Modern Homebrew Recipes: Exploring Styles and Contemporary Techniques

I have a few homebrew books already - one to cover the essentials, one of the clone recipe books and some style-specific tomes on more specific kinds of beer. I'm now a confident all-grain brewer, recently upgraded my equipment and I'm ready to take on the world. So I bought this book.Of all the books I've bought, this is my favorite. I love it because it's opinionated. It's one thing to be presented with a recipe and some numbers in the abstract; it's another to be presented with background on how the recipe was arrived at, why certain techniques are recommended and what you should expect from it. But to have the latter presented in the context of the author's vast experience and general approaches is invaluable. It's like having the opportunity to sit down with a mentor and watch them work.I've only brewed one recipe from the book so far - the "Landlord Tribute" cask ale. As a Brit with years of disappointing bitters under my belt, I have to say I was skeptical. However, it's turned out beautifully. This is the book I will keep coming back to over the next year as I expand my styles.As many others have said, this isn't a book for beginners and given its opinionated nature, it requires a little interpretation. But I have no gripes about that, particularly given the lengths the author goes to in helping educate you on how recipes can and should be interpreted.

I've made three beers from this book--the Mexican Vienna Lager, Oktoberfest and the Maibock. The Vienna Lager is just beginning the fermentation, the Oktoberfest has been lagering and the Maibock is now finished. The Vienna lager is already great and it still has a ways to go. Halfway through a three month lagering, the Oktoberfest appeared to be the best beer I ever made. Crisp, clear with a strong malty backbone. In a word: perfect. But I used the phrase "appeared to be the best beer I ever made." I say "appeared" because I had not tried the Maibock. OMG! The Maibock is AMAZING! I have to make some pretzels just to go with it. We live in a world that's consumed by IPAs, but I have to tell you these lagers--if you follow the recipes (including the pain in the neck decoctions) -- are soooo freaking good. They capture why the Germans are celebrated as having some of the best beers of all time. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The book is more than just lagers, though. It has virtually every style you could want--from IPAs to stouts to just about everything. The recipes are well thought out and easy to understand. He even tells you what additions to put in RO water to make it style specific. At the end of the day, though, it's about how well the recipes turn out. I've been making these beers for an Oktoberfest party I'm planning and I cannot wait to see peoples' jaw drop when they try them.

I really liked how he approached the organization of this book. Perhaps it's a little non-traditional in a few ways, like recipe categories (they range from the straight-forward styles like IPA to "Everyday beers" in which he includes a mix of Blonde ales, Wheat, Kolsch and bitters).I think he particularly does a great job of:1) explaining a few somewhat non-traditional techniques that he likes to use. He mashes his darker grains only at vorlauf, and discusses hop additions at different times of the cycle including first wort hopping and some additions during a post-boil hop stand. You might already do some of this, or already heard of these approaches, but he explains these techniques well.2) going through different approaches to the same style. He has several styles that he attacks from different recipe angles and describes why he did it and what the outcome should be. I really appreciate that about this book - which makes it a great read as you think about your own recipe formulation.My biggest pet peave is that he leaves out some basic information on his ingredients that I appreciate in recipe:. Lovibond of grains, % fermentables, and IBU contributions from his hop additions to name the biggest omissions. I know I can Google this or calculate it with my software (and estimate in my head and get really close) but as I jump from recipe-to-recipe within a style I'd like that information provided.It's nitpicking, but that's the only reason I didn't give it 5-stars. Don't let this minor detail keep you from buying the book, it's great and well worth the time and money. Highly recommended.

Excellent book for your brewing library. I really like this book. The info is solid and the recipes are terrific. I have already brewed several recipes from this book and they have all been outstanding. I do have a three vessel electric herms rig, so I can maintain mash temps, step mashes, etc. and do hop stands and whirlpool, so I can brew the recipes like they were intended to be brewed. This is also a great reference when you want to brew a beer to a specific style, or country, and how you can push the limits of the style and make it your own, but still brew the beer you intended to brew. I can't say enough about this book and Gordon's first book, "Brewing Better Beer" as both books are totally worth owning. I know I have learned many things from Gordon and this book has helped me gain knowledge and become a better brewer. That "Export Irish Red Ale" came out outstanding and everyone requests that one all the time. The "English Mild", "London Porter", (with brown malt) all the way through to the "Munich Dunkel" and "Munich Helles" Lagers, and even the "Pumpkin Ale" (which he adds pumpkin to the boil and the mash) are beautifully balanced beers. Not one bad recipe so far! So I can really recommend this book to any brewer who wants to expand his knowledge of brewing to style or to add to his recipe choices.

grat book all recipies are amazing, you will learn a lot, buy it if you what to be a better brewer

Ottimo libro, di facile lettura, tante ricette divise per stili, fino ad ora quelle.che.ho provato sono verente buone. Inoltre danno molti spunti validi per la creazione di nuove ricette. Un "must" insieme a brewing better beer

While this isn't an innovative book for recipes, what sets this book apart is the detail that goes into the recipes that will help you recreate what the author brewed, and how he came to that recipe.Every recipe comes with details for which maltster the malt comes from (the same malt can vary widely from maltster to maltster, let alone between US and UK), what the alpha acid level of the hops were (so you can get your bitterness calculations bang on), and formulation notes that will help you wring the best out of your yeast.Taken as a companion to Gordon's previous book, 'Brewing Better Beer' you can see how a champion brewer puts theory into practice.Highly recommended.

Gordon continua sendo uma referência para homebrewers. A leitura fácil e o estilo didático continuam presentes nesse livro, que certamente enriquecerá a biblioteca de qualquer praticante.

If you're expecting something like Papazian's "joy of homebrewing" then you're going to be seriously let down.It's a good reference book with some interesting recipes that you will need to tinker with to get right.