Books to buy for a newbie

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Hightower

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Hi, I'm looking for a good beginners guide to brewing. I'm a complete newbie, any advice would be gratefully received
 
Try this first...
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

Personally I don't think you need a beginners book. There is plenty enough to get you started in the above, and if you need any help just ask folks on the forum. As you may have noticed replies are quick although the answers may vary a bit according to how respondents do things.

When you have done a few brews then think about a book perhaps. Or in the meantime get yourself down to your local library and browse.

Finally there are two book that crop up on here fairly regularly
Greg Hughes - Home Brew Beer
Graham Wheeler - Brew Your Own British Real Ale
but these are probably better suited to folks who have a few brews under their belt. You might find copies at your local library. I did.
 
The Greg Hughes book is very good - but only really worth getting if you're planning on graduating into all grain or extract brewing. You don't really need a book if you're sticking to kits.
 
I have got both Greg Hughes and Graham Wheelers books. They are both very good and have some cracking recipes in them. If you are starting out with kits, then they are probably no good for you, just follow the kit instructions and take advice from this forum. Everyone brews slightly differently and I have learnt most of what I know about brewing from this forum, its such a valuable resource and everyone is really helpful. So, if your looking to learn about All Grain brewing, get the books as they are a really good read, but also have a good read up on here :thumb:
 
Hi, I'm looking for a good beginners guide to brewing. I'm a complete newbie, any advice would be gratefully received

Forget the Book spend your money on a woodfords kit and get brewing , you will get a great apprenticeship from this site every one is here to take you step by step through any thing you need to know , number one is dont believe the time spans the kits say from brewing to drinking its lies, its a minimum of 12 weeks from start to finish. 2weeks fermenting , 2 weeks in second FV , 2 weeks carbonating , then 6 weeks min conditioning, a lot longer for stout and lager.
 
Forget the Book spend your money on a woodfords kit and get brewing , you will get a great apprenticeship from this site every one is here to take you step by step through any thing you need to know , number one is dont believe the time spans the kits say from brewing to drinking its lies, its a minimum of 12 weeks from start to finish. 2weeks fermenting , 2 weeks in second FV , 2 weeks carbonating , then 6 weeks min conditioning, a lot longer for stout and lager.

Does the 2 weeks in secondary make a big difference? Ive done my 12th kit today but have never done that before
 
Does the 2 weeks in secondary make a big difference? Ive done my 12th kit today but have never done that before

yes ollie it does it lets the yeast clean up any bad odours and flavours left over from brewing , once its eaten all the fermentables it will start on the nasties, then your beer will clear , You are then bottling clean clear beers , leave it then a minimum of 6 weeks to condition and you will be drinking decent beer. :thumb:
 
yes ollie it does it lets the yeast clean up any bad odours and flavours left over from brewing , once its eaten all the fermentables it will start on the nasties, then your beer will clear , You are then bottling clean clear beers , leave it then a minimum of 6 weeks to condition and you will be drinking decent beer. :thumb:

Cool, will try it on my next brew, i have good patience & leave my beers conditioning for 3 months usually. cheers
 
Someone further up says "forget the book" ... I find that rather cavalier although I appreciate his (her) enthusiasm for getting on with the beer making. I would say you NEED a book. What that book is depends on how far you want to go with the brewing. You can pick up Dave Miller's Home-brewing Guide on Amazon second-hand for around �£1 ... it's pretty comprehensive and would be a �£1 well invested if it allows you to avoid some of the more basic beginner's mistakes. And Dave's book is progressive too, so you will be getting the information you need when you need it, all in one place ... unlike scavenging bits & pieces off internet, youtube and home-brew forums. And ultimately, a book gives you a longer term vision for your hobby. Dave Line's Big Book of Brewing got me going in 1988 ... I'm still working on it. :thumb:
 
I'd really recommend "Brew: The Foolproof Guide to Making Your Own Beer at Home" by James Morton. I bought it before starting my first kit and it guides you through every step (with pictures) and then moves on to your first All Grain. I wouldn't be brewing without this book.
 
The thing about books is that while you don't really need to do much reading around kit brewing, they do serve as inspiration to take your hobby further. Greg Hughes' and Graham Wheeler's books are a must imo as they both give a good vision of taking the hobby beyond basic kit brewing without getting over technical.
 
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