The Homebrewers' Recipe Guide: More than 175 original beer recipes including magnificent pale ales, ambers, stouts, lagers, and seasonal brews, plus tips from the master brewers,   ISBN:9780684829210

Customer Rating: 

There is a mix of all grain and extract recipes. More recipes are extract but there is a handy section that talks about converting to/from all grain and extract. I enjoy reading the descriptions and there are some really good recipes in this book. There is also a section of food recipes that use beer or beer ingredients. I've brewed a bunch of recipes from this book and I've been happy with all of them.

Customer Rating: 

This book has some really good recipes in it. I've tried only a few, but plan on doing a lot more in the future. The problem with this book is that I got it when I first started brewing. I wasn't looking for a step by step (I've got another book for that), but I was wanting a little more guidance in the individual recipes. They rarely (if at all) give you the amounts of water to use in different stages of brewing. Another problem is that the gravity predictions are WAY off. For example, the Oak Leaf Brown Ale on p. 43. The recipe calls for almost 8 lbs malt extract and 1 lb brown sugar. They say the OG should be around 1.044. I haven't even tried this recipe, but I can tell you there's no way that in a 5 gallon batch of beer that with that much malt and sugar you're going to have an OG that low. This was confirmed by both the local brew shop (who after I brought this to his attention pulled this book from his shelves and is contacting the publisher) and the brewing group I belong to.

My other problem with the book is that it really should be titled "The Homebrewer's Extract Recipe Guide." Almost all of the recipes in here are extract so if you want to brew all-grain, you have to modify them. Not a huge problem (it's very easy to convert the recipe), but with how generic the instructions are, it's clearly not targeted for a beginning brewer. I don't know many experienced brewers that don't brew all grain.

Don't get me wrong, this book is a great place to start with recipes, but be ready to modify them to get something really good.

Customer Rating: 

This is a great book. I am 3 for 3 with these recipes, and batch #4 is aging in the bottle as I write this. As a partial mash brewer, there are plenty of recipes that do not require a full mash, which I plan to try soon. I expect to use the book for full mash recipes as well.

It is well written, with clearly stated ingredients and processes. The quotes are amusing and funny. I recommend this book unreservedly.

Customer Rating: 

Let me start this review by saying I am what could be called a casual brewer. I brew a couple of batches a year for special occasions, and a few more for drinking myself.

From that perspective, this is an excellent book. It focuses on interesting yet simple recipes that produce great, full-flavored beer. Most of the recipes are all-extract, with a few adding some steeped barley for additional depth.

The variety of beers in this book is truly stunning. From traditional ales, to brewery copycats (recipes modeled after major beers, and titled with a wink so you can figure out who it's copying), to wheat beers, beers with fruit or spices, ciders, meads, etc.

I highly recommend the book to people who want to brew for a hobby without making it a full-time job.

Customer Rating: 

Sould you have acquired a basic knowledge of home brewing techniques, this book provides a variety of recipies that should tickle your lager loving pallette.