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Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles
by
Ray Daniels
Author Ray Daniels provides the brewing formulas, tables, and information to take your brewing to the next level in this detailed technical manual.
Paperback, 404 pages
Published
January 25th 2000
by Brewers Publications
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Probably the best homebrewing book I've ever read - this book does a great job of discussing ingredients and techniques for producing great beers. It also describes many of the major styles attempted by homebrewers, with valuable information on how to make them.
My only criticism of the book is that, in his analytical, scientific way, he presents the factual information on how the style recipes rather than great recipes. He reports what percentage of award-winning recipes use whic...more
My only criticism of the book is that, in his analytical, scientific way, he presents the factual information on how the style recipes rather than great recipes. He reports what percentage of award-winning recipes use whic...more
Amazing source of information on the science and craft of brewing. If you want an intimate knowledge of how every element of your beer, from grain varieties to hop varieties and adjuncts effects the end product, this book will give you the most in-depth knowledge that I can find on the subject. Even more than ingredient description/analysis you will find equations for calculating brewhouse efficiency, water quantity needed, IBUs, and so on. Very informative "text book" on brewing.
Definitely not a beginners book. This book discusses most common styles of beer and helps break down their flavor/aroma profiles so that you can recreate the style with various ingredients.
I really appreciate their statistics of what ingredients were used and which combination of ingredients tend to win competitions.
(Ex. Surprisingly, California Lager yeast does not always produce the best steam style beers.)
I really appreciate their statistics of what ingredients were used and which combination of ingredients tend to win competitions.
(Ex. Surprisingly, California Lager yeast does not always produce the best steam style beers.)
Still one of my favorite brewing texts. Daniels' ability to parse some of the vital details in crafting various styles is surpassed by very few writers. This is a book I refer too again and again (and find other brewers doing so as well). Looking for a gift for your homebrewer? Here it is.
Although a bit dated - this is a very interesting and comprehensive review of beer styles, their history and suggestions for ingredient lists and ratios based upon winning Craft Brew recipes.
It is a Go-To book when I'm in the recipe design process.
It is a Go-To book when I'm in the recipe design process.
Ray Daniels presents an analysis of the first and second place winning National Homebrew Contest recipes in over a dozen major beer styles. I use this book as a core reference when designing new beers; it allowed me to make the leap from brewing from other people's recipes to creating my own recipes in order to present my own interpretation of a particular beer style. I now brew almost exclusively from my own recipes, thanks in a large part to this book, and get a larger sense of satisfaction fr...more
Ok, it's official, I now know way too much about classic beer style history, chemistry, and brewing.
If you are into brewing beer, this book is for you. However, it's probably best to read some other introductory text first. It can be a rough read at times, full of charts, figures, numbers, and statistics. The first part of the book covers understanding, calculating, and controlling beer gravity, color, hop usage, malt selection, etc. The second part is dedicated to a range of beer styles, their history and development, and formulations based on commercial and NHC examples. I enjoyed reading th...more
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This is super helpful reference for beginning and veteran brewers. Daniels breaks down a ton of style by historical evolution then dissects a bunch of AHA second round finalists in each style to let you know how these beers are most commonly "built" today. It really helped me take my brewing to the next level.
Dave's favorite homebrew book - he actually bought it and refers to it often.
This is a must read for any serious homebrewer.
This is a good book to read for both brewers and non-brewers. For the brewers, it is a good overview of all the styles of beer and gives the reader an insight on what characteristics you need to achieve in your beer to label it a particular style. For the non-brewers, it is a good guide to what you should expect from a beer claiming to be of a particular style. After reading, you should be able to go to one of those bars that has 100 odd beers on the menu identify beers that you are likely to ...more
This book provides an interesting mix of analysis of ingredients and methods, history of various styles, and breakdowns of commercial and competitive homebrew beers. It is a good reference for use when creating your own recipes, with various notes for designing beers for sale, competition, or general exploration. The focus is on English and German styles. There is little mention of Belgian beers, but then most Belgian styles are not as neatly defined as those of England and Germany.
I've finally read most of this book. You can't read it cover to cover, though there are portions that are good to read that way. It's definitely a reference book, and it's definitely not for new brewers. It took me a long time to come to appreciate what it offers-- a detailed analysis of modern and historical takes on all the major styles of beer, and a discussion of the roles of various ingredients in accomplishing various representations of those styles.
Here the author profiles some common beer styles, and what winning entries have used for ingredients and methods. This is great for learning how to formulate your own recipes.
However, I'm brewing a lot of Belgian and less-common German beers these days, so I find myself referencing this book less and less; there are no profiles for Belgian beers and very little German beers.
However, I'm brewing a lot of Belgian and less-common German beers these days, so I find myself referencing this book less and less; there are no profiles for Belgian beers and very little German beers.
The definitive text for recipe design. It is used by both homebrewers and commercial brewers to design the recipes that everyone loves. It gives an historic and technical examination of most beer styles. A must own for the brewer.
note: For an examination of Belgian-inspired beers, check out Brew Like a Monk, Farmhouse Ales and Wild Brews.
note: For an examination of Belgian-inspired beers, check out Brew Like a Monk, Farmhouse Ales and Wild Brews.
Excellent resource for the intermediate brewer who wants to know how to formulate their own recipes. Includes detailed explanations of the basic concepts of recipe design and calculation and detailed information and advice on design of recipes for many beer styles.
This is a great book for the advanced homebrewer. Ray Daniels takes the reader through a variety of styles and gives statistics to guide recipe formulation. It is one of my favorite reference books to turn to when developing a new recipe.
I don't know where my homebrewing would be without this book. A must read for anyone that wants to create their own recipes.
The best book for beer recipe design!
An essential for brewing great beer
Difficult read for novice brewers.
DIY or DIE! Brew the Beer you Drink!
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for the real beer geek
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Adam Gutschenritter
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Diana
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