please contact us and we can put you in touch with the appropriate person at Chronicle Books.