Froth!: The Science of Beer,   ISBN:9780801891328

Customer Rating: 

Mark Denny has written a very enjoyable and very easy to read guide to help us all understand the science behind the "froth" in beer. His writing style is friendly and warm, and he makes the technical stuff easy to understand. Where I find a bit of fault is in 2 areas. First, he spends several chapters going over the history of beer and also a bit about his own take on homebrewing procedures (both of which were unnecessary in this book). While entertaining, it seemed odd. Second, and this is fussy I know, but he gave some questionable advice in describing his homebrewing technique. He broke several sacrosanct rules and explained them away by saying that he does things that way and his friends always compliment him on his homebrewed beer. Anyway, I enjoyed this book and did learn a few things, I am just saying there was some unnecessary and slightly inaccurate or shall we say opionated nuggets within an otherwise solid tome.

Customer Rating: 

scientific indeed! if you're into equations (and, uh, BEER!) then this book is for you. i and some friends brewed up our first batch of home-brewed beer just a few weeks ago before I received this book and the home-brewing chapter is spot on in describing how to brew. all you need is to go to a homebrew/wine-making shop and get the recipe you want to make and the supplies you'll need. but if you're just looking for a quick howto on homebrewing, this would not be my first choice! if you're really excited about beer though, and want to learn about how it's made, yeast, temperatures, history, yeast, etc. then this is awesome. Very thorough but not too long/boring. I feel like this book is just the right length to be a good read without having you constantly get bored and want to stop.

Customer Rating: 

Loved every bit of this book. As a physicist and a beer aficionado I found the explanation of the science behind what makes a good brew to be a fascinating topic. Inspired me to get back to homebrewing. If you like beer and are at all vaguely interested in science you will love this book.

Customer Rating: 

First off, let me start this by saying that until I read Mark Denny's book, I had a firm rule - the 3 letter beer rule. Any beer consumed had three letters (BUD, PBR, MGD). I may have been reformed...

Mark Denny wrote a book that allows for a full appreciation of beer - wit, satire, science and math. A strange combo to say the least, particularly when discussing a finely hopped beverage.

What Denny brings to the fore is the interesting depth, complexity and history of beer - and makes it transform from a case of three letter macrobrewed beverage to a work of science and art.

The book itself is funny, easy to read, and full of interesting tidbits, pictures and sidebars. And by all means, read the footnotes!

Customer Rating: 

The author, both a physicist and a home brewer, states there are other books that go more into the recipes and history of beer, but his perspective is a bit different. "My book is unique, to the best of my knowledge, in that it unites brewing with accessible physics. You are not holding in your hands a recipe book or a Ph.D. thesis, but if you are interested in beer, and about how science and technology impact the production of your favorite tipple, then you will find much to engross you in the following pages" (p. 2).

Chapter 1 describes "The Evolution of Beer" from the beginning of civilization to today, the different characteristics and kinds of beer, the particular traits of beer in various countries, mass "swill" and small brewers. Chapter 2 "How to Make Good Beer at Home" describes how he makes his own homebrew, taking the reader through the process of gearing up to final product. Chapter 3 "Yeast Population Dynamics" is about the population of yeast, its growth and crash, and what the homebrewer needs to consider in this light. Chapter 4 "Brewing Thermodynamics" discusses the impact of temperature control and the factors involved. Chapter 5 "Bubbles" discusses the subject of the title: "Froth" the bubbles or head of the beer: fermentation bubbles, pouring bubbles (and how to properly pour a beer), and the process of decline of bubbling in a beer that has been sitting in a glass. Chapter 6 "Fluid Flow" follows how beer as a fluid is packaged (cold room to container), distributing (brewery to cellar), dispensing (cellar to glass), drinking (glass to stomach). Chapter 7 "Final Thoughts" sums up brewing as an example of how science impacts daily life including beer humor and beer sampling.

Overall excellent production, clear black and white photographs and charts all add to this quality book. If you are both a science geek and beer-o-phile, and even if you love beer but aren't so much into science, you will get a real kick out of this book. As the book quotes David Daye: "If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs." (p. 137) How often do you get a chance to learn science through drinking beer? They should use this as a text in college science courses!