Discover the Joy of Homebrewing

First written in 1984, Papazian’s New Complete Joy of Homebrewing is a great book to guide you through the basics of making homemade beer and many budding homebreweries turn to this book to get their early education on making beer at home. This book is not only a reference guide, it also contains good reading material on the history of beer, beer ingredients, and various other facts and figures on the world’s most popular alcoholic beverage. The writing is easy to read and Papazian keeps your interest by his use of humor throughout the book.

The book is divided into four main sections based on skill level: Introduction, Beginner’s Guide, Intermediate Brewing, and Advanced Brewing. Throughout the book, Papazian discusses topics important to breweries and casula beer fans alike. Topics such as hop bitterness units, water quality, fermentation, bottling, ales vs. lagers, the importance of cleaning and sanitizing your brewing equipment, etc. are covered well. In the beginners section, Papazian takes you by the hand and walks you through the brewing process. He steps you through your first batch of homebrew, from boiling your malt extract to bottling, aging, and drinking. In the intermediate section, he provides several pages of tables, showing the basic ingredients needed to brew the various styles of beer. In the advanced section, Papazian discusses topics like mashing, temperature control, and yeast culturing. There is also a troubleshooting guide to help you avoid making some common homebrewing mistakes.
This guide has been revised and updated several times since its initial publication. Author Charlie Papazian realizes that homebrewing has grown in popularity since his first edition. Not only that, but laws have changed and the internet continues to exert its influence. Because of this, it is imperative that the guide be updated to reflect the changing times. The most recent update of this book was in 2003 and there will likely continue to be more updates in the future.
Several homebrewing books exist, but The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing is one of the best, most often quoted, and most helpful for the homebrewing enthusiast. It is the type of book you can count on for quick answers to your homebrewing questions and solid advice about brewing beer so that you can continue to evolve to more advanced levels. I have owned this book for several years now and it has become dog-eared from all of the times I have opened it and looked up advice. Too bad there isn’t a hardcover edition available that could withstand the wear and tear a little better.
If you have ever had an interest in homebrewing and are searching for a book to buy, then look no further. Charlie Papazian’s “New Complete Joy of Homebrewing” is the book you’ve been looking for. It is a must- buy for those who are curious about the art of homebrewing and it ranks among the best guides ever written on this subject.