Editorial Review

In the past few decades, many of us have become sophisticated about food, but we have not given the same attention to what we drink. In How to Drink, Victoria Moore aims to redress the balance, by showing how to drink well throughout the seasons and at all times of day.

She explains how to make the most delicious coffee and juices; how to choose wine that complements your food; and how to make cocktails for every occasion--whether to serve a garden barbecue, as a cold weather aperitif, or just to unwind with at the end of the day.

Here are recipes for mint juleps in the spring, sloe gin in the autumn, hot buttered rum in the winter, and year-round showstoppers including the world's best gin and tonic. Moore is also an impassioned advocate of unfairly maligned drinks such as sherry, Campari and saki, and gives fascinating historical background on different spirits as well as invaluable advice on creating your home bar.

How to Drink is a hugely readable, browseable and authoritative handbook, whose aim is to inform, entertain and crucially, make sure you can find the right drink at the right time.

"It doesn't need to be either difficult or expensive to drink as well as you eat, it just requires a little care..."

"A splendid book. Victoria Moore is quite right--it's not how much you drink but how you drink." --Fergus Henderson, chef and co-owner, St. Johns Restaurant

"I loved How to Drink. For the first time in years I have broken open a bottle of vodka for a Bloody Mary, remembered how much better mulled cider is than mulled wine, drawn a fresh kettle for tea..." --Joanna Weinberg, author of How to Feed Your Friends with Relish

"Anyone who loves their food should heed this unmatchable tutorial in the art of enjoying drink; Victoria Moore succinctly puts every sip in lively context, banishing the guilt from the pleasure of it all." --Rose Prince, author of The New English Kitchen ... Read more

Reviews

Cheers
Nice little book for my Kindle. Lots to learn and very good hints and tip. This is a subject of which I have only a smattering of knowledge, I should say. So as an occasional drinker, I am finding this read useful. Good to pickup right before the holidays!

Just had to add, after spending some more time with this little gem, it's really worth a read. Very well written and evocative. Heck, it even drove me to Amazon to hunt for a certain tea!

Effervescent and Engaging
This is a must read. The writing is lovely, lively, and engaging. I am blown away by her knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. It's infectious: like the other reader, I was inspired to search for a delicious tea online, as well as brew myself a pot of my own. The ingredient lists are short and simple, with readily available ingredients (with the exception of the author's reliance on blood oranges. Maybe they are more popular in England?) The recipes are vibrant, elegant, and interesting. She has a great recipe for chile hot chocolate that is so simple and delicious, it is worth reading the book alone. As you can tell by my attempts at a glowing review, I truly loved this book, and would highly recommend it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Everything needed to brew beer right the first time. Presented in a light-hearted style without frivolous interruptions, this authoritative text introduces brewing in a easy step-by-step review. ... Read more

Reviews

Currently the best place to start, and NOT out of print!, November 14, 2004
Like most homebrewers, I started out with Charlie Papazian's book "The New Joy of Homebrewing". I had the second edition. It was a good book, but comparing it to this text, it seems hopelessly dated.

With the explosion of microbreweries across the country, lots of people got turned on to GOOD beer - and many of those looked into homebrewing. With so many people trying different methods and equipment, over time, brewing became simpler and much of what was deemed necessary in the earlier days was discarded. Many of the techniques and equipment listed here are the results of years of trial-and-error streamlining by other homebrewers. In addition, there's never been so many resources available via mail order and on the net. Homebrewing really is easy at this point.

This is the best basic brewing text I've found. You can start with it by making extract only beers, graduating to specialty grains in addition to extract, then to all grain brewing and making your own recipes and beer styles. The book is linear, presents the information as you need it and the information ranges from the most basic (like sanitation) to as technical as you could possibly want (water chemistry).

For years I've been an extract and specialty grain brewer. I never completely understood the process of all-grain brewing until I bought this text. It gave me the courage to build my own lautering tun and brew my first batch of beer made completely from scratch. It was a pale ale, nothing exotic, but man was it good beer. Check out the author's website and read the first edition online. The second edition is improved, so if you like the online text buy the hard copy book.

There are other good texts out there (the author lists many of them in the back of the book) but if you only want one homebrewing text, buy this one. It's a shame that Amazon doesn't carry it anymore. Track it down.

The first book for any hombrewer, July 29, 2006
I borrowed, bought and read a few brewing books, but found "How to Brew" to be the best. The very first chapter gets you off to a running start should you find yourself with an unpacked brew kit, needing only the most vital information to start brewing immediately. The rest of the book is well written and provides a clear outlay of brewing from the basics to the esoteric. There are clear explinations, many recipies and a wealth of information regarding the process and ingredients.

There are a few other books that are good, but if you own just one brewing book, this is it.

Update:3/2008
Almost two years later, I have to say this book remains at the forefront of my now expanded beer library. If you are just starting to brew, if you are curious, if you're looking for a book for someone who is starting out or if you are a brewer looking for an A-Z guide, this remains the one to get. It will provide a foundation of knowledge that will serve you well in your brewing pursuits.

Update 2: 2/2010
All this time and this book still is indispensable. As I have learned more and become more experienced, How To Brew has been there. I thought that I would pick this book up less and less, but the more skilled I became and the more I learned, the more I reached for this book. My move from extract brewing to all grain was much less difficult and for now, it seems from my experience that John Palmer has written the final word on home brewing to date. (All due respect to Charlie Papazian)

For the technically-minded, May 3, 2008
Of all the authors who talk about homebrewing, John J. Palmer is by far the best writer. His prose is witty, entertaining and relentlessly focussed on clarifying the complexities and celebrating the simplicities of the small-scale brewing of beer.

There are probably three books that are genuinely helpful for the beginning homebrewer. Which one is right for you depends on how you approach techniques of dealing with things in the physical world.
If the idea of doing anything physical scares the bejabbers out of you, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition (Harperresource Book). This is a very simple, slow and reassuring book. The author sounds like the friendliest, least intimidating guy in the world. The style is very chummy in a post-frathouse kind of way that some people find very difficult to read and that others find relaxing. In this book you may see the ancestor of the Complete Dummies series. I believe that Papazian, who has made a carreer of coaching homebrewers, has been published on the topic for thirty years or so.
If you're the sort of person who likes the idea of baking his own bread or wiring her own lamp, then probably The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing is right for you. The information is straightforward and well-organized and he allows for the fact that sometimes you want to make it fast and simple and other times you may want to linger over the details. There's a separate book of recipes ordered by beer style and also by degree of difficulty.
If you love fundamentals, then Palmer is the book for you. There are dozens of complications lurking in Palmer's world of brewing and a host of precautions and gadgets for avoiding them. The author is not a negative soul, on the contrary, he seems like a guy who just wants to get to the bottom of things. How to BrewHow to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time is also the book for those who are themselves curious about fundamentals: the hard science of brewing is to be found here.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine and bang BANG

Everything you need to know to make a quality homebrew, September 11, 2002
A few years ago, John Palmer wrote an online guide to making a very simple beer in an effort to whet people's appetites (and taste buds!) for brewing beer at home. Greatly expanded after that first edition, this book contains information on brewing techniques, brewing chemistry, and the biology of the plants that end up in a brew.

In addition to giving a very thorough overview of brewing beer, Palmer includes recipes and information on how to create your own, unique beer.

Great practical advice and good theory on homebrewing, March 19, 2007
This book serves several purposes well. For the absolute beginner who is anxious to brew his first batch and to brew it right, this book helps give him a good shot at succeeding. And for the beginner with a little more patience, who wants to really understand all of the basics, including the how-and-why of all aspects of brewing, the ins and outs of the ingredients, etc, before making his first attempt, this book serves that purpose well, too. The book is so full of great information that you'll probably find yourself referring back to it over and over again as a reference.

The first half or so of the book covers all of the basics of beginning to intermediate homebrewing in a nicely layed-out, readable format. The last half of the book, which gets into the more advanced method of all grain brewing is more complex, but well-written and full of great information also. When tackling complex topics, Palmer usually breaks the discussion into two separate chapters: a practical chapter that tells you what you really need to know, and a more theoretical one that really gets into the technical details. This lets you skip all the technical details if you are not interested, without missing all of the good practical advice that can make a big difference in your results.

The appendices are very useful, too. One appendix, for example, covers many of the typical problems that may be encountered when homebrewing, what their causes are and how to fix the problem the next time around. It is a very practical guide full of useful information.

If you want a book that gives good detailed practical instructions as well as very readable explanations of the how-and-why of homebrewing, I'd say this book is an excellent choice.

The Book to Get to Start Homebrewing, April 24, 2007
It's up to date, well organized, has good photographs, and is filled with useful information for beginners and more detailed data for those wanting more. I also read Charlie Papazian's book first, but now, on my fourth batch, and still trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, I find myself referring to Palmer constantly and Papazian almost never.

Overall, good book, November 9, 2006
Overall, this is a really good book; it is very complete. The author even gives results from fluid dynamics experiments he ran with a mash tun. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I felt that the all-grain brewing section ("Your First All-Grain Beer") could have been a little more detailed. I got lost at times when brewing it. Aside from that, though, the book helped me build a mash/lauter tun and get a good idea of how to successfuly all-grain brew. It also gives recipes and methods for inventing your own beers.

Excellent and up to date info, September 3, 2006
After reading both "The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing" and "How to Brew" How to Brew wins hands down. This book just feels much more up to date than Papazian's book. As a pretty new homebrewer (only 1 year experience) I found this book answered alot of the lingering questions and concerns I had. It also has a good habit of presenting more than one approach to doing things and gives the pros and cons for each. This book also has a good amount of more technical information too, so really think this is a good buy for novice and experienced homebrewers alike!

An excellent book for those new to home brewing, August 17, 2004
I came across this book from visiting John Palmer's web site. He is nice enough to let you see the entire first edition online. I admire his willingness to share, and I purchased a copy of the second edition. Although it is very similar to the online text, it has been updated, and having a hard copy of this excellent reference is a must.

For those wanting to brew and brew right out of the gate, Mr. Palmer starts off explaining every step of the process clearly and in a very straight forward manner. I found this book to be one of the best organized and clearly laid out brewing guides I've come across.

If you want more information other than just the mechanics of how to brew, it is in here too. Yeast, malts, hops, water, the boil, fermentation, equipment, all grain, and building your own equipment (and more) are thoroughly covered.

If you can't find this book on Amazon, go to your local homebrew store and pick up a copy.

The title says it all..., April 2, 2007
This is the book to have. I started out with the Joy of Homebrewing and didn't realize how much brewing has progressed. It wasn't until I got this book (6 batches into brewing) that I learned that I was oxidizing my wort instead of aerating it, and why my attenuation rates just weren't getting to where they were supposed to be.
I also really like John's style of writing; chapters simple enough to get started and others detailed enough to give the brewmeister too much to think about. If you like your brewing information straight-forward, well thought out and completely explained, then this is the book you want. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—now with all-new, never-before-published material

Reviews

Telling It Like It Is
In this book, Anthony Bourdain, executive chef at New York's Brasserie Les Halles, takes us on a wild ride through that city's food supply industry that includes surprises such as heavy drinking, drugs, debauchery, Mafiosi and assorted seedy personalities.

It is clear that Bourdain enjoys a true passion for both food and cooking, a passion he inherited from the French side of his family. He tells us he decided to become a chef during a trip to southwestern France when he was only ten years of age and it is a decision he stuck to, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America.

Kitchen Confidential is a surprisingly well-written account of what life is really like in the commercial kitchens of the United States; "the dark recesses of the restaurant underbelly." In describing these dark recesses, Bourdain refreshingly casts as many stones at himself as he does at others. In fact, he is brutally honest. There is nothing as tiresome as a "tell-all" book in which the author relentlessly paints himself as the unwitting victim. Bourdain, to his enormous credit, avoids this trap. Maybe he writes so convincingly about drugs and alcohol because drugs and alcohol have run their course through his veins as well as those of others.

The rather raunchy "pirate ship" stories contained in this fascinating but testosterone-rich book help to bring it vividly to life and add tremendous credibility. The book does tend to discourage any would-be female chefs who might read it, but that's not Bourdain's fault; he is simply telling it like it is and telling it hilariously as well.

In an entire chapter devoted to one of the lively and crude characters that populate this book, Bourdain describes a man named Adam: "Adam Real-Last-Name-Unknown, the psychotic bread-baker, alone in his small, filthy Upper West Side apartment, his eyes two different sizes after a 36-hour coke and liquor jag, white crust accumulated at the corners of his mouth, a two-day growh of whiskers--standing there in a shirt and no pants among the porno mags, the empty Chinese takeout containers, as the Spice channel flickers silently on the TV, throwing blue light on a can of Dinty Moore beef stew by an unmade bed." Apparently Bourdain made just as many mistakes at the beginning of his career as did Adam, but the book however, doesn't always paint and bleak picture.

Another chapter entitled "The Life of Bryan," talks about renowned chef Scott Bryan, a man, who, according to Bourdain, made all the right decisions. Bourdain describes Bryan's shining, immaculate kitchen, his well-organized and efficient staff. It's respectful homage, but somehow, we feel that Bourdain, himself, will never be quite as organized as is Bryan, for Bourdain is just too much of the rebel, the original, the maverick.

Kitchen Confidential can be informative as well as wickedly funny. Bourdain is hilarious as he tells us what to order in restaurants and when. For instance, we learn never to eat fish on Mondays, to avoid Sunday brunches and never to order any sort of meat well-done. And, if we ever see a sign that says, "Discount Sushi," we will, if we are smart, run the other way as fast as we possibly can.

Kitchen Confidential isn't undying literature but it's so funny and so well-written that no one should care. It made me hungry for Bourdain's black sea bass crusted in sel de Bretagne with frites. It also made me order his novel, Bone in the Throat. If it is only half as funny and wickedly well-written as is Kitchen Confidential it will certainly be a treat.

I laughed so hard, I forgot (on purpose) to eat! Yes! Yuk!
Oh, you are really going to enjoy this book...while you're reading it, that is. Then afterwards you'll be torn between the memories of the hilarious antics Bourdain describes in his book...and memories of the disgusting things that go on every day in restaurant kitchens. Believe it or not, it IS worth reading! (And take it from a former restaurant manager, it is, unfortuately, true - the after-hours shenanigans, especially!)

Bourdain has put together a truly gonzo collection of restaurant tales that aren't all depraved...but, like his restaurateur/chef subjects, most of them are! Kudos to him for a book that is this honest while being this hysterical. If you have the, um, stomach for it, this is a book you'll remember fondly. Well worth digesting!

Great stuff!
This book recapitulates the life of Anthony Bourdain, a New York City chef. Bourdain describes how he decided to become a chef, and his training, from washing dishes for a Provincetown surf-and-turf, to studying at the Culinary Institute of America, to boot camp with Bigfoot, an unnamed New York City restaurateur from whom he learned how to survive in the big leagues. He introduces us to the backrooms of a busy restaurant kitchen, where we meet the people who prepare the fabulous food, learn about their tools and slang, and begin to get an inkling about the daily responsibilities of a head chef.

Thanks to his French heritage, Bourdain had learned to appreciate superb food as a youngster, and his parents had the resources to send him to any college he chose. Bourdain, however, likes to live on the edge, and his desire to live life to the fullest and push the limits soon led to multiple drug dependencies and heavy alcohol usage that kept steady employment difficult to maintain for a time. Remarkably, though not detailed exactly how in this book, Bourdain managed to beat his addictions, and has gone on to become not only a talented executive chef, but also a successful novelist and writer in his spare time. How anyone could even find spare time in a chef's life as he describes it is unfathomable- -Bourdain obviously thrives on stress and challenges.

The pace of the book is relentless- -it's one of those volumes that you can race through in a single day, not allowing anyone to interrupt you. Bourdain's language is not for everyone though- -he accurately records the words that are said behind the kitchen doors, so if you are squeamish about sex or take offense easily, this book is not for you.

This book confirms the importance of knowing who is cooking your food. After all, food is something you put inside your body, so it is a real act of trust to consume something that someone else has prepared. It's remarkable that many people are quite content to let total strangers prepare their food. Why would anyone frequent fast food restaurants where most of the cooks are teenagers with no talent or interest in food preparation, doing it all for minimum wage? At least in kitchens like Bourdain's, although some of the cooks may be oversexed drug addicts with filthy mouths, only those who can consistently achieve high cooking standards manage to stay on. Bourdain also reminds us to use our heads when placing our orders. After all, when you tell the waiter what you want, the food isn't just going to appear on the plate out of thin air when the cook snaps his fingers. If the fish market isn't open on the weekend, then Monday isn't a great day for ordering fish. Today's luncheon special may indeed contain leftovers from last night's menu. Some items take longer than others to prepare- -hence shouldn't be ordered at five minutes before closing. This book provides a fascinating perspective on what it's like to study at the CIA, how an executive chef spends his time, and what may be happening behind those closed doors at your favorite restaurant.

What a wonderful read this is...
I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book more! From the first page to the last, this brutally honest testament of a life as a chef is an absolute "can't put it down" page-turner.

It's wicked, funny, touching and fascinating. I went on errands with my wife, so that I could read to her while she drove -- it's so good that you want to call up strangers and just start reading pages to them -- any page will do.

The best writing is honest writing -- and it doesn't get more honest than this.

What a geat read. I'm sure that Les Halles, where he works his craft, will be "booked" to infinity because of this book -- as it should be.

Anyone who loves food will devour this with greed...and wish it were longer. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Charlie Papazian, master brewer and founder and president of the American Homebrewer's Association and Association of Brewers, presents a fully revised edition of his essential guide to homebrewing. This third edition of the best-selling and most trusted homebrewing guide includes a complete update of all instructions, recipes, charts, and guidelines. Everything you need to get started is here, including classic and new recipes for brewing stouts, ales, lagers, pilseners, porters, specialty beers, and honey meads.

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, third edition, includes:

• Getting your home brewery together: the basics -- malt, hops, yeast, and water
• Ten easy lessons for making your first batch of beer
• Creating world-class styles of beer (IPA, Belgian wheat, German Kölsch and Bock, barley wine, American lagers, to name a few)
• Using fruit, honey, and herbs for a spicier, more festive brew
• Brewing with malt extracts for an unlimited range of strengths and flavors
• Advanced brewing techniques using specialty hops or the all-grain method or mash extracts
• A complete homebrewer's glossary, troubleshooting tips, and an up-to-date resource section
• And much, much more

Be sure to check out Charlie's The Homebrewer's Companion for over 60 additional recipes and more detailed charts and tables, techniques, and equipment information for the advanced brewer.

Reviews

Excellent guide when first starting this hobby, February 3, 2005
This truly is an excellent guide for starting the hobby. It certainly was my first brew book. Although my first homebrew store gave me simpler instructions with my first purchase, this book gave me the understanding of what those instructions meant.

The author is very laid back and is a knowledgeable guy that does not want you to quit the hobby because of petty details. Good brewing comes with time. After 11 years of brewing, I realize that this is a hobby, not a job. This is why the author repeats the phrase "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew."

Being pretty savvy with both biology and chemistry, I was the typical case of a worry wort (no pun intended to all grain guys).

My first two brews, when I was too clueless to know what to worry about, came out better than the next 5!

Take this from a decent brewer: You will always want this book in your home. Although I normally use a bit more advanced guides (Designing Great Beers, and New Brewing Lager Beer), there is still some good stuff in this book. I would hardly call it only for beginners. I would say since almost every home brewer bought this book first, it is perceived to be a beginner's book. He has excellent all grain and whole hop data. He has excellent dilution data in case your wort is too concentrated. He hits on some topics that even the more advanced books don't.

This book is for beginning and experienced brewers. After all, after brewing for 11 years I picked up the third edition and found some new stuff I never saw before (hop growing and such)

You will like this book. Trust me, and relax don't worry.......


Hint: If you don't understand the terminology of your new hobby at first, use the glossary in the back of the book or an online site such as www,beertown,org or www,howtobrew,com

A Very Well Done Update of a Classic, November 3, 2003
~As a typical homebrewer I enjoy reading as many books about the art as I can find. I was a big fan of the 2nd E of this book. That book got me started. Unfortunately it did go out of date... I am now happy to report that C.P. has done a great job updating his book. It has new information on extracts, hops, yeast, the works. Yet, the basic brewing technique is relatively unchanged. Papazian's writing is easy to read and I enjoy the laid-back style. The tables make more sense now (some~~ minor changes) and the recipes are also nicely revamped. I recommend this book to anyone interested in getting started with homebrewing.~

A valuable reference, but not a great improvement over 2nd Ed., December 3, 2005
There is a wealth of information in this book...as there was in the 2nd Edition. Some of the recipes, ingredients and beer style information are updated. But I just cannot get past a feeling that Charlie isn't *really* up on the homebrewing gear that's out there and in common use.

One prime example: the standard immersion wort chiller. The book's discussion on wort chillers is amazingly devoid of this particular device that probably 75% of homebrewers either use now or have used in the past. He uses a copper coil chiller to run the *wort* through (surrounded by an ice bath), rather than running cold water through the chiller that is immersed in wort. Sure, people can use them that way, and doing so is no doubt effedtive. But it is a distinctly uncommon use, and extremely odd that there isn't any mention of how most people use them.

And wort-handling. All commonly-accepted information suggests that aerating hot wort is the prime cause of oxidation and off-flavors. Yet, Charlie has novice brewers dumping their hot wort through a strainer and into a fermenting bucket, with no discussion of chilling the wort first. This is in the introductory "newbie" section of the book.

The new charts, and information on cleaners and sanitizers is good and was long overdue. But for a 3rd Edition, there isn't much here that experienced brewers won't already get out of the 2nd Ed. As for novice brewers, go ahead and buy it realizing that this isn't the "bible" that sooo many people used to say about the 2nd Edition.

A Thick Book on an Easy Topic, May 20, 2005
There's no question but that this book has been the Bible for many homebrewers. However, beginners should know that the instructions for extract brewing can quite adequately be set out in about 2 or 3 pages. Extract brewing is barely more difficult than baking a cake, so producing a whole book on the topic requires somewhat the same type of padding as occurs in diet books. The short instruction sheets my homebrew store supplied were plenty adequate to teach the topic. Some of the instructions Mr. Papazian gives are simply more complicated than they need to be. For instance, he gives detailed instructions on taking hydrometer readings to determine when secondary fermentation is complete. A much easier method, which I've used reliably in many dozens of homebrew batches, is simply to watch the bubbles in your airlock and bottle when they are occurring at one minute intervals. The detailed discussions of biochemistry may be of interest to some, but are certainly not needed for basic brewing. Only a few recipes are included, so this book really doesn't suffice as a recipe guide.

Homebrewers ready for all-grain brewing will of course need more information and instruction, for which Mr. Papazian's "Homebrewer's Companion" is a good start; it repeats enough from this first volume that my advice would be to buy "Companion" instead, when you're ready to go all-grain.

A Great Place to Start, April 27, 2007
I've been homebrewing for a year now, and I have used this book extensively during that time. In fact, I still use this book. It is full of all sorts of helpful information and techniques. Also, it provides good background information. This can be used as a sort of manual for homebrewing but it can also simply be read; some of the stuff in the book is fascinating even if you're not ready to start brewing yet. This book can easily get you through your first couple years of homebrewing without the need for additional sources. For those of you who are jsut starting, best of luck!

Fun book, but not the most helpful., May 7, 2009
I am new to home brewing, and while I found this book useful and fun, I found the book, "How to Brew" by John Palmer, much more helpful. Make no mistake, it belongs in your collection if you are a brewer, but if you are new to it all, I definitely recommend, John Palmer's book.

For the Nervous Novice, May 3, 2008
There are probably three books that are genuinely helpful for the beginning homebrewer. Which one is right for you depends on how you approach techniques of dealing with things in the physical world.
If the idea of doing anything physical scares the bejabbers out of you, you have to begin withThe Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition (Harperresource Book).
This is a very simple, slow and reassuring book. The author sounds like the friendliest, least intimidating guy in the world. The style is very chummy in a post-frathouse kind of way that some people find very difficult to read and that others find relaxing. In this book you may see the ancestor of the Complete Dummies series. I believe that Papazian, who has made a carreer of coaching homebrewers, has been published on the topic for thirty years or so.
If you're the sort of person who likes the idea of baking his own bread or wiring her own lamp, then probably The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing is right for you. The information is straightforward and well-organized and he allows for the fact that sometimes you want to make it fast and simple and other times you may want to linger over the details. There's a separate book of recipes ordered by beer style and also by degree of difficulty.
If you love worrying, then How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time is the book for you. There are dozens of complications lurking in Palmer's world of brewing and a host of precautions and gadgets gadgets for avoiding them. Palmer is also the book for those who are curious about fundamentals: the hard science of brewing is to be found here.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine and bang BANG

Bald Brewer, November 11, 2008
This is the first book I've bought on home brewing. It's excellent! Within about a week I bought my kit and brewed my first batch of beer. I can't tell you how it tastes as it is still aging. This book is very well put together and easy to read. When I went to my local Home Brew Supply Store I was well prepared. I would definatelty recommend it to another first-time brewer. It's a great starter book.

Excellent Introduction, April 2, 2007
I bought this along with The Homebrewer's Companion, also by Papazian. I think both books are a must-have for any homebrewer. _Companion_ is more of a reference text, while _Joy_ is more introductory. Both books have indispensable information about the basic ingredients and processes of brewing.

When formulating a recipe, I refer back and forth to both books. Each has a variety of recipes in myriad styles that provide a good jumping-off point. For customizing the recipes, I refer to the table in _Companion_ that summarizes the various malts and their contribution to specific gravity, then I go to the table in _Joy_ that catalogs the different varieties of hops and their contribution to bitterness and flavor.

Essential, March 30, 2007
This book is essential for any individual considering persuing the art of homebrewing beer. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Author Ray Daniels provides the brewing formulas, tables, and information to take your brewing to the next level in this detailed technical manual. ... Read more

Reviews

The best recipe formulation book I have seen, June 26, 2002
First, let me say what this book is not. It is not a recipe book, or a book which describes the techniques for brewing beer. In other words, it is not for beginners.
After following recipes for a number of batches of beer, it was time to learn how to create my own recipes. The purpose of this book is to do just that; come up with your own recipes. The first part of the book tells the reader how to compute the grain bill, the hop bill and how to hit original gravity. It also contains information on beer color, yeast and water. I used this section to make the computations for my first original recipe. This, in turn, gave me the incentive to buy a brewing software package which I now use in conjunction with the second part of the book.
The second part describes beer styles and what ingredients go into each style described. There is a chart for each style which gives information on ingredients used in beers which made it to the second round of the NHC. I found some of the charts in this part somewhat confusing and there are a few references in the text to wrong charts. However, as a result of this book, I have started to formulate my own recipes with a lot of success.

I consult this book before every batch, August 12, 1999
The first section of Ray's book covers the fundamentals of all grain brewing. I seldom refer to it.

However, the second section not only profiles many of the classic beer styles, it analyzes the recipes and techniques used in producing competition winning entries for the styles. While one can argue that strict style guidelines and competitions based on style guidelines are counterproductive in the craft beer industry, it is very interesting to see how accomplished brewers are formulating their recipes. Many of the formulation compilations are surprising. If anything, they show that you CAN deviate from strict recipe guidelines and produce a quality beer.

I have two shelves full of brewing books. This is the one I would hang onto if I was allowed only one brewing reference.

An essential resource, September 25, 2000
For anyone who has brewed at least one batch, this is a must-have book. You will learn more from reading this book, than from brewing a hundred more batches. Read Papazin, then graduate to this. You will learn to hit target gravities, target IBU's, and how to balance them against each other. Styles are broken down into easily (for the most part) reproducible processes and techniques, allowing you to formulate your own recipe within the style, not copy someone else's. I never brew a batch without reading up on the particular style in this book first. Best book out there on beer. Bar none.

The #1 beer brewing book, January 3, 2002
The title of this book is the truth. It IS a book about Designing Great Beer: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles. If I were allowed only one book about brewing beer, this would be it.

With this book and a little work on my brewing system to figure out certain variables (efficiency, how much water is lost etc...), I was able to create an Excel Spreadsheet that walks me through the process of designing my own beer and it works. I plug in the size of the batch I want, original gravity, bittering, and a few other things and it tells me how much mash water and sparge water I need to start. Then when things don't come out perfect, an additional spread sheet helps me calculate how much malt extract, sugar, honey or even water to add to get the gravity to where I want it. This is all from what I learned from part one of this book. If you are an all grain brewer and you don't have this book, you are not brewing to the best of your ability.

If you like to enter contests, you know that the judges don't care if the beer is good. They want beer that is good and true to style. The second part of this book is such a comprehensive guide to style I can almost guarantee it will help you improve your scores.

Excellent Reference Book, May 8, 2008
When I first got this book I didn't like it much. Why would I need all of this "data" when my BeerSmith program does all of the calculations for me? But as you perfect your style and technique--you find that you want to know "why" as much as "how". This book is GREAT for that. It is almost compulsively detailed and falls somewhere between a casual brewers how-to book and a full blown textbook of beer. Especially cool are the comparisons of the evolution of different styles; the grain bill comparisons for contest winning examples of styles; and the various graphs and charts which illustrate many of the intricacies of bringing beer within your BJCP guidelines.

I would say that this book is nearly indispensible for the intermediate homebrewer. Once you have figured out how to keep your equipment clean and the basics of brewing, this book is the next logical step. It does not replace a good brewing software program (like ProMash or BeerSmith) but it does let you know what is going on "behind the scenes" in those programs (how is it calculating my lovibond? how is it getting an ABV? why is that a style paramater?).

Get. This. Book.

Excellent book for those who have brewed at least one beer., November 3, 1999
This book is excellent in concept, format and layout. This is a great book for anyone who has brewed a beer or two and wants to venture out. It has been extremely valuable in my efforts to clone commercial beers. This is because it clearly explains the differences in the different beer styles and brewing techniques including great chapters on grain, water, color and fermentation. The book is complete and easy to understand. I would say this is THE book to get after you've finished any basic book such as "The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing".

The author gives all the formulas (and tables for those who don't like math) that assist the brewer in designing his/her next best beer ever. This book is a must. The only thing I would like to have seen would have been an accompanying disk with an MS Excel workbook with all the formulas laid on it. That way I wouldn't have had to do it myself.

A True Bible of Beer, December 27, 2002
I have a shelve full of brewing books, some in Russian, some in English, some in German. This book is absolutely excellent in concept, format and layout. Ray Daniels not only knows a great deal about beer, he knows how to compose and design a great book.

The first section of Ray's book covers the fundamentals of all grain brewing in recipe design and formulation. The second part reviews the most popular beer styles, and throws in a good chunk of history and excerpts from old books and texts, which adds some flavor to this great hobby.

Best book out there on beer, a true bible. Highly recommended.

Missing a few key things, May 12, 2008
This is a really great book overall that gets down and dirty into tons of info on specific styles. The beginning goes over the basic ingredients and techniques, but it's the style chapters that really shine. Daniels has done a ton of research and complied a ton of data to break down exactly what goes into different styles of beer and gives a fantastic building block for designing your own version of the style.
I dock one star for what is missing. There are no mentions at all of the fantastic beers of Belgium, or the American "hybrid" styles like cream ale or amber ale. I love his methodical style of breaking down the beers, and I would really like to see this applied to these styles, especially the Belgians! Also there are a lot of simple grammar errors that any copy editor should have caught that get a bit distracting. I'd say time for a second edition with more beer styles!

2nd best brew book ever!, February 7, 2004
After NEW BREWING LAGER BEER, this has been the most helpful book to get my beer styles just right. It contains hordes of information usually available only in professional works, and doesn't over complicate it. I love this book and always refer to it before I start a new brew. It is the only accurate book that discusses the amount of water retained in your grain, and allows you to calculate the pre brew water quantity more accurately. A must for you home brew library.

Invaluable reference, June 29, 2007
Daniels' book is a must-have for the intermediate brewer. Invariably newcomers to brewing start off with extract kits, which can produce decent beer and have the virtue of simplicity. However, after a few batches, the now-intermediate brewer typically wants more control over the result, which leads to forays into recipe formulation. Daniels provides a wealth of information that can help with that. This book does not provide recipes, but it does provide great information about the fundamentals that you can use to formulate your own recipes. I wouldn't want to be without this book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The world-wide interest in good beer is on the rise, and with it comes a thirst for more knowledge on the subject. The Beer Book offers a wealth of information on all aspects of beer, from its history to popular styles to brewing techniques. This a new generation of beer guide that follows in the large footsteps of Michael Jackson's authoritative title from DK, Ultimate Beer. ... Read more

Reviews

Gerat at what it does!, December 3, 2008
Unlike The Beer Guide, by Oakes, or the Rate Beers website, both of which rate beers, The Beer Book shows what beers are out there, today, with nice photos. Arranged by brewery in each country, it is easy to find your favorite brew, and see what other beers that brewery is making. Nice piece on glasses as well. A wonderful complement to The Beer Guide and an essential, and up-to-date reference.

Great book, just facinating!, January 2, 2009
This is a massive collection and visual journey though the world of beers. As a beer lover myself I could not resist purchasing this book.

This encyclopedia, goes through beers alphabetical and by geographic region, there are sampling notes for the top brews each brewing company makes, as well as nice bright photos of each bottle. inside you will fine walking tours for fantastic pubs around the world, as well as a look at the large breweries themselves and the brew masters who work them.

I only wish it could have even more beers, as only the 2 or 3 beers are mentioned for each brewery, though it is already quite a collection.

Also on the front cover of the book where the title is, is a huge coaster! i got a kick out of that when it arrived! though i would not set any beer on that one!

Get it if you like beer, get it for someone who likes beer, you wont regret it, and it will only expand your appreciation for this delicious brew.

Still Worth Picking Up 2 Years Later, February 27, 2010
This guide has more than just a listing of breweries by country and geographical areas: it has guides on what glassware to use, vignettes on famous breweries, beer tour guides, guides to beer styles, beer and food pairings, etc. Although craft beer is the major focus, the book does not slam major breweries as the collaborators do not want to turn away readers. This helps get more into craft beer! Some breweries have four featured beers and others have two which kind of shows which craft breweries the authors really dig. (or were there space considerations?) Beer geeks will be happy to see craft breweries like 3 Floyds, Russian River, Nogne, Mikkeller, Troegs, Portsmouth, Alesmith, Descutes and others are listed among the hundreds of breweries featured. There is a section in the back for tasting notes. But the book seems more like a coffee table fixture than one I'd carry to the stores, tastings or beer events. The illustrations are bright, vivid, and easy to peruse.
I have to hen peck to list small changes I see needed: put Paulaner in section of German breweries, take Ireland out of "British Isles," add Dark Star to the list of UK breweries, and keep cranking out this book every few years!

Great, Informative Book, July 30, 2009
I bought this book for my boyfriend, who is a growing beer fanatic, and he absolutely loves it. I am a huge fan of DK's encyclopedias, and this book lives up to my standards for them. It has enough pictures to keep him (and me, a non-beer drinker) interested, as well as enough information about the beers so that he can find them to buy when he wants. A great reference for beer drinkers looking to expand their "repetoire".

An excellent resource..., March 20, 2010
Purchased this for my husband as one of my anniversary gifts to him. Seems silly, but we both really love trying new and exotic beers. This is an excellent resource for deciding what to try and even has a log in the back to keep track of your experiences.

The perfect coffee table beer book, November 11, 2009
I got this book for my birthday last year and it's absolutely the best light reading beer book out there. Very fun book that you can look at and read again and again, and never get bored with it. Excellent pictures and paper quality. Love it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

THE WINE BIBLE is like a lively course from an expert teacher, grounded deeply in the fundamentals and enriched with passionate opinions, asides, tips, anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, illustrations, maps, charts, and wine labels-everything, in fact, but the actual wine itself. Beginning with the basics of mastering wine-how to taste with focus and build a wine-tasting memory, understanding the subtle interplay of variety, vineyard, and vintner to demystifying the issue of vintages-it covers the essentials: The emotion and intrigue of Burgundy. Rhne's untamed reds. The flinty pleasures of sauvignon blanc and surprising delicacy of Spain's Riojas. Bordeaux, the largest fine wine vineyard on the globe and epitome of terroir. Fourteen Sonoma wines to know. The importance of finish. Tuscany, kingom of variable microclimates. The precise and food-friendly wines of Germany. The narrow 30-mile stretch of ambition, experimentation, and surpassing quality called Napa. Why the "punt," or indentation in a wine bottle. Australia, where cutting-edge technology meets easy, outgoing, unpretentious character. Plus Austria, New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal, and more.

Eight years in the writing, Karen MacNeil's THE WINE BIBLE takes any reader, at any level of interest and sophistication, and offers the one thing guaranteed to increase his or her pleasure in wine-knowledge.It's illustrated throughout with maps, photographs, charts, wine labes, and has hundreds of boxes featuring historical tidbits, fun wine facts, and wine destinations while traveling. ... Read more

Reviews

Your second wine book, June 28, 2003
The spine on my worn copy of the Wine Bible is cracked and its pages are dog-eared, even though I think the book has several notable shortcomings. As I write this, I find myself in the unusual position of criticizing the thick volume even though I turn to it for information on a regular basis.

My biggest complaint is that I feel the book doesn't really know what it wants to be. On the one hand, it is a comprehensive reference book that in many areas goes into more depth than other general wine books. But it falls short as a reference book because it lacks the scope of books like The World Atlas of Wine or The Global Encyclopedia of Wine, which cover more up-and-coming wine producing countries, more specific producers and, especially in the case of The World Atlas of Wine, are enhanced by beautiful photographs and maps. Though the Wine Bible is substantial (it weighs in at a hefty 910 pages) its design is more compact than the other books I mentioned, and so might make a better travel companion for someone visiting multiple wine producing regions in a single trip. But the lack of good maps makes a supplemental book necessary.

Additionally, the book can feel like a disjointed collection of articles that ought to have been better integrated before publication. Often, the same information (referring to multiple or confusing names for grape varieties or regions, or quality standards in specific countries) is referred to parenthetically several times, often in quick succession -- something unnecessary, especially given the book's excellent glossary.

But despite these criticisms, I find myself referring to the book repeatedly. Part of the reason for that is author Karen MacNeil's pleasing and unpretentious writing style, which somehow manages to please wine lovers of many different levels of knowledge. Ms. MacNeil's passion for wine comes through in the text and her knowledge of the subject is extremely impressive, with her descriptions often compensating for a lack of quality photos. And though I would like to see more wine producing areas covered by the book, the regions she does address are covered extremely comprehensively. The quality of information is also very even: before travels to these areas I have read the book's sections on South Africa, the Mosel, Loire, Ribera del Duero, Languedoc, as well as everything on my adopted home country, and could not detect any ebb in Ms. Mac Neil's enthusiasm or knowledge.

After some thought, I settled on four stars for this review, despite the complaints I have. The book is just too useful and too skillfully written for fewer stars. The next addition, I feel sure, will earn five on my improvised scale.

Once you have moved beyond the most basic level in wine knowledge, this is an important book to have. If you can buy only one book on the subject, this is not the one I would suggest -- The World Atlas of Wine gets my vote for that honor -- but if you were to limit your collection to two books, then I think this is a serious candidate for that second position. Once you've got that much covered, I'd lean toward a book that focuses on your favorite wine producing region or another specific aspect of the subject, like tasting or wine production.

An excellent introduction to wine..., September 4, 2002
A great book for a beginner. This book doesn't rate wines, it teaches you about how they are made, what flavors each grape is known for, what regions grow each type of grape and so on. Immensely useful information. I have used this as

* a learning tool,
* a reference when I'm curious about a wine I've found
* to settle arguments with family over wine labeling
* a reference to decide which wines may be worth trying from a specific region.

As a reference, the book is not encyclopedic, but it doesn't attempt to be either. The book is a bible in the sense that it gives you a good solid overview of a wine region, it's styles of wines, and some of it's representative producers if you want to start trying out the regions wines.

It is quick to point out that the ultimate judge of a wine is the drinker, and you shouldn't be shy to decide you do or don't like a wine despite it's reputation. I like that and believe it is a good approach.

For all who love wine..., November 7, 2002
Utterly fascinating and comprehensive, The Wine Bible is just the right length to provide even the most discriminating oenophile with all the facts needed to quench his thirst. It is difficult to imagine a better overview of all the wine areas of the world. Certainly there are more scholarly tomes, but MacNeil's ebullient and zestful writing style is utterly charming and never wearying, her descriptions of specific wines so lively you can almost taste them. I wanted to rush out and buy all her recommendations.

The layout of the book starts with the basics of how wine is made, what factors make great wine, how to taste, the major grapes and their characters, and other fundamentals. It then proceeds into an extensive look at the countries that produce wine. Each country section breaks down the major wine producing areas within the country, going into great detail to highlight the unique qualities of those areas that bring their wine to life. The country sections also include travel notes, comments about the local food, wineries to visit, and more. At the end of each growing area section, MacNeil includes specific wines of note.

This format makes the subject quite approachable, but also leads to the only complaint I have (and it is not enough to take away anything from the book.) Because of the length (900+ pages), the book is written sectionally. Given the scope, MacNeil wrote it in a manner than lends each section to being self-contained. Because of this, when reading several country sections, MacNeil repeats herself many times, often explaining a concept in a later chapter that she had explained earlier. This is done for clarity sake, especially if the book is being used as a reference. For a complete readthrough, though, one can simply skip over what had already been explained previously.

If you have a passing knowledge of wine and wish to go to the next level (or simply need an approachable, yet complete reference), I can think of no better place to start than The Wine Bible. MacNeil's love of wine certainly comes through and makes this reference a gripping read, one of the few references you'll find hard to put down.

Wine Bible, March 19, 2002
This is a very solid book at least in the opinion of this newcomer to the field of fine wine. There seems to be good coverage for many wine regions around the world, and some good introductory material on the making of wine. The author describes grape types, climate, topography, storage casks, and whatever else may determine the quality and character of wines. The wine industry is not simple, but this book goes to great lengths to make it understandable. Granted it is my first venture into this field, but it appears that this book has something for everyone.

The Title Is Correct -- The Bible of Wine, December 16, 2002
I think "The Wine Bible" (TWB) should be the third book purchase for wine beginners (after "Wine for Dummies" and "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course"). TWB is full of good information. Of course, the first section is a must-read. Then, the sections are split into separate geographical areas and are very good and very detailed, while still being easy to read (the author's "education" background is readily apparent and helpful to the reader). I especially liked the depth of information that is presented in a friendly manner. For example, I wanted more in-depth information on Valpolicella. Most books given only a paragraph to it, if they give anything at all. Over several sections, this book probably had close to three pages (a lot of text on each page) which is about ten times the information of the competition. And no, this book is not lopsided in favor of information on Italy. That is just one example of why this book gets five stars. There are many other cases of information that other books do not contain or they gloss over. This book has a lot to offer.

The Wine Bible, December 12, 2001
There are so many great wines and so little time to taste all the wines of the world. Karen does a fantastic job of boiling down all of the wines to the essence. Or as she puts it wines that deserve our attention. This book is a wealth of information. Read "how to use the book" first. The information about the regions and where to visit and what to taste will make sure this book is a traveling companion for me.
Enjoy your wine journey.

The book to start with, February 17, 2003
So I'm a beer snob, and learning to be a (cheap) wine snob. This book was given me as a gift by my parents, and it is cool.

It won't tell you everything there is to know about wine; that only comes with further reading and lots of tasting. But it's a spectacular foundation to learning the history and traditions involved, and it does a remarkable job of covering its subject without prejudices. The history of recent (i.e. last couple of hundred years) of wine development is the focus -- if you're looking for information on ancient wines you won't find much of it here, but if you want to know how Chile or Australia became the wine-growing powerhouses they are today, this book will tell you everything you might wish to know.

I've no real complaints with the book. There are big holes in its coverage, but wine is a truly gigantic subject and MacNeil has done a great job covering as much ground as she can -- there's great information on most of the major wine-growing countries, starting with France and Italy and going from there. There's even a narrative of sorts, with heroes like Robert Mondavi and the Gallo Brothers who rebuilt the California wine industry with book knowledge when the traditions had been wiped out by Prohibition, and villains like the phylloxera aphid that nearly destroyed the wine industry worldwide before American botanists saved the day by grafting European vines onto American rootstocks. Ancient traditions in France, Germany, and Italy are placed alongside modern innovation in California, Australia, and South America, showing that either way is an effective method for creating a great wine. Champagne is mentioned alongside the humble Spanish cava and party-loving German sekt. And the great old fortified wines -- port, sherry, madeira, marsala -- get their due in detail most people probably never imagined.

It's an excellent book to just open to a random page and flip through. It's informative without being snobbish, and written for both the casual browser and the serious oenophile. Tradition and modern science sit side-by-side, and the reader is bound to find a few little-known future favorites (Argentinian Malbec, in my case, a powerfully flavorful wine that I tried alongside some pot roast) just waiting in the "interesting cheap stuff" bins at the liquor store. Essentially, with this book there's no excuse for buying the cheap stuff in the box, or simply settling for the easy varietals (unless of course that's what you want). If you want to learn about wine and like to read, get this book and the address of a good liquor store.

Perfect for beginners (and professionals), November 9, 2006
I believe that this book knows *exactly* what it wants to be. It doesn't try to be as comprehensive as either "The World Atlas of Wine" or "The Oxford Companion to Wine". What this book is trying to do is appeal to everyone, and be considerably more accessible than the books referenced above. I recently gave this as a gift to my father-in-law who was interested in learning about wine. This was the only book I even considered giving to him. It contains enough information to get someone started, and make them thirsty enough to want more. I would probably follow this up with either "How to Taste" by Jancis Robinson (speaking of thirst...).

Just enough to have you begging for more, March 31, 2006
When I was studying for my Sommelier Diploma our assigned texts could be dry and confusing so I always started off by reading the Wine Bible. The Wine Bible gave me just enough information to jog my memory and I felt as though I had a handle on the basics before moving on to the required reading of our text.

The book is organized by major wine growing regions of the world so you learn about the region (ex. Bordeaux,France or Napa,CA) not by grape or wine type. If you are more interested in finding out what types of wines you would enjoy drinking, then I would suggest Oz Clarke's Understanding Wine. From there I would then suggest moving on to Mr. Clarke's Encylopedia of Grapes.

The information given in the Wine Bible is enjoyable,unintimidating,and easy to read and understand. It wets your appetite (pun intended) just enough so that you want to know more about the subject at the end of each chapter. You can use the book as a reference or read from cover to cover. The only complaint I have of the Wine Bible is that it is over 300 pages which makes it difficult to carry in your purse or backpack. Even with the bulkyness this is the one book that I have chosen on several occasions to take with me on week long vacations.

Fun, useful and amazingly accurate, August 22, 2006
Karen MacNeil's Wine Bible is so ambitious that it seems almost impossible for it to succeed. This book is first of all an encyclopedia, so it sets out to be comprehensive and it succeeds. Almost every bit of knowledge that isn't about a particular vintage can be found here. Remarkably, for an encyclopedia, many of the entries are quite detailed. I was particularly impressed by the section on Austrian and Italian wines (I've spent a fair amount of time in both countries).
Accuracy? It's a rule that everybody makes mistakes and the more ambitious you are, the more you make. But this rule doesn't seem to apply to MacNeil. Some wine snobs of my acquaintance have combed the book looking for errors (they're easy to find in most wine texts). So far, even this punctilious gang has found nothing wrong.
Another impressive thing about this book is its modesty. The author includes a generous bibliography that takes the reader to more detailed sources when it's necessary.

But the reason that you'll pick this book up time and again is its unfailing good writing and good humor. MacNeil is a pleasure to read and one suspects she'd be a pleasure to share a glass of wine with too.

Potential buyers should be aware that this isn't an atlas-real wine loons should have a seperate one of those anyway. The chapter on winemaking is good reading for a novice but leaves out a lot that a specialist might want to know. You won't make your own wine based on The Wine Bible. It's also not a coffee-table book. You'll have to look elsewhere for more pictures of gorgeous vineyards at sunset. But for the single, indispensible wine reference at a great price, you can't beat it.

Lynn Hoffman author of The New Short Course in Wine ... Read more

Editorial Review

For thousands of years humans have enjoyed the taste and nutrition of fermented foods and drinks. We rely on the transformative, almost magical power of fermentation to preserve and improve all sorts of food, making them tastier, more digestible, and more appealing. Author Sandor Katz takes readers on a whirlwind trip through the wild world of fermentation. The book is divided into chapters that focus on particular types of food and Katz provides readers with delicious recipes-—some familiar, others exotic—-that are easy to make at home, including vegetable krauts and kimchis; sourdough breads and pancakes; miso and tempeh; beers, wines, and meads; yogurt and cheeses.

The recipes provide a veritable smorgasbord of tastes, like homemade tempeh, sauerkraut, and borscht, along with a basic description of yogurt and cheese-making, complete with vegan alternatives.Whether you prefer to wash down your meal with Elderberry wine or Nepalese rice beer, there's something here to satisfy any palate.

Katz, a leading expert on the history of these foods, has written a revolutionary and informative culinary guide he calls "a cultural manifesto." He has experimented with many forms of fermentation and has developed and collected a wide range of techniques and recipes from around the world. ... Read more

Reviews

Wild Fermentation, September 15, 2003
This is the only cookbook that I know of that you will read from cover to cover. It is not the dry "do this in this order" kind of book, it walks with you on your culinary endevors like your mom or grandma would, telling you stories along the way, including the secrets that make not just sourdough bread, but unforgettable sourdough bread.

Sandor doesn't just tell us, he shows us, how to be self-sufficient about making and storing food (with little need for a stove or a refrigerator): making sourdough, cheese, miso, making tempeh, making wine, beer and, it seems, almost every other fermented food made the world over. And he gives you a list of resources where you can order the most mundane and exotic of starter cultures and even seaweed from our own Atlantic coast.

And your concept of "self" will never be the same again. He shows us how to reclaim and restore a part of ourselves that has protected us like the ozone layer protects the earth: the world of microbes in and around us, the protective cloak of the microecology that is meant to be a part of us like our skin.

Fermented foods restore a health balance like no probiotics and vitamins can. Happy reading, happy fermenting, happy eating!

viva fermented foods!, October 29, 2003
To refer to this as a 'cookbook' is disingenuous; it's a book about life and living foods! Having first read through a 20-ish page xeroxed copy of Katz' guide to fermented foods, I welcomed the increased breadth and volume covered in this published edition. I especially appreciate the cited references, although some works are relied on too heavily and there is a relative dearth of scientific citations. That said, there are some and the critique is balanced by the realization that Western science and nutrition have not been overly interested in such topics. A friend with Krohn's disease is hopeful it will help him to find foods he can more easily digest. Katz' book is an unconventional guide to storing foods with methods proven useful over centuries of preservation....and years in his own kitchen. It's detailed, thought provoking and contains a host of colorful characters worth reading about all on their own. It gets four stars because I look forward to a 2nd edition - thanks for a fine book!

OH So Good!!!, December 2, 2005
I love this book! I've tried a few of the recipes and just love the results! I can't believe none of the "back to nature" type books and publications I read talk about the simple and healthful ways of preserving food through fermentation!

Sandor does a fantastic job of taking the mystery and careful measuring out of fermentation. Most of the recipes I've read for fermentation say you must follow the recipe exactly or risk food poisoning. I'd rather play around with the recipes, so this is just perfect for me! I'm also impressed with his research into traditional recipes.

I just read that kimchi may cure Avian Flu, and the recipe in this book is a fantastic hit here! We use it as salad dressing with some sesame oil!

This is the cookbook of my dreams!, October 8, 2003
This cookbook has all the mundane and esoteric recipes I've ever wanted to own but have not been able to find all in one glorious place. Non-vinegar pickled pickles? It's there. Amazake? No problem! Kimchee? Likewise! And it's all written in a very intelligent, humorous and engaging manner with short and entertaining anecdotes that do not go on forever or stray far afield. **This book is a gem.** I recently attended a cooking class conducted by the author, who is just as amazing as his cookbook. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for spreading the gospel of these traditional and oh-so-nourishing foods. I own about 60 cookbooks, by the way, and this book is in my top five. I can't say enough good things about it. Buy this book!

Highly Recommended Modern Treatment of Ancient Technique, June 26, 2004
`Wild Fermentation' by Sandor Ellix Katz appears like a living fossil of the sixties counterculture, surfacing after forty years of being both shaped and scarred by the currents and tides of the last forty years. The author is a member of a very sixties hippie influenced rural community whose lifestyle seems to be grown directly from the soil laid down by `The Whole Earth Catalogue', `Easy Rider', `Alice's Restaurant', and the Hog Farm, but without any trace of the Merry Pranksters' antics or inclinations towards mind-altering drugs. The shaping of the last forty years is seen in the author's being HIV positive AIDs infected young man with a major interest in sharing his passion for fermented foods with the rest of the world through modern publishing and scholarly rigor.

Fermented food products are probably much more common in our lives today than they have been since the advent of the processed foods industry. And, this is a fact that even the average foodie may not be conscious. A quick inventory of fermented foods commonly used in modern American homes will show how widespread they have become.

The most obvious fermented product is beer, which has always been with us. Their cousins, wines and meads are also the product of fermentation. Virtually all cheeses are produced by fermentation, and our interest in and consumption of artisinal cheeses is rising fast. Yogurt is a close cousin of cheeses and consumption of yogurt has been rising since the early seventies. Sauerkraut and Choucroute have been with us since the beginning, but Asian fermented cabbage such as Kimchee and other fermented vegetables are becoming more popular. Pickles have also been a part of western cuisine for millennia Another part of the increasing interest in Asian foods is an increase in consumption of miso and tempeh, both from fermented soybeans. Asian fermented fish sauces from Thailand and Vietnam are also much more common today than they were 50 years ago. The granddaddy of fermented foods for Western cultures is yeast bread, especially sourdough breads.

Fermentation has at least four beneficial results, two of which have been known since prehistoric times. The first and most important effect is that fermentation is a method of natural preservation by the creation of acetic acid (acid in vinegar) or lactic acid (acid from milk sugar). The second, represented most clearly by the brewing of beer, is in the action of microorganisms on sugars to produce ethanol (alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor). The third is based on our physiological salivation response to acidic foods, or even the anticipation of acidic foods, thereby making the mouth feel of these foods more succulent by the combination of natural food moisture and our own saliva. Ancients may have sensed the last beneficial result, but it probably has not been fully realized until the 20th century. This is the ability of fermentation to break down foods which were hard to digest into different products which are both easier to digest and more nutritious. The two best examples of this action are the conversion of soy carbohydrates into miso and the conversion of milk into yogurt.

All of this has made fermentation into a darling of vegan advocates, as it broadens the range of useable non-animal protein and makes it all more palatable. It has also made fermentation into a favorite of alternate lifestyle nutritionists such as Sally Fallon, the author of the excellent book `Nourishing Traditions' who supplied a Foreword to this book. Fermentation is also one of the hallmarks of the slow food movement. Aside from the North African method for preserving lemons, I know of no other culinary methods that take as long to complete.

Anyone who has made pickles, sourdough bread, or beer should have a very good idea of the times involved in fermentation. And this doesn't even get into some of the olfactory `delights' that accompany the process of fermentation.

The author covers all of the types of fermentation mentioned above, devoting the greatest amount of space to vegetable, bean, and dairy fermentation. Bakers should not miss the lesser attention paid to breads, as for every book on yogurt, pickles, and kraut, there are ten books which cover artisinal baking with its sourdough sponges, poolishs, and begas.

On the political front, the most active issue regarding fermentation is the issue of unpasteurized cheeses being imported into or made in the United States. It is truly ironic that the home of Louis Pasteur relishes their raw cheeses while the squeaky-clean US won't let it in.

Aside from the thoroughly careful presentation the author gives of his material, the veracity of the book is strengthened by the extensively footnoted research behind his statements and the fact that the fruits of fermentation are essential to the lifestyle of the author and his comrades at their rural homestead. The similarity to both the hippie counterculture doctrines and the Amish lifestyle are unmistakable. One would almost take them for being scions of the Amish except for the names cited in the acknowledgments that I found myself checking against the names of the communities' goats. We owe this book in part to humans who go by the names Echo, Nettles, Leopard, Orchid, Spark, Book Mark, and Ravel Weaver.

I also thank Echo, Nettles, Leopard, et al and author Sandor Ellis Katz for this deeply thought out exposition of a pervasive and growing part of the modern culinary and nutritional environment.

This book may not be for everyone, or even for every foodie, but if anything I said sounds a chord in your psyche, I recommend you get a copy of this book and read it carefully.

There is no guide better than this one!!, January 31, 2004
This book is trully awesome. My husband has Crohn's disease which affects his digestive system and he was told that he needed to recolonize his gut with good bacteria and one of the ways is to eat fermented vegetables. This book guided me thru the process joyously and easily. Well researched and fun to read. Recipes for all kinds of vegies, dairy ferments and breads. Makes you pine for the simpler life in an intentional community.

Not a "Flip Open and Cook" Kind of Book, April 11, 2010
While the introductions to the chapters and the recipes definitely catch my interest and make me want to prepare these recipes, I am finding over and over again that the recipes are not written in a way where you could flip to the page and go.

Frequently, the instructions refer in an unclear manner to a different recipe that you need to follow in part, but make some changes.

Other times one of the ingredients is a recipe in itself, but no page number is given for where to find these extra instructions. For instance, many recipes call for "honey water," but give no information about how to prepare "honey water" or where in the book to find this concoction, leaving you to page through and search for it. Once you find honey water, you find that it is in a recipe for honey wine. Are the the recipes that call for "honey water" intending for you to use the ingredients from this honey wine recipe or use the final product? No answer is apparent.

I feel like I will have to re-write each of these recipes to include their FULL INSTRUCTIONS to make them user friendly. I don't know whether this was a choice made to save space, a sign of a disorganized mind, or simple laziness on the part of the author.

The stuff of life, January 17, 2004
I didn't expect how much I'd get into this when I picked it up, but Sandor's writing is clear and engaging and the subject is universal. I love that he talks about the history and the culture of fermentation alongside the concrete details of just making it work yourself with the kinds of things you have at hand.

It's true that fermentation is a fundamental chemical process that human beings have used for thousands of years to make food edible and tasty, but we've lost touch with that when we peel back the plastic on store-bought food. We've also forgotten the magical transformations involved, and this book lets you do that for yourself. Now I just have to find a good crock somewhere.

Awesome, October 19, 2005
I love this book, I have made sourdough bread and ginger beer. They both turned out great. I am now looking to make kimchi and sauerkraut. Recipes are easy to follow and taste great. Love it.

For those looking for an introduction to fermenting, April 9, 2005
In response to the two-star reviewer...could you direct me to the pages where you found those anecdotes and transexual behavior? Because I've had the book for a few days, read most of it, and didn't find any of those anecdotes. I skimmed through the whole book to check, and I didn't find any. The closest he comes to doing so is describing his experiences in dealing with AIDS, and how his passion for fermented foods have aided him in this process. That's far off from anecdotes about sexual behavior. Maybe you were reading an earlier edition of the book.

Anyways, I like this book because it addresses all of the subconscious thoughts that I had about fermentation, such as why we ferment foods, how we discovered the process, and the subjectivity of distinctions between foods fermented to perfection and rotten foods. Most of all, I like how he encourages us to experiment and tells us that fermentation does not require precision and control, as others may tell us. The simplest recipe in the book involves leaving fresh apple cider out. I also like his desire for us to recycle foods as much as possible, such as by making fruit peel vinegars. He gives us about fifty recipes, which includes all of the popular items, such as sauerkraut, miso, and beer, along with a few more obscure ones, and he encourages us to experiment with these. Although over half of the book seems to be anecdotes and stories, they give helpful knowledge for anyone new to fermentation. You may find his writings on the analogy of fermentation to cultural revolution and the process of life cheesy. (Damn, I spent more time on this review than I wanted to.) ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A great starter book for the beginning juicer, May 20, 2005
I recently inherited a lower end store bought juicer ( Juiceman, it is a very nice starter model, btw.). I ordered up a handful of juicing books through my library system and 'The Big Book of Juices & Smoothes' came in first not only to my house but the first for ease of use, layout & design and understanding. It is layed out according to the main product you want to use, say you have a bunch of carrots as the main ingredient, you go to that section. It is all well thought out.

After just a week of juicing for breakfast and an afternoon snack, I have to say that I am hooked and look forward to trying veggies and fruits of the exotic nature that were eschewed before due to the " How do I prepare this?" factor.

Natalie Savona has a way of mixing together fruits and veggies that would normally make you think, " Ugh...that sounds awful." but after trying a few root veggies and citrus fruit combos of hers, I've found her little comments about each drink are spot on.

Under every recipe is a Star Chart that rates the following:
Energy, Detox, Immuinity, Digestion and Skin. One to Five star rating of what exactly that recipe will help you in whatever area you feel you need. This is very nice as you can flip right through the book when you have a raging cold and look for the 5 Star Ratings on Immunity to see what produce you have on hand to help nourish your body.

An example of a recipe: #130 Easy Morning

3 carrots
1 apple
1/2 orange
1 stick of celery
1/2 inch of ginger root.

I prefer this now over regular orange or apple juice in the morning. So do my kids, who are 7 and 5. They also enjoy putting the fruit into the juicer and watching it get pulverized. YAY!

The plus side of juicing is taking out the pulp mush and putting it into your compost. It's a win-win situation, really. Good for you. Good for the Earth. YMMV :)

I liked this book so much, I am buying it after a very satisfying test drive from the library system.

This book, January 12, 2007
Is a lifesaver. From getting so overwhelmed with the exotic concoctions in the juice/smoothie books which sit on my shelf, I happened to pick this one up at the local juice bar. The girl there apologetically said it wasn't for sale, but from what I read whilst standing there, I have to say I have never had a book impress me so much in so few seconds. I ordered one, and the rest is history.
1. Brilliant,logical layout
2. Non overwhelming recipes (for those of us who don't want to live in the kitchen)
3. Surprisingly informative, from the basic fruit/ veg nutritional facts at the start to the 1 to 5 star rating after each recipe. Brilliant.
I love this book. It is my favourite, and as a raw foodist, I have stacks of books.
If you buy it, you'll see what I mean.

Very few ingredients needed for tasty smoothies, October 1, 2005
Originally I bought this book for my father in law, who is a cancer survivor and on a liquid diet. I thought the immunity and energy smoothies would help. He loves the book, b/c he was trying to create his own smoothies, with some gross results. (not to mention a huge waste of money on the ingredients!) Then I decided to buy the book for myself. Last year I had purchased a $$ vita-mix blender from a home show and had never used it..(which pissed my husband off immensely) The book of recipes it came with had so many ingredients, some, in which my opinion werent the healthiest. This book is excellent, with most smoothies having just 3-4 ingredients! Our fave is Morning Mash, with an orange, 2 bananas, a pear and 8 tbsp of apple juice! Delicious!

Try this for 2 weeks, January 8, 2005
No one likes to eat vegatables and this is such an easy way to do it! The book shows you certain combinations of vegetables and fruits to detox, cleanse and add energy to your body. I FELT results in 2 days. I bought a juicer at Wal-Mart for $50.00 and left it on the counter and once or twice a day I would juice a meal instead of eating empty caloeries and I felt INSTANT results I had energy and was not slugish in the late afternoon.
This is also a great way to get kids to get more nutrious things in their body. The drinks look gross sometimes BUT when you follow the combinations on the book the fruits overpower the vegatables in taste and you do not taste them especially the BEETS!
Anyone who wants to make an easy change in their diet can do this it takes 5 mins to do and clean up and the benefits are so wonderful!

Excellent Juicing book in EVERY aspect, August 14, 2008
I wont ever need another juicing book (nor do i want one). This book has everything a newcommer to juicing, like myself, or even an experienced juicer could use.
The recipes aren't too simple to where its like, "Duh, i know you juice lemons to make lemon juice.", but they aren't too complicated either. There is such variety in here that anyone is likely to find something that they would like. Natalie Savona even leaves helpful litle descriptions on each recpie of the juice (or smoothie) and even goes so far as to leave the vitamins in each recipie as well as a rating of 0 to 5 stars of the value it has pertaining to; energy, detoxification, immunity, skin health, and digestive health.
If you are into to juicing PICK THIS UP. I have read enough crappy reviews of other juicing books to fill this lengthy post up 100 times. Don't waste your money on anything else.

Wonderful!, July 9, 2008
I just love this book. The first great thing is that it is spiral bound so you can leave it open to the recipe while you make it. There are hundreds of recipes for juices, smoothies, frozen fruit slushes, fizzy quenchers and even some fruit infused teas. Every drink has a side bar on the things it is good for ie: detox, energy etc. and in the back it lists various ailments and which drinks are good for them.On top of this all the drinks I have tried so far have been wonderful. I am very pleased with this book.

excellent juices, January 4, 2006
I recently bought this book and so far I really love it and enjoy every juice I make. I love the idea that she arranged the juices by the kinds of fruits and veggies you want to use and that every juice has ratings for immunity, detox, skin, energy and digestion.
I higly reccomend this book.

Great for beginners, July 24, 2010
This was the first recipe book that I bought on juicing, and I really enjoy it. It gives a great and easy to understand introduction on juicing and why it is so beneficial. Another great point of the book is the star ratings based on skin, immunity, energy, etc. The back of the book even gives lists of ailments and then tells you corresponding recipes that are good to alleviate the symptoms.

The only downside to this book is it is mostly fruit and doesn't have many vegetable juicing recipes. Carrots are used, but for the main ingredients there isn't celery, spinach, parsley, etc. If you're looking for an introduction to juicing and want to get into it slowly, I would recommend starting with this because the fruit mixtures are great and tasty and then you mix a little carrot in them and as you continue, experiment and include more vegetables.

Overall, great book!

Great book but could be a little better, December 11, 2008
Definitely a great book for a beginner juicer! You CANNOT imagine how great some juices taste! The recipes are simple and straightforward to make and after you see some of the recipes, you almost feel like trying new ones on your own. For those of you who have never tried anything other than bottled juice, this will definitely be a pleasant change. The only thing I find missing in this book (which is why I gave it 4 stars) is some kind of calorie count for the juices. It is certain that the primary source of calories for all juices (not smoothies) will be only carbs and they may not be too much but it will be definitely a lot easy to add a juice to your diet plan if only you knew how many calories the glass of juice contains. Since there is very little information for each of the juices given in the book (and a lot of empty space around it), it will be a real plus if approximate calorie count is added (since calorie count will depend on the quantity of juice extracted which in turn depends on the size of the fruit or vegetable). But otherwise, definitely recommended!

Great Layout !, September 29, 2007
Great layout, great pictures, and great information! This book has a nice selection of fruit drinks and vegetable drinks as well. Each drink has a 5 section, 5 star rating. There is a spot on nutrition so you know the vitamins and minerals you are getting. A great book to keep you healthy! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Beer. It's the most popular drink in the world. Enjoyed at ballparks, in home-away-from-home pubs, on the family room sofa, and in every kind of restaurant, beer is at ease in any setting. For all beer lovers who have known the pleasure of draining a pint, Randy Mosher explores and explains the complete tasting experience as it applies to all the wonderful brews of the world.

Beer may be the common beverage of the people, but it is far from simple. With 10,000 years of history, more than 900 identified flavors, dozens of styles, and thousands of breweries around the world, beer is as complex as its grape-based neighbors in the liquor stores. It is an artistic creation, brewed from dozens of possible ingredients and processed in hundreds of different ways. Mosher guides readers to a better understanding of how every batch of beer is affected by each of the brewmaster's choices — recipe formulation, brewhouse procedures, yeasts, fermentations, carbonation, filtration, packaging, and much more.

Beer can be light, dark, mild, strong, flat, or fizzy. Hundreds of tastes can be detected in beer, from resin to toast, and from apple to smoke. Readers will learn how to identify the scents, colors, flavors, and mouth-feel of all the major beer styles. There are also chapters on proper serving and storage conditions, and classic beer and food pairings.

The second half of the book is a style-by-style compendium of the different brews within major beer families, including American craft brews, British lagers, German ales, and Belgian Dubbels. For each style there are historical and regional facts, taste and aroma characteristics, seasonal availability, food pairings, and a few terrific recommendations for readers to sample.
... Read more

Reviews

A Must-Have for Current or Aspiring Beer Geeks, November 23, 2009
Before I review Randy Mosher's "Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink," let me give you a few calibration points so you can decide whether to take my opinions seriously or not. I definitely qualify as a serious beer geek. My travels around the U.S. nearly always involve visits to brewpubs. I'll drive hundreds of miles out of my way to have a pint of good craft brew, and I attend as many beer festivals each year as I possibly can. My favorite beers are Imperial stouts, barleywines and Imperial I.P.A.s, such as Alesmith's Speedway, Stone's Old Guardian and Moylan's Hopsickle (among many others). I enjoy the occasional Belgian (the funkier the better), and I consider Fat Tire to be an overly hyped "training-wheels beer" for people who don't know any better. I couldn't choke down a Bud, Coors or Miller if I were dying of thirst, and (yes, it's true) I tend to be a little snobbish toward people who are unwilling to expand their beer tastes beyond the Big Three. So, with that said, what did I think of "Tasting Beer?"

Well, there's a remarkable amount of information in its 247 pages, all of it presented in a very nicely integrated text-and-picture form. No matter what aspect of beer culture you're interested in, you'll find it covered to a useful level of detail in "Tasting Beer." Do you want to know more about the history of beer? It's in there, from 10,000 years BCE to the present, in a fascinating 22-page section. Do you want to improve your abilities to taste beer, and to accurately describe its qualities and complexity? It's in there--you'll learn how to distinguish 25 common flavors such as diacetyl, isoamyl acetate and fusels, and whether they're desirable or not. Are you interested in becoming more sophisticated in pairing beer with food? It's in there, both general guidelines and specific recommendations. Do you want to bone up on the bewildering variety of beer styles available? They're all in there, from the lightest adjunct lagers to Imperial stouts. Each style is described and characterized in great detail, including suggestions for which beers you should try that best represent the styles. There's a whole chapter on the modern American craft beer movement and its new styles such as wet-hopped ales, ultra-strong beers and other experimental types. I found the charts showing beer color, strength, etc., as a function of style to be especially interesting and useful, although all of the graphics and figures are exceptionally well done.

"Tasting Beer" is the best single volume of beer lore that I've read in many years. It is so good that a few of my other older beer books became redundant and have now found their way into the public library donation box. There should still be a place in the beer lover's inventory for such books as Roger Protz's "The Ale Trail" and Garrett Oliver's "The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food." But if you own only one beer book, "Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink," should be it. Cheers!

An Excellent Introduction to the World of Beer, April 2, 2009
Randy Mosher has been well-known in serious beer and homebrewing circles for years. His earlier book, Radical Brewing, is a classic for anyone interested in brewing and a wondrous font of cool recipes for beers to brew at home. Tasting Beer is a much more approachable work, aimed more at the general audience of beer drinkers out there than at us "beer geeks". It provides a broad overview of styles, tips on pairing beer with food, proper glassware and serving techniques, historical perspectives, and even the basics of sensory evaluation of beer. Profusely illustrated, including many helpful charts and diagrams comparing various styles of beer, this really is an exceptional work. It would make a perfect gift for anyone who is at all interested in any aspect of modern craft brewing. I like to think I'm fairly well-read when it comes to beer, but I was still fascinated and picked up several new and interesting beer facts.

If you're at all interested in beer, don't miss this great new book!

Very Recomendable Overview of Beer's Diversity and History, June 17, 2009
Tasting Beer is a good all around introduction to the history, diversity, and enriching ways to explore beer.
While it might be useful to share with beer novices and help break quite a few stereotypes and misunderstanding, it is also a nice volume for beer aficionados with plenty of advice and insightful background.

If anything the book might suffer from some top-down style narrative. Mosher tries hard to be amicable and casual, and more often than not does it well, but his occasional cheekiness sometimes can have a patronizing undertone. And while certainly this is a book that emcompasses a broad Western global perspective of beer, he slips a few times adressing exclusively a US readership, which for obvious reasons I find limiting and unnecessary.

And yet, these flaws remain in the background of what is a quite recommendable book. While I am just a small aficionado, he supported and expanded those things that I felt comfortable in knowing already, and excited the senses to explore quite a few that I did not know about, or did not know at that level of detail.

"Tasting Beer" is an industry must-read, March 18, 2009
Mosher's latest dissertation upon beer is a must-have, not just for beer lovers, but for everyone in the business of "taste". This book gives you the vocabulary and the sensory methodology to objectively evaluate beer- but the tasting disciplines can also be applied to other beverages and foods. Detailed beer style descriptions abound and the work of organizing a tasting, pairing, or epicurean expedition is already done for you. A fun and interesting read. I highly recommend "Tasting Beer" by Randy Mosher.

Required reading for anyone interested in beer!, February 25, 2009
Randy Mosher is one of the most talented and knowledgeable beer writers. His first book, Radical Brewing, should be on the bookshelf of every homebrewer, and "Tasting Beer" brings it to beer drinkers in general.

If you're at all interested in really understanding beer, brewing, drinking, and eating with beer, this is the perfect start.

This should be a textbook for any restaurant even thinking of adding craft beer to their menu.

Highly recommended!

Michael Shannon
BJCP Certified Beer Judge

Great book, August 28, 2009
This book is a great book for any beer lover whether you are going to be a beer judge or not. Mosher goes through history, tips, and loads of information on beer and tasting. The book begins with a very brief history of beer and moves pretty quickly into the aspects of tasting. Mosher uses the most up to date information (apparently we can taste 6 types of flavor rather than the main 4 that we were all taught in elementary school - and the old locations on the tongue were incorrect) to educate and teach the reader as well as to enhance the experience of tasting in general. The final section of the book looks through the different styles and what to look for in each one. Overall a great resource for any beer lover.

A Complex, Full-Bodied Education on America's Frothiest Beverage: Beer, July 26, 2009
As complex as a full-bodied ale, //Tasting Beer// reveals the depth and versatility of this ancient brew. Author Randy Mosher provides an in-depth history of beer, the scientific reaction our bodies have to taste, sight, and smell, and notes on beer vocabulary (which includes words other than "cheers!"). It must be noted that this is a richly educational book, and passive enthusiasts need not approach it. Mosher wants his reader to gain a deeper appreciation of the brewing process, the differences between pale ales and lagers, in which glass to serve your frothy beverage, and how regions of the world from America to Belgium are crafting unique varieties. Mosher even grants you permission to send a beer back--and you'll learn why. Beyond popping open the bottle at a pizza parlor, you'll learn about pairing beer with food and how to make the most of a beer festival. Once hooked (as if you weren't already), you'll learn how you can continue to expand your beer appreciation through beer forums, home brewing, and more books about beer. Most true beer lovers understand this is a complex beverage. If you want to know why, dive into this satisfying book--and make sure to do so with a cold one in your hand!

Reviewed by
Amber K. Stott

Warning: Graphs not visible in Kindle Edition, August 24, 2010
This is an awesome book for beer drinkers and beer brewers alike. Randy Mosher really goes into a lot of detail on beer in his book. I am about halfway through and still learning a lot (as a beer brewer).

Fair warning - if you get the Kindle edition, you can't see the graphs with the Kindle 1 or the Kindle 2. (You may be able to with the DX, I don't own one so I am not sure). I would still get the book for the Kindle for the content (so I did not mark it down) but if the graphs are important, you may want to stick with the print edition.

Perfect Introduction, May 15, 2010
I havent completed the book yet, but so far this is exactly was I was looking for.
It is well written and entertaining to read all while being very informative on the important aspects of appreciating your beer. This book covers the different types of beer & what makes them unique, how to identify flavors & smells, proper pouring, proper glassware, and basic brewing & ingredients.
Definitely recommend for anyone that want to appreciate beer outside of BBQs and beer pong.

Great tour through beer tasting and the palate, April 13, 2010
What I love about this book is the neuroscience stuff -- how the palate experiences beer. It's technical while still being accessible, with basic maps of the olfactory system, gustatory system, etc.

It's also a great overview of how beer is made, beer styles, etc.

Along with The Beer Trials The Beer Trials (ratings guide -- just released), the world of beer writing has just gotten a lot deeper. Beer is really happening.

Randy Mosher is a true beer renaissance man. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, the landmark best-selling malt whiskey companion by the late Michael Jackson, doyen of whiskey writers, has been comprehensively updated by a team of experts. Featuring over 500 new bottlings, reviewed and scored, plus hundreds of revised entries, Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch includes background information on the distilleries, tasting notes on over 1,000 bottlings, and practical advice on buying malts and interpreting whiskey labels. ... Read more

Reviews

THE guide to Single Malts, May 10, 2002
I consider myself an above-average (although by no means an expert) fan of Scottish single malts, and I own several books on the subject. I find "Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" to be the most comprehensive, intelligible and above-all useful book in my whisky library.

While no book can take the place of sitting down and doing some tastings, buying whisky by the glass for tasting can be prohibitively expensive. If you are buying by the bottle, it becomes an even greater investment, and figuring out your individual tastes will be a considerable investment. Michael Jackson's guide goes a long way in the selection process, leading you to the whiskys most likely to meet your pallet. Each whisky is outlined, explained and graded. It will at least give you an idea of what to expect when approaching an unfamiliar label.

This book definitely falls into the "If you only own one book about single malt..." category.

So Many Scotches, So Little Time, October 10, 2001
As a novice Scotch drinker, I often found myself in the local liquor store standing in front of the whisky displays feeling a little like Sir Edmund Hillary before Everest- wondering just where to start. Scotch, like wine or music, is an incredibly personal thing, and there are numerous brands to appeal to a wide array of palates. By my ignorance hasn't cost me, because I tend to buy what I already know I like rather than risk forty of fifty dollars on a malt that I won't like. So, rather than risk money on a malt that will just sit on the shelf, I tend to only buy various Glenmorragie, Glenfiddich, etc. In restaurants I always seem to be stuck with the 12 year old Glenlivet, since liquor barons Seagrams seems to have control of every restaurant's alcohol supply. And while on a day trip to Stillwater, Minnesota we ate a restaurant that had an impressive list of Scotches, (I consider any more than 3 or 4 types impressive), and I tried a 15 year old Glenkeith that amazed me.

It finally dawned on me that after nearly a year of conservative tasting, i.e. not going beyond what I have listed above, that perhaps I need an expert opinion. Michael Jackson's "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches" seems to fit the bill nicely. Inside are personal reviews of over 800 Scotches from Scotland and Ireland, plus a brief history of Scotch is discussed. To my chagrin, Jackson seems to have taste for peatier Islay malts like Laphroaig and Talisker, malts that I have yet to mature enough to enjoy. He does give high marks to what I already drink, with the Glenmorangies scoring in the 80's on a scale of 100. The Scotches he seems to most enjoy are those bottled by the MaCallan in the Speyside region. And again the MaCallan's seem to have an abundance of peat.

Overall, though, the book is marvelous. Well illustrated with clear photographs of lables to give a reader some idea of what they can look for in a store when making a purchase. His descriptions of Nose, Body, Palate and Finish are clear and concise enough that even a novice drinker like me can understand the meanings, especially when it came to what I already drink. Scotch seems to have become trendy again, and I'd like to think that I am not following that trend, because as so many people have told me, drink what I like rather than what everyone else tells you to. So I plan to start experimenting, with the "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches", I have a better direction. And maybe in time I will come to like Islay malts. Time will tell.

Classic work, November 28, 2002
The discovery by Americans of single-malt whisky back in the 80's and 90's was one of the most interesting stories in the food and beverage market ever. This event by itself probably prevented a number of distilleries from closing, and several, such as the great Ardbeg, which had been moth-balled, were perhaps reopened as a result.

Some great but lesser known malts, like Edradour, found new appreciation for their tiny output abroad. Edradour, for example, produces less in a year than some distilleries do in a week, like Tomatin (the Edradour distillery only has 3 employees and only makes 2 barrels a week). Others, such as the Islays like Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Bowmore, and even the oddly dual-natured Caol Isla, with its both sweetish and phenolic character, were already known in Scotland but garnered new fans here in America. As in Scotland, the Islays are not to everybody's taste, but I know people here who will hardly touch a drop of anything else--an amazing testament to the enthusiasm that has developed in America even for the stronger and more exotic malts. And probably no book did more to make that happen than Jackson's great little books on single-malt scotch.

On a personal note, sometimes even the Scots themselves failed to appreciate how far American sensibilities had come with respect to single malts. I had the experience 20 years ago, when still a young man, of sitting in a bar at the south end of Loch Lommond, and having a well-meaning bartender refuse to serve me some Laphroaig. He insisted on giving me Royal Brackla from an old bottle, itself a great malt. But he thought this young American didn't know what he was asking for, and I think he was worried he might do in a perfectly good, paying customer with a draught of the pungent, phenolic, peaty, and iodine-tasking Laphroaig.

These books taught me a lot and I have all 3 editions. They're great for learning to appreciate the particular aspects and flavors of a malt, and as I've been tasting single-malts for 20 years, I've found Mr. Jackson's descriptions to be very accurate and informative. In many cases, after learning from his description, I was able to go on and detect things that weren't even in the book--a great testament to his skill as a teacher and writer. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have been able to educate my sense of taste nearly as expertly.

There is no better way to learn about single malts than to take samples of several malts and then taste and compare them using this book. After you're tasted a couple of dozen malts you should be able to get a good sense of what's going on and be able to go on from there.

A good way to do this is to pick a couple of classic malts from each category, say a couple of lowlands, a couple of highlands or Speysides, and a couple of Islays, and taste them alongside each other with this book. Some of the malts are just so unique or special that they deserve tasting by themselves--as in the case of Clynelish and Highland Park, or Caol Isla and Talisker, or the often overlooked but wonderful lowland malt, Littlemill, with its sweet cocoanut, English toffee, and creme de caramel flavors.

Well, I could go on for a while about interesting things to do for tastings, but I will leave the rest of that to you, hopefully by way of this book, except for one last recommendation. The great Victorian connoisseur and single-malt scotch authority Professor Shaftsbury considered mixing together some Clynelish and Longmorn to be possibly the greatest drink in the world. So you might give it a try sometime and see what you think. Good luck and happy tasting!

A welcome update of a classic guide, February 11, 2000
Many of us have learned to appreciate the variety within the world of single malt whiskies with a wee dram in one hand and an opened copy of Michael Jackson's guide in the other. The new 1999 edition of this classic work on single malts is a welcome update. It includes all of the information from earlier editions and adds reviews of many even more whiskies than were included in the last edition. Jackson's descriptions and opinions are accurate and they are fun to read. Running Press has done a first rate job in publication of the material; it is a beautiful book.

If you are new to the world of single malts and want a single reference, this is the place to start (although you should also seek out the writings of such authors as Charles MacLean and Jim Murray). If you already have an earlier edition of this book, the 1999 edition is still worth getting for all of the new reviews.

Thanks to Michael Jackson for his outstanding work.

Going To The Candy Store?, January 17, 2001
Do not, repeat, do not, go to a well stocked liquor store in search of single malt scotch without this book. I've been a follower of Michael Jackson for some time now in the beer world. When I decided to branch out into single malts my wife ordered me this book and I've found it invaluable. If you are familiar with Mr. Jackson's work in the beer world, this book is the equivalent of his pocket guide to beer. Read it, put it in your car and take it with you to the liquor store like a good friend, and, like a good friend, it will give you good advice and never desert you.

If you already have a few single malts, read the reviews and see what Mr. Jackson says about them. Take that information and you'll be able to find other winners, guaranteed. I've found that my single malts must be aged as close to the sea as possible. I appreciate the highland malts but the sea is me. Where do your favorite malts come from? Read the book, live it and see.

Still The Best, June 26, 2005
Consider this a devil's advocate of a review. I would not be without this book; it is still the best guide to single malt whisky available. However, with the fifth edition, it has become apparent that the burgeoning world of whisky has surpassed the ability of Jackson, or any writer, to keep up. It's well known among afficionados that a number of very popular single malts have changed subtly over the past five or ten years, and Jackson's notes on them have not been updated. It would be nice if he would at least note the date each tasting was made. There are also one or two questionable editorial choices made. No fewer than twenty-seven pages are devoted to Macallan (which is generally not at all peaty, by the way!), including notes on many rare vintages that the average user of this book will never see, much less taste. Meanwhile, the venerable Bowmore distillery is given the short shrift of three pages, and half of its standard bottlings are not listed at all.

Despite my quibbles, I would still recommend this as the one book on single malts to have, if you could only have one. But if there's one thing I've learned in several years of whisky appreciation, it's that opinion is subjective, and the more opinions you can read, the better a picture you will have. Get this one first, for sure, and then get Jim Murray's Whisky Bible (available at amazon.co.uk, if not here). At that point you will either be sated, or off and running. The saying "The more you know, the more you know what you don't know" is nowhere more true than in the world of whisky.

A "Must Have" Book for Malt Whisky Drinkers, January 28, 2000
This is one of two "must own" books for serious Malt Whisky drinkers. It contains the most comprehensive list of Single Malt Scotch Whisky available. For each, Mr Jackson provides a history of the distillery, his ranking (1-100 points) and (most valuable) detailed tasting notes on each. Michael Jackson is perhaps the most highly respected figure in Scotch Malt Whisky tasting. Photographs of the labels are provided for many selections. If you love the variety and expirience of sampling Single Malt Scotch Whisky, buy this book.

Essential, Inspired & Inspiring Guide to the "Water of Life", November 3, 2004
"Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" is a truly great reference for the connoisseur and novice alike. This 5th edition includes descriptions and scores for over 1,000 single malt Scotches, about 250 more than the previous edition. It is a handsome volume, well-organized and printed on slick high-quality paper. The book has an attractive, durable cover instead of a dust jacket.

The "Complete Guide"'s first 80 pages are dedicated to educating the reader about whiskies in general and single malt Scotches in particular. Ten chapters discuss a useful variety of topics: trends, origins, definitions of terms used in labeling, the influence of the terrain on flavor, the characteristics of various regions, the significance of age, the woods used in casks, and a list of the companies that own Scotch distilleries, with some explanation of their history. The chapter on Flavours is particularly interesting. Michael Jackson is a good writer. His explanations are clear without being dull, and they will leave few questions in the minds of readers who are new to Scotch whisky.

The core of the Guide is the "A-Z of Single Malts". Michael Jackson explains his scoring system and the components of his tasting notes: colour, nose, body, palate, and finish. Then he launches into descriptions of more than 1,000 Scotches produced by, I believe, over 90 distilleries. A few paragraphs explain a little bit about each distillery's history and unique characteristics. The Producer (owner), Region, District, and Address are listed for each distillery, as well as telephone, e-mail and web site where it is available. I found that the palate and finish descriptions took some getting used to before I was able to reconcile Jackson's description to how the malt really tastes. He has a sensitive palate, which has become, or always was, keen to certain nuances. I'm sure everyone is different in that sense, but I picked up on his meaning after a while. His attempts to describe all aspects of the sensory experience unique to each whisky are most helpful and impressive. It is a pleasure to browse his descriptions. The book's single imperfection is the absence of pronunciation guides. The pronunciations of some distillery names are mysterious to those unaccustomed to hearing Scottish words.

In the last pages of the "Complete Guide', Jackson gives us some general information on whiskies from Ireland, the United States, Japan, Asia, and continental Europe. There are also brief descriptions of some vatted malts and Jackson's recommendations for how best to enjoy whisky.

A good attempt at updating the classic, March 16, 2010
Michael Jackson died in 2008 and his book had not been updated since 2004. The malt whisky industry has changed greatly since then. The goal of these three editors was to update Michael's classic book while trying to do it as he would have himself.

The layout of the book is in alphabetical order by distillery. There is a short half-page introduction to each distillery, a sentence on the distillery's house style, followed by very short reviews and ratings of several whiskies from the distillery. Many reviews also include a picture of the bottle label. The beginning of the book starts with a general introduction to whisky, left mostly untouched from how Michael wrote it.

The goal of the editors was to keep as many of Michael's original reviews as possible, while updating them with reviews of new whiskies and removing outdated whiskies. The introduction says that two-thirds of the reviews are new, but I also found many of Michael's iconic tasting notes still in the book. The authors have intentionally changed very little in The Macallan section due to Michael's special affection for The Macallan, although they have added reviews of the Fine Oak series.

I listened to a recent interview with the editors. When it came to reviewing the whiskies, the editors say that they tried to stay true to Michael's style. This means that the reviews are terse, ratings are rarely above 85, and also that the editors tried to put aside their own opinions of the whiskies and tried to rate them as Michael would have (based on their reading of his past reviews). They spent 18 months updating the book, each working on reviewing separate distilleries without consulting each other on the reviews.

Overall I am satisfied with this book, although I do not own the previous versions. Many recently released modern whiskies are reviewed now, while I was also able to find some reviews that I know to be Michael's originals.

The editors hope to continue to update this classic and release new editions, but there are legal issues regarding Michael Jackson's estate. Therefore future editions of this book are still uncertain.

The next best thing to a single malt itself, October 7, 2003
This guide to single malts is being continually revised and is the best of its kind. Mr. Jackson is always expanding his range of whiskies, even to include those made beyond Scotland. He provides an valuable index to the best brands and give you a short history of the distilleries. I've used this guide to help me enlarge my taste for single malts, which now includes a pretty fair sampling. I find myself repeatedly drawn to the 10 year-old Laphroaig, which proves as Mr. Jackson notes, that age is not always the best indicator of a great whiskey. Location has a lot to do with it, as this Islay whiskey seems to have a flavor all its own. He also notes the various blends, and which malts they use as their base. You'll be surprised to find that the more popular brands are not necessarily the best brands, as White Horse uses another Islay malt, Lagavulin, as its base. If you are new to single malts, this book will help you get started. The only limit is the your pocket book, as these whiskeys don't come cheap. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Cheers! Here is to cocktails! Mix them, drink them, enjoy them. Includes more than 150 recipes, a comprehensive glossary, and amusing anecdotes. 160 pages; 4-1/4'' wide x 5-3/4'' high; concealed wire-o binding; book lies flat for ease of use; elastic band place holder. ... Read more

Reviews

I'm a pleased beginner., January 27, 2004
I picked up this book because it's small and it's spiral bound and lays flat when open. What is actually in the book I found to be very useful.

This book covers essential barware, glassware (with drawings), mixers/garnishes, and techniques (including how to flame a drink & how to properly layer drinks). The drink recipes are broken down into these categories: Cocktails Classique, The Martini, Urban Chic, Punch Up That Party, From the Tropics, Naughty Drinks, and Finishing Touches. The drinks I have tried so far have been very good, and have a good jumping board for alcohol to mixer ratio in each recipe.

There is also a glossary with some brief descriptions of the liquors, types of cocktails (ie Sling, Rickey), and various other terms associated with mixing.

Perhaps the most helpful part of this book is the index. This lists all the drinks first by name, then by primary alcohol, and finally by color/flavoring. Very handy when you have only one particular liquor on hand. Overall, it's perhaps the only book needed for a casual at home mixing experience.

Stired, not shaken, May 20, 2004
I was really impressed with this little book. It wasn't just a cookbook for drinks. Rather, it emphasizes the elegance of mixing drinks. Some people might think this book is a little pretentious, but then again, mixing cocktails is sort of a pretentious thing to do. The book does a good job of making the art of mixing cocktails seem very grown-up and swanky.

Great Book, March 16, 2008
This is a very handy book to have around very well organized and easy to use not to mention jammed full of wonderful drink ideas.

Love this book!, June 11, 2007
We recently had a cocktail party, and put this book on the bar so people could check it out and try something new. It was a hit with all, which included 20-somethings to 50-somethings.

"Great Little Book", January 20, 2008
Fabulous little book!!! I bought it as a gift for a friend and almost kept it for myself. It's an essential book for mixing up great cocktails at home. I plan on buying more as hostess gifts.

A Book for the Basics, May 20, 2010
This book simply has it all. The book begins with a simple discussion of the variety of drinks, glassware, and garnishes used for cocktails. However, the majority of the book is devoted to a wide variety of recipes. This book covers the most simple of drinks such as the vodka martini, the classics such as the Bloody Mary, as well as many others that I have never encountered. The punch recipes for a larger gathering/party will especially come in handy.

The book with its spiral bounding makes it especially easy to read and use while mixing. The book does have an elastic strap, however I never used this. Finally, an appendix at the end of the book makes it easy to find drinks based on taste or appearance.

Overall, the witty writing, quotes, and historical inserts made this a very enjoyable book.

Cutest Little Book!, June 29, 2009
This little book is so great for gifts and to keep on hand for a party! The best part is that there are several ways to look up drinks so it's easy if you only have certain things on hand. For example you can look it up just by the alcohol you have. Really useful book in a cute little package!

little black book, October 26, 2008
in a very understandable fashion this books teaches you how to please a crowd with classic and exotic drinks, you just need some raw materialand some instruments. if you are into that you'll be happy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A fascinating exploration of the inside world of sommeliers, sharing their unique perspectives, extensive expertise, and best stories.

Rajat Parr’s profound knowledge of wines, deep relationships with producers, and renowned tasting abilities have made him a legend in the business. As wine director for the Mina Group, Parr presides over the lists at some of the country’s top restaurants. In Secrets of the Sommeliers, Parr and journalist Jordan Mackay present a fascinating portrait of the world’s top wine professionals and their trade. The authors interviewed the elite of the sommelier community, and their colleagues’ insights, recommendations, and entertaining stories are woven throughout, along with Parr’s own takes on his profession and favorite winemakers and wines. Along the way, the authors give an immersion course in tasting and serving wine; share strategies for securing hard-to-find bottles at a good price and identifying value sweetspots among the many regions; and teach readers how to make inspired food pairings. ... Read more

Reviews

Chock full of good advice, November 2, 2010
Let's start with the worst part of this book: the title. I had to hold my nose and buy it despite the horrible do it yourself, self improvement/self congratulatory vibe of that clumsy moniker. But don't let that keep you from buying this informative and entertaining book, whether you are in the wine trade, a serious amateur, or just a wanna be.

Ed Anderson's excellent photography is one of the draws. There are some really stunning portraits of Dominique Lafon, Jean-Marc Roulot, Freddy Mugnier, Etienne de Montille and others.

Another plus is the collection of biographical sketches of a number of high profile sommeliers -- Larry Stone, Rajat Parr, Daniel Johnnes, Kevin Zraly and others. It's always interesting to read how other people found their true calling.

But the most valuable part of the book is the common sense advice about buying wine, where to find it, and how to cellar and serve it; along with insights into the day to day joys, trials and tribulations of the folks who serve the stuff up in tony restaurants across the land. There are brief profiles of the great wine grapes and the best examples of each -- pinot noir, cabernet, merlot, cabernet franc, and so on. A discussion of the pros and cons of buying wine at auction, and how to find the best deals by avoiding the 'blue chip' names and vintages and using your wine knowledge to get value for money. A discussion of wine and food matching. How to pick your way through a restaurant wine list to find the hidden treasures to be found in just about every good list.

It's a fun ride. Well worth reading.

Approachable book to an intriguing culture, December 22, 2010
A great book
Some of the other reviewers completely missed the point of this book. Yes, there's a strong focus on Burgundy and on fine wine in general, but that's what sommeliers do. It's not meant to be a book to teach how you to buy Shiraz at the grocery store, but rather how to blind taste, pair and shop for classic wines. There's no snobbery here, just a love of the truest, purest wines, something I want to know about, and the authors here deliver the goods. In addition, there's stuff here that never gets address, such how to properly serve wine to make your dinner parties better, how to pair with different kinds of fish, and how to recognize different varieties in a blind tasting. I learned so much from this book.

bona fide buy, December 23, 2010
Approachable for the amateur and engaging for the expert- the foundation of a remarkable read. Secrets of the Sommeliers is succinctly informative, rationally candid and reveals true stories that are downright juicy (yet under 14% abv).

Not your typical wine book, December 21, 2010
Many of the wine books out there are either straight buying guides, which can be useful but make for dull reading; or they are doorstop-style reference books that are valuable for experts but generally TMI for everyone else. Parr's book gives consumers loads of great info on buying and appreciating wines, layered with an in-depth behind the scenes look into the world of fine wine services, from the perspective of someone who has total access. His personal story is fascinating, as are the portraits of some of the top sommeliers from around the country. It's a great read for aspiring professionals and pretty much anyone who has an interest in the wine world.

Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World's Top Wine Professionals, December 22, 2010
Not a very good title. There are no real secrets. Many books have been written about these "secrets" before.
The book is simply arrogant. If you like Burgundy, it is helpful. It got a star for that. I love Burgundy as well. My advise: either wait a year and get it for $5.00 or buy a more interesting wine book. Not very well written either.

Instead of the book, buy a bottle of wine, December 13, 2010
As I sat in the airport opening this book, a fellow passenger remarked: "Rajat Parr is an *******." Hmmm. After a two hour flight, I really couldn't disagree with him. You see, this is another nose-in-the-air book about wine snobbery for wine snobs. Admittedly, there are a few hints at collecting and conserving, but nothing that isn't covered in the first chapter of Parker's guide. What is disturbingly apparent is that Mr. Parr and his colleagues truly believe they're saving lives with wine selections. They're so arrogant as to decide, in making their own wines, that they can do better than the best. It's an incestuous group who believe that we all long to be like them. We've seen the celebrification of Chefs. I guess this was inevitable.

Only for Burgundy Lovers, December 21, 2010
I am a long time wine lover and was very excited to read this book. I was very disappointed when the book focused almost exclusively on Burgundy wines. The author is clearly a lover of the region, but it was annoying that so little time was spent on Napa or Bordeaux. Waste of money unless you are a lover Burgundy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation is a resource for brewers of all experience levels. The authors adeptly cover yeast selection, storage and handling of yeast cultures, how to culture yeast and the art of rinsing/washing yeast cultures. Sections on how to set up a yeast lab, the basics of fermentation science and how it affects your beer, plus step by step procedures, equipment lists and a guide to troubleshooting are included. ... Read more

Reviews

An Excellent Addition to the Brewer's Library, October 21, 2010
Anyone who is familiar with the beer-related work of Jamil Zainasheff, whether it be from his shows on "The Brewing Network," or his first excellent book, "Brewing Classic Styles," knows that Mr. Zainasheff's understanding of the various aspects of brewing is unequaled in the homebrewing world, and exceeded perhaps only by his desire to help others learn. Paired with the encyclopedic yeast-related knowledge and professional experience of Chris White, this book is essentially a "must-have" for any level of brewer. The book briefly examines yeast's role in the production of beer over the past 10,000 years, before discussing yeast's scientific role within the fermentation process in a technical, yet easily understandable manner. From there, the book explains the importance of pitching rates, propagation on the small- and large-scale level of yeast, and various other topics. Far from being an overly technical textbook, the book is generally quite readable, even for people whose interests and abilities lie outside of the world of the hard sciences. Where applicable, graphs and photos are used to illustrate concepts and recommendations.

Overall, I recommend the book without reservation.

Been waiting for a book like this!, October 11, 2010
I've just started reading this book, after getting a pre-order signed book, and can say that it definitely covers the points of yeast management that I have always had questions about. The main reason that I was looking to buy this book was that it specifically addressed the problems surrounding maintenance of a viable yeast stock in the home-brew environment. This it does well, and so far I am quite happy with the book. I should be done reading in a week or so, and will come back and write a more complete review.

don't get excited by the authors, this book is lacking., December 16, 2010
This book was very disappointing.

If you're hoping it will contain the information necessary to maintain yeast without reliance on commercial sources (after obtaining a culture) then it will be grossly inadequate. The over simplification of techniques (often times a complete omission) make this book useless to a professional; this simplification is so incredible that it is not much more than a primer for the homebrewer. Considering it was written by prominent professionals with a academic backgrounds in science, it is appalling that it reads like a hybrid between an amateur forum post and an advertisement for White Labs.

The book was truly lost for me upon reading the sentence: "An easy way to determine the proper amount of yeast for your batch and how big a starter you need is the free Pitching Rate Calculator at [...]" (p144). Anybody buying an entire book dedicated to beer yeast is far beyond needing a reference to that website.

A text of this type should enable the reader to perform all of the necessary calculations on their own; it doesn't. This book mentions several times that certain methods should be avoided or circumvented in lieu of less ideal but easier methods because the reader is not competent enough to maintain a sanitary environment or use complex/expensive equipment or methods, yet the book goes on to recommend the reader purchase items like a centrifuge (p182) and a spectrophotometer (p229).

I admit some of this disappointment is my fault. I was foolish to assume that, since this book was co-authored by the founder of White Labs, it would be a wealth of knowledge bordering on the publication of trade secrets: a way of truly understanding how to indefinitely maintain my own yeast library and perform fermentations using IDEAL conditions (which are arguably never discussed). For instance, tell me HOW to make nutrient saturated yeast extracts instead of saying "one supplement that addresses [yeast nutrition] is Servomyces, which White Labs [sells]" (p75). Also, the book does not give the reader the information necessary to safely preserve yeast for long periods by creating something akin to a White Labs vial, or specialized nutrient solutions for long term refrigeration or freezing.

So far I've only quickly read through the book once. I plan on giving a detailed run-through of the problems with this book when I go through it again and take the time to make notes. I will be happy after doing so, so that I can eliminate this publication from my brewing shelf and make space for a text with practical use.

One bit of information I specifically hoped to gain from this book was the techniques for proper starters. I wanted to know *ideal* gravity, cell/mL inoc rates, cell/mL expected yield, and stepping proportions; I know some of you were probably fooled into thinking this book contains these answers (on pages 126-145), but if you read carefully you will realize that it doesn't (due to vague or excluded information and poor assumptions).

A Must Title for any Homebrewer's Library, October 22, 2010
This is a great book. Easy to read with just the right amount of technical detail to understand the thought process behind why things are done a certain way and what the consequences might be if you choose to experiment away from standard practice. I sat down and read the entire book in one weekend without even realizing it (and I don't remember the last time I did that).

Defintely recommend this book to anyone interested in homebrewing - even if you think you know everything I guarentee that you will learn something and hopefully learn to think about things differently. It is all about enjoying the process and making great beer - with this help of this book you will be closer to that nirvana.

Great assest to any brewer, October 29, 2010
I am newer to brewing. I bought this book to expand my knowledge of brewing. I had no expectations. What I like about this book is that it is an easy read, with some technical points. It does a great job of explaining the role of yeast in brewing. I now have a better understanding of how yeast work and their contribution to beer. This is a MUST have for any serious brewer! The author is the founder of White Labs and has a phD in microbiology specific to brewing. As homebrewers we are willing to spend money to improve the quality of our brewing, this is a minor in investment with huge returns.

Essential Read for Serious Brewers, November 11, 2010
We have a restaurant with a nano-brewery. I found tis book an essential read -- for me, more interesting than reading fiction. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Thanks to processed and fast foods, being overworked, and feeling stressed while eating on the fly, it is increasingly difficult for most of us to eat anywhere near a balanced diet. We may not be obviously sick, but may suffer from lack of focus, insomnia, sluggishness, or any host of symptoms caused by nutritional deficiency. Green Smoothie Revolution takes aim at this silent epidemic by restoring balance to our diets.
 
Combining nutrition and know-how with recipes that pack a powerhouse punch, Victoria Boutenko reintroduces long neglected fruits, vegetables, and greens in the most persuasive style for our busy lives: with fast prep and delicious results. Featuring 200 recipes, Green Smoothie Revolution offers both simplicity (4 ripe pears, 1 bunch parsley, 2 cups water; blend well) and enough variety to keep taste buds happy and nutrients coming from a wealth of options. ... Read more

Reviews

This is the answer to my big question, October 3, 2009
I loved Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" in which he summed up his research into what we should really be eating by saying "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I then thought, O-K, that's great advice but how do I do that? Salads?

Victoria Boutenko's book answers my question so completely that you would think that she was wondering the same thing. Many of the plants that are the healthiest for you (the dark green types) are difficult to eat raw in any meaningful quantity; kale, mustard greens, spinach, collard greens, etc. This is why so many people either cook them to death or smoother them with high calorie dressings. The Green Smoothie Revolution book showed me how I could add all of things that I believe are healthy for us (leaves, fruit, and berries) to my diet in an easy and fun way.

I was introduced to the Green Smoothie by a friend who had been eating this way for a while. I have to admit that when I made my first one I looked at it and said "Really?" It looked like something that Yoda, the swamp dwelling Jedi master from the Star Wars movies, would eat. Green, thick and kind of bubbling. I pride myself on my cooking abilities, especially in making a dish look appetizing by skillful plating. This did not look good; as a matter of fact my other friends used quite a few "colorful" expressions to describe my concoctions, none of which are appropriate here. The taste however is an entirely different matter. The simple blend of bananas, strawberries and kale was sweet, earthy and fresh. I was hooked!

In addition to the wonderful recipes for green smoothies (with alluring names such as "Hawaiian Hibiscus", "The Laughing Gorilla" and "Green Monkey Face") the book also offers moving testimonials and, most importantly, sage advice from Mrs. Boutenko. I have grown to really enjoy mustard greens as a part of my smoothie meals but she gives a great reason to "rotate" your choice of greens. It seems many plants have ingredients in them (including alkaloids) that could become slightly toxic if eaten in large quantities in order to encourage animals to vary their diet so that the plant would not be eaten to extinction. By regularly changing my choice of greens I can avoid this problem as each plant has a different chemical make-up. Another thing that surprised me is that pets enjoy this type of food as much as people do.

I will have to admit that I am not planning to eat 100% raw foods. I believe that humans are omnivores and that a varied diet is a good thing. However, I feel much better now that I have made my daily Green Smoothie my major meal of the day. I still enjoy my cheeses, breads, butter (I LOVE good, cultured Vermont butter) and meat, but I am eating much less of each of them. Thanks to a great friend and this book I have finally learned a practical way to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Great Intro to an Easy Way to Improve your Nutrition, August 22, 2009
This is a nice primer on a very easy way to amp up your nutritional habits.

I've been studying raw foods eating for the past week and the Boutenkos are definitely pioneers. The book has a brief testimonial from Victoria, a really neat Russian lady whose entire family at one point was diagnosed with severe medical conditions. Desperate for answers she met a lady who introduced her to the raw food diet. The entire family went 'cold turkey' and despite complaints and grumbling the daughter's asthma went away, and the son who was recently diagnosed w/juvenile diabetes, noticed that his blood sugar readings were dropping. Eventually the family was healed from all their medical conditions and they became sold on the raw foods way of living.

The Green Smoothie was a culmination of Victoria's efforts to figure out why her family had seemed to reach a plateau. She researched chimpanzee diets and found that leafy greens comprised a high part of their diet. However she admits that she had very little tolerance for raw leafy greens and found them disgusting.

After trying to blend the raw greens in a blender, which resulted in a stinky mess, Victoria added a banana and realized the fruit masked the smell of the greens. So she and her family began incorporating this vital nutrient into their diet by making 'green smoothies' w/fruit, water and greens.

The book contains a testimonial, important pointers for preparing smoothies such as rotating greens to avoid buildup of 'alkaloids', opinions on what ingredients add to or detract from an effective smoothie, a section w/smoothie recipes, and an appendix, which contains a testimonial from a 400 pound guy who found that green smoothies were the only way he could cut his cravings and effectively complete a weight loss program.

It's a very nice little book and it's something anyone can do. All it takes is water, greens, fruit and a blender. It would make a very nice gift for someone who needed a simple way to start improving their diet.

I have actually been drinking them and notice a big difference in my energy. Raw foods can be intimidating but this is such an easy first step. The book also has footnotes is well researched.

Inspiring, informative and entertaining, August 26, 2009
Green Smoothie Revolution by Victoria Boutenko
Review by Susan Schenck, author of The Live Food Factor
Inspiring, informative and entertaining

As the author of a raw food book myself, I rarely come across a related book in which I find many new facts. But it is clear that Victoria did her homework, because I found myself highlighting sentences on nearly every page. Though Victoria includes ample science in her book, the tone is very conversational and easy to read.

I was delighted to come across many surprising new tidbits such how, if you blend the greens you only need half as much as you do if you eat them in a salad; green grapes, tomatoes, apples, bell peppers (and more) are really unripe fruits; a zinc deficiency can create a lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and much, much more!

Victoria also teaches us how processed foods have created degeneration that progresses with each generation! She found that ear lobes get smaller, which reflects a lack of cartilage in the body. She points out that the current generation of children is not only more obese than ever, but also is using more psychiatric drugs, braces for the teeth, and glasses. Our lack of good nutritious food (especially greens) is clearly degenerating us as a species.

I was most impressed with the research Victoria did on greens. For example, I used to have a nosebleed at least once a week until I switched to a raw diet 7 years ago. From reading this book, I realize now it was a lack of Vitamin K. Victoria lists the many symptoms that come from a lack of Vitamin K, which is found abundantly in greens. There plenty of other useful lists, such as cultivated greens, wild edibles and weeds, herbs, medicinal herbs, and most important: poisonous plants (with a stern warning to learn how to identify these before going foraging for wild plants!)

Victoria assures us that if we start blending the greens with plenty of fruit we will love the smoothies. She argues that this is good food combining, since greens are not really vegetables--because they are not starchy. Then, as we get used to them, we will not need so much sweet fruit, but will crave and enjoy the bitter greens. There is info on how to get even your cat to eat green smoothies (dogs are easy!) and also guidelines and tips for green smoothie production.

The book also contains personal stories, such as the delightful one about how her grandchild became hooked on green smoothies while in the womb, and another about leaving green smoothies out for wild animals -which led to, among other creatures, a bear coming for green smoothies! In one appendix we learn about how the Boutenko family went raw, and in another we read about how one guy lost 230 pounds in a year by doing green smoothies. (When will the TV "Biggest Loser" contestants catch on to this?)

All of the above makes the book worth the price even without the recipes. Yet the recipes make up the half of the book--there are 72 pages of them! Many are donated by readers from all over the world, and there are even green smoothie soups, puddings and body care recipes!

This book has truly inspired me to get back on track with more green smoothies. I had gone down to just one a day because of my fondness for chewing. But reading this has definitely inspired me to upgrade my "raw glow" to a "green smoothie glow."

What great receipes..., August 12, 2009
I have been eating about 90% raw since February, and am used to "green" juices, which I love, and these receipes expand my opions 100 fold. Many recipes contain combinations of the same ingredients, so you can easily shop and pick and choose what you like. Me, I love the spinach, or kale with mixed summer fruit! If you don't want to drink 2 qts. in a day, put the extra in a glass jar and save until tomorrow! Have given some to people who have never had a green juice, and they loved it. If you are in to eating healthy...this is book is a great addition to your library. Oh, yes, you absolutely need a Vita Mix or other high speed blender. My only addition to the recipes is to add a few ice cubes to the mix prior to blending - as the final product is quite thick, this is better than adding ice cubes to your glass.

What a disappointment, February 27, 2010
First of all, I highly recommended the author's Green for Life - it is the definitive work on green smoothies. Oddly, this highly anticipated sequel is the same book, but with less information. Instead of expanding on the ideas in the first book, she simply cut all out all the background research on the importance of greens and added more recipes. If you really need hundreds of smoothie recipes, you may appreciate this book, but for most people, once you have a few recipes down you'll feel comfortable experimenting on your own. I have no idea why this book was written. But buy Green for Life - it's what this book tried to be and so much more.

Green Health for Everyone. Cheers!, September 25, 2009
One of my favorite books is GREEN FOR LIFE, by Vicoria Boutenko. This book had a big effect on me, convincing me for the first time in my life to eat kale. I always tried, but never liked it and only ate it dutifully and smothered with earth balance when I did. Green For Life taught me to put leaves of raw kale in my blender with fruit for an ultra nutritious beverage/meal. I got that book two years ago and green smoothies have been a big part of my life ever since and for that I'm grateful to Victoria.

Her latest effort, GREEN SMOOTHIE REVOLUTION, has about 150 recipes for those needing ideas. There are also many stories of how individuals were able to transform their health by the simple addition of green smoothies into their diet. Public health could be completely revolutionized by following Victoria's advice, so I think it's an apt title.

After two years of green smoothies, I feel like I can't live without them. I often joke that if my house were on fire, the first thing I would grab after my son is the blender. You get hooked. My son loves them too, we drink them several times a week, and in the summer, at least once a day. Green smoothies are for everyone, not expensive, and she even tells you which greens you can find through foraging.

There is an interesting back story. Her family had some health issues the medical system failed to cure or even provide manageable care for. So she did a ton of research and her family transitioned to a raw food diet. Their health dramatically improved and then hit a plateau at one point. After doing extensive research on the chimpanzee diet, Victoria realized the missing link was greens. The story is fascinating, illuminating and very exciting. Why wasn't this obvious to all of us all along--it's so simple!

Green Smoothie Revolution stands on its own, but I would highly recommend Green For Life first. You don't have to be a raw foodist or even heading down that path. This is for everyone, and that's the beauty here, it's accessible to all. If you feel like you need to boost your nutrition levels or know anyone who is suffering from ill health or a chronic condition, these books could be potentially life changing. Highly recommended.

Green Smoothies - The NEXT Generation, September 7, 2009
Victoria Boutenko's first book on green smoothies, Green For Life, covers the subject so thoroughly and clearly that I wondered what more she would find to create the basis for a second book. I was not disappointed! Green Smoothie Revolution offers dozens of new recipes that show off the smoothie's versatility and inspire you with new creative ideas. You can make a thicker smoothie and serve it as a savoury soup. Or make it thick and sweet and voil� -it's a satisfying pudding! There are also recipes for children or those who are new to green smoothies, and super green smoothie recipes for those who are wanting more green intensity! Some recipes feature wild or unusual greens, like grape leaves and milk thistle.

In addition to the extensive recipe section, there is a brief chapter to inspire pregnant moms (and dads!) to drink green smoothies every day to ensure a healthy pregancy, comfortable birthing time and super healthy baby. I use this chapter - and green smoothie snacks - in my Hypnobabies childbirth education class.

In another chapter, Clent Manich tells how he lost 230 pounds and gained strength, endurance and health benefits (and climbed Mt Whitney) in a year on a primarily green smoothie diet - very inspiring!!

The book contains enough basic information about preparing and drinking green smoothies to get you on your feet and blending! To gain a thorough understanding of all aspects of the subject, I recommend that you read both of Victoria's ground-breaking books - Green For Life (indispensible and very enlightening) AND The Green Smoothie Revolution (for the REST of the story). Why not have it all?

Brilliant Book, August 23, 2009

Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health

Hi Victoria.

This Spring, a friend of mine told me about you and your Green Smoothies and how they were changing his life. Although I have been mostly vegetarian (no meat and no milk products; fin fish and eggs occasionally) for 24 years, I was reluctant to try the Green Smoothies for a few reasons. The major reason is because of my allergies to many fruits; and the fact that I cannot tolerate a lot of sugars of any kind.

In June, I started adding spinach and other greens to my rice protein smoothies. I noticed a difference in digestion immediately. In July I purchased your Green Smoothie Revolution book. What a great book! I started experimenting two weeks ago. For the last 5 days, I have been using your recipes (modified to reduce the amount of fruit by 1/3 to 1/4 of what is recommended) and drinking Green Smoothies 2 to 3 times a day. In between the GS, I am eating one to two meals a day. I am already noticing a major difference in the way I feel, in just 5 days.

My digestion is getting better and better almost daily. My mood is improving (this is a big deal for me). My energy level has increased slightly. I am hoping that as I continue with the GS, my energy levels will climb.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the next few months!

I am so excited to be doing something for my health that actually seems to be working positively for me. I have told several family members and friends about your book.

Thank you very very very much for sharing your knowledge. Your GSR book is brilliant. I could write more, but I think this is long enough. :-)

Tammy

Sometimes Mothers are smarter than Doctors., September 17, 2009
What Victoria Boutenko has contributed to the field of practical nutrition is nothing short of a miracle. After first turning around the health of her immediate family with raw food, she tackled the subject of an optimum raw food diet. The leap to drastically increasing greens in the diet, making them palatable by mixing with fruit is sheer genius. She certainly did a lot of research, both on wild chimpanzee dietary habits, and an inspired 30 day green smoothie experiment with real people. She tops the book off with enough recipes to satisfy any palate. Finally, she includes the inspirational first-person account of a man who lost 230 pounds, conquering cravings by consuming green smoothies throughout the day along with fresh raw fruits and vegetables.

The Boutenkos had doctors who couldn't fix their health problems. The 400 pound man had doctors who gave him "an FDA-approved diet and exercise plan" which failed to get the weight off. It took a housewife willing to do research and go out on a limb with a revolutionary food concept to bring them all to a state of health. Not since "Lorenzo's Oil" have I read such an inspiring story of one mother's determination to use logic and science to create a food solution to health challenges.

Sometimes Mothers are smarter than Doctors!

Thank you, Victoria Boutenko.

This is too easy ..., November 8, 2009
I know I need more vital nutrition in my diet. I've tried raw, vegetarian, master cleansers; I just find it difficult to continue things long term with my busy work and life schedule and my completely carniverous husband. I'd experimented with this "green" smoothies in the past, but this book surpassed my imaginations on what you could do with a few leafy veges and some fruit - that can literally change your life. In just a few easy minutes I can have an absolutely delicious drink that's extremely filling, energizing, cleansing, and clarifying. I take to work and now several coworkers are starting thier own green smoothie revolution. I'm starting to experiment on my own now ... like adding whole golden flax seed to my blender before the vege/fruit - and grinding for 20 sec - then adding all the other ingredients ... or adding different spice blends for say umm - apple pie green smoothies. What's even more amazing is that my husband is becoming a fan - he actually is starting to make them on his own even when I am not around. ... Read more

Editorial Review

 

Reviews

The Best! Increase Your Enjoyment of Wines, November 9, 2009
Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: 25th Anniversary Edition is the number one book to learn about wine. It's a complete, readable guide to wine regions, grape varietals, wine pairing, and much much more. You'll learn about all the major wine regions, their typical grape varietals, and distinguishing characteristics.

Throughout the book specific, easily available, and affordable wines are profiled by winery. Special sections take this further: wine tasting "courses" of flights of different wines to compare; 101 favorite wines; and wines to begin a wine cellar.

Now, in it's 25 Anniversary edition it's been enlarged further with new sections on Austria, Hungary, and Greece. The wine lists have been updated and enlarged, and sections Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand have been expanded given their influence in the world of wine today.

I've completed two levels of the excellent Wine and Spirit Education Trust's wine programs. I'm amazed that Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World is just as thorough and is basically the intermediate level - in a book. I refer back to it often, and give it as gifts to friends who want to increase their appreciation of wine.

Excellent Introduction to Wine, November 2, 2009
This is a great introduction for anyone new to wine, as I was. This is not intended to be the most complete reference for all wine, but is instead a colorful, focused, entertaining overview of wine today. Each chapter focuses on a different region or type of wine, providing background information on each wine area, the author's favorite wineries/producers from the area, a sample tasting (he picks several wines for you to try and also suggests alternatives if you can't find those particular bottles) and a quiz at the end to help you retain some of that information. A great book for any wine lover!

great for yourself, great as a gift!, December 13, 2009
I had a previous edition of Kevin Zraly's book that was recommended to me by a gentleman who was the regional buyer of wine for a large, national chain of high end steak-house restaurants. This is a wonderful book for people just getting into wine, as well as your "above average" fans of wine. Just this weekend, I purchased 2 copies as gifts for friends. The book is sophisticated yet personal and approachable. The only better gift would have been to actually buy bottles of wine!! Enjoy!

Sipping and slipping into great wine - information, February 14, 2010
I've read lots of wine books over the years and considerable myself pretty knowledgeable. And yet Zraly's book made it brand new for me. The side bars brought together interesting facts and the text was chunked into easily digestable and sippable bits. My new favorite wine book, after my own - Wine's Hidden Beauty.

Good Info, January 30, 2010
Not quite an anthology, but enough information to keep you well versed on the grape growing process & how it becomes a delectable drink. Mr. Zraly covers the globe with recommendations for both the famous French regions, to the up & coming new players, what vintages are considered better to his palate, & vintners he considers to be a bit better than the others.

Wine is a highly subjective matter, as some will immediately identify with a particular type or taste they like. Such as sweet or dry, red, white, or blush, French, Italian, or American, etc. So this is an excellent guide book to expand your tastes & try something new & different.

ABSOLUTE BEST BOOK FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO REALLY LEARN ABOUT WINE!, March 28, 2010
I've looked through a lot of books and asked a lot people (in the wine business) - and hands down, Kevin Zraly's "Windows on the World" is the MOST HIGHLY recommended book by everyone I've asked! Why did it take me a YEAR to research and buy it??!?!? It is very straight forward and easy to understand. Full of relevant information and lots of "trivia" that's just nice to know. My ONLY complaint is I wish he had the phonetic spelling next to some of the Italian and French words because I have NO CLUE if I'm pronouncing them correctly. That was an easy fix - I googled the words I didn't know how to pronounce. In my opinion (for what its worth!) - this book was written with everyone in mind! Its for the beginner that wants to learn about wine from A to Z ~ but it also has a lot of useful information that could help the "self proclaimed wine snob" become a little more humble of what they may (or may not) actually know and understand about the wines they enjoy! Its a wonderful way to make yourself a LOT more comfortable when talking about wine - and it doesn't require intensive studying. Each chapter is broken up into little sections with light and easy reading sub-titled through out the book. There's also notes along the sides of each page that contain useful information. Honestly, I tried to check it out at the Library (numerous times!) so I could see it before I bought it - and it was always checked out or on reserve by others. I finally decided to "bite the bullet" and buy the book! WOW! Talk about money well spent and time I wish I had not wasted! I also bought the journal that accompanies the book and love that too! I wasn't sure whether to buy the 25th Anniversary edition, or if I should purchase one from a previous year. Honestly, I thought they couldn't be that different - but I am glad I followed my instinct and bought the most recent edition! For example, if you purchase an older book, it may not have all the information about the "newer" countries and regions evolving in the world of wine (like Chile and Argentina!) My best advice is stop your search for the "Right book" - you've found it! CHEERS!

Great educational book on wine, February 2, 2010
I have thumbed through and read several wine books, and Mr. Zraly's Complete Wine Course is at the top of my list.
The book is a great educational experience and I recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about wine and the wine regions throughout the world.

Window on the wine world, April 7, 2010
Kevin Zraly has been teaching his Windows on the World wine course for 34 years, and has graduated almost 20,000 students. He took a great deal of the information from his course, and wrote a book that is a self-guided version. Now, twenty-five years later, comes the latest edition, updated, yet again, with new wines, wineries, and regional information from around the world. It is a wonderfully conversational book, with plenty of asides one can almost imagine being told by Zraly as he digresses from course material. There are tasting note and instructions on blind tasting and a quiz at the end of each chapter. The sidebar notes are almost extensive enough to form their own sub-chapter of information, though, often, it is just factoids or short lists.

A highly enjoyable guide to the world of wine, both for beginner and intermediate wine lovers.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

High-Spirited Sweets, July 5, 2010
The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets features 75 recipes for desserts and another 25 for cocktail recipes with a lot of high-spirited commentary in between.

The author provides a description of baking ingredients followed by an introduction to 43 spirits (from amaretto to wine, alphabetically). Many of the liquor descriptions include the prevalent flavor which would be helpful to anyone not familiar with it. For example, amaretto is flavored with almonds and frangelico with hazelnuts. This could help cooks avoid flavors they don't like (and spending money for liqueurs they won't like).

I found it very helpful that the author provides a brief commentary for each recipe, and offers an alternate flavor or two for many of them. For example, you can substitute dark rum or brandy for the bourbon in the Bourbon Apple Crisp or berry-flavored vodka for the tequila in the Pink Elephant Milkshakes.

Most of the desserts require just a tablespoon or two of alcohol, so you could use a mini-bottle to try the dessert before committing to buying a larger bottle. The main exceptions are recipes using beer or wine which tend to call for a larger quantity (since the flavors aren't usually as intense as liqueurs). For instance, the champagne cake calls for 2/3 cup of Champagne plus an additional three tablespoons for the buttercream frosting.

Recipes in the Have Your Cake and Drink It Too chapter include:
* Fig and Orange Cake with Ouzo Glaze
* Green Tea and Banana Cake with Sake Syrup
* Molten Chocolate Orange Cake
* Plum Biercake
* Coffee Maple Walnut Cake
* Devilish Angel Food Cake
* Individual Raspberry-Almond Cheesecakes
* "Bottoms Up" Pineapple-Tequila Cake
* Brandied Pear Cake with White Chocolate Chunks
* Pumpkin Pomegranate Layer Cake
* Jagermeister and Honey Bundt Cake
* Champagne Layer Cake
* Lemon Layer Cake with Campari Frosting
* Southern Comfort Red Velvet Cake
* Sachertorte
* "Can't Say Nocello" Carrot Cake Cupcakes
* Lavender Honey-Nut Cupcakes

Recipes in the next chapter, Pies and Tarts A La Booze, include:
* Hard Cider Apple Pie
* Cherry Pie with Scotch and Walnut Crumble
* Preppy Pink and Green Pie
* Blueberry Rum Pie
* Coconut-Sweet Potato Pie
* Margarita Meringue Pie
* Cranberry, Chocolate, and Pecan Pie
* Irish Cream Pie
* Strawberry-Port Linzertorte
* Nightcap Tart
* Grasshopper Tart with Chocolate Chips
* Red Wine Caramel Tart
* Plum and Hazelnut Tart
* Rustic Fig Galette

The next chapter, Raiding the Bar and the Cookie Jar, includes the following recipes:
* Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nuts and a Nip
* "Old-Fashioned" Snickerdoodles
* Double Limoncello Poppy Seed Cookies
* Peanut Butter and Port Thumbprints
* Dirty Girl Scout Cookies
* Banana-Chocolate Chip Biscotti
* Black and White Russian Cookies
* Pistachio-Coconut Madeleines
* Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Orange Liqueur Cream
* Dark and Stormy Hermits with Raisins and Rum
* Apricot Brandy Bars
* Sherried Date Crumble Bars with Almonds and Orange
* Oak Bars
* Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
* Cuba Libre Brownies

The next chapter, Sticky, Saucy, and Spiked: Spoon Desserts, features recipes for:
* Banana-Rum-Raisin Rice Pudding
* Chocolate Pots de Booze
* Schnappy Butterscotch Pudding with Pretzel Brittle
* Vin Santo-Vanilla Panna Cotta with Apricot Compote
* Muscat and Melon Mousse
* Sidecar Souffle
* Berry Chocolate Mousse
* Hazelnut Tiramisu
* Donut Bread Pudding with Tennessee Whiskey Sauce
* Pink Elephant Milkshakes
* Bourbon-Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies
* Lemon-Cherry Semifreddo with Pistachios
* Port Ice Cream Sundaes
* Beer Profiteroles with Chocolate-Beer Sauce

The following chapter, Lush and Fruity Desserts, includes recipes for:
* Pisco-Roasted Pineapple
* Boozy Baked Apples
* Blackberry Chocolate Romanoff
* Tropical Fruit Foster
* Saucy Prunes with Cinnamon and Honey
* Pear and Red Grape Turnovers
* Nectarine-Raspberry Dutch Baby
* Drunken Pear Crisps
* Bourbon Apple Crisp
* Rhubarb-Rose Crisp
* Winter Berry Gratin
* Blueberry-Port Slump with Almond Dumplings
* Gingery Peach Cobbler
* Strawberry and Honey Shortcake
* Chocolate Pavlova with Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Drink recipes are featured throughout the book with the desserts they would compliment. For example, the recipe for "Orange Up" is featured with Molten Chocolate Orange Cake. Drink recipes include:
* Orange Up
* Brandied Pear Belinis
* Honey Bear Cocktail
* Southern Peach
* Lemon Campari Fizz
* Almond Iced Tea
* Cherry Swizzle
* Spiced Blueberry Mojito
* Beer Margaritas
* Nightcap
* Double Mint Fizz
* Cinnamon Old Fashioned
* Ruby Flip
* Dirty Girl Scout
* Clearly Cosmo
* Dark and Stormy Punch
* Butterscotch Hot Chocolate
* Orange Sidecar
* Brown Velvet
* Pisco Punch
* Pete's Hot Buttered Rum
* Tropical Hurricanes
* White Wine Sangria
* Maple Leaf
* Ginger Highball

The index includes the liqueurs and other booze so if you have leftover rum and want to use it in a dessert, you can quickly determine your options (there are 11, including beverages). You can also look up the type of dessert (such as pies or puddings).

The author includes the formulas for metric conversions (ounces to grams, pounds to grams, cups to liters, and Farenheit to Centigrade). She also provides quick reference charts of metric equivalents for volume (from 1/8 teaspoon to 1 gallon), oven temperatures, length (1/4 inch to 15 inches), and weight (1 ounce to 1 pound) as well as for butter (2 teaspoons to � pound).

My only suggestion for improvement would have been to include more photos of the finished desserts. Only 28 of the 75 dessert recipes (and 5 of the 25 drink recipes) included photos (which were full page, color and well-styled).

This was a fun read and I am looking forward to baking several of the treats to liven up my next office potluck.

If you like this book, you might want to check out Booze Cakes: Confections Spiked With Spirits, Wine, and Beer which has a similar fun tone and concentrates on cakes infused with liquor.

Already tried one recipe. Can't wait to try more., June 8, 2010
I always have trouble thinking of new things to bring to parties and pot lucks (coleslaw?) (pirates booty?), and The Boozy Baker will be my savior. It's a beautiful new paperback with tons of creative desserts all laced with the Good Stuff. Let me say I am not an experienced baker (experienced drinker, yes), but the author provides really clear, specific instructions so it was much easier than I thought. So far, since it's strawberry season here on the East coast, I made the Strawberry Port Linzertorte and brought it to my friend's backyard bbq. That thing was gone in 5 minutes! Port seems to be such a random thing to put into sweets, especially a summery fruit tart, but it really works. Added a depth of flavor without overwhelming or tasting alcoholic at all. I'm really excited to try a few more, especially the Gingery Peach Cobbler (provided I can save some of my Domaine de Canton until peach season.) I highly recommend this book to both experienced bakers and people like me who just love to eat and drink.

Didn't Meet My Expectations, July 17, 2010
When it comes to alcohol, I am a complete and utter lightweight, which is in part why I bought this book. I read all the glowing reviews about The Boozy Baker and thought, "Yay! A bit of alcohol with none of the bad side effects," which for me mean a headache and the Asian glow. I made the Old Fashioned Snickerdoodles and the bourbon was nearly undetectable. As a snickerdoodle, it was nice, but definitely not the best I've had. I also made the Limoncello/Poppyseed Cookies and doubled the amount of Limoncello in the glaze because the amount indicated in the recipe (2tbs) was not enough to make it drizzle. Only then could I taste a bit of the alcohol. The cookie itself was not lemony enough for my taste.

I really expected my tastebuds to be immersed in rich flavors and instead, everything fell a little flat. I will try the recipes again but am considering doubling the alcohol.

Not exactly common ingredients, November 19, 2010
I bought this book shortly after I had started used the cook book "Booze Cakes." I really love Booze Cakes, but have found that some of the portions were suggest on ingredients (particularly the booze) can be somewhat exaggerated. However, I liked the idea of the book so much that I thought I would try this one and see if I faired better.

While I have to say that the few recipe's I've done have turned out extremely well, I do have one major issue with this book. A lot of the liquor that they include in their recipes are not exactly common things to have on hand. They tend more towards flavoring alcohols like schnapps or creme de menthe.

The recipes that call for what I consider to be the standards like rum, vodka, or whiskey, seem to be few and far between. This means that you might get stuck with a lot of leftovers in the liquor cabinet if you chose to make something from it.

Great Recipes & Inspirations, October 13, 2010
When Amazon recommended this title last May, I was immediately intrigued. I have always looked for ways to include liquor in my baking. When my copy arrived, one of the first things that caught my eye was the Champagne Layer Cake. My nephew had recently announced that he and his girlfriend were getting married; the wedding would be held out of state, but they would have a reception here for the friends and family that couldn't attend the wedding. I knew that I would have to bake the Champagne cake for their second reception. It was a hit! One of the guests loved the flavor of the cake so much that she had to seek me out and rave about it. I shared the book title and author's name with her. As it happens, she works at a book store. She ordered a copy for herself, and copies for the store.
I have tried a few more recipes, the Jack Daniel's bread pudding was a delightful surprise, but I have also been inspired to be bolder when experimenting with adding booze to some of my other recipes. For instance, the Strawberry Cupcake recipe that Martha Stewart had on her program- I substituted rum for half of the milk that the recipe calls for. I call them Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes.

adorable and helpful cookbook, June 8, 2010
Everything about this cookbook is adorable, from Lucy Baker's anecdotes to the scrumptious photos of sweets, which encourage an immediate test-run in the kitchen. She does a great job of explaining how booze can enhance the flavors in baking, making you wonder why you haven't done more of that before. Donut bread pudding with whiskey sauce, plum cake laced with doppelbock beer, DELISH! I also found her "alcohol alphabet" and metric conversion chart super helpful. Definitely a must-buy for both the amateur and the professional baker. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Entertaining and Informative, July 3, 2009
"Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" is a cocktail recipe book, but--as far as recipe books go--is quite readable and is both easy to digest in part or to read cover-to-cover, depending on your mood. Ted Haigh provides detailed (and interesting) back stories on most of the drinks featured in the book, as well as sidebar sections on many of the lesser-known spirits that the recipes call for. In addition to the main parts of the book, Haigh includes an introduction that covers the resurgence of classic cocktails, a glossary, a bibliography, and a resource guide to help you find many of the rarer ingredients he mentions throughout the text. Haigh clearly put a lot of thought and effort into compiling such a comprehensive guide, and it shows: The book is nicely put together and is wonderfully cohesive, with many of the recipes including references to other, similar or related recipes that can be found elsewhere within the book.

I do have a few complaints about the book: First of all, it's spiral-bound, which makes it nice as a recipe book and not so nice as something to sit down and read through. Second, the recipes are often not updated to modern tastes and are geared towards the sweet palates of those who originally created the drinks. For example, try the first cocktail listed, the Almagoozlum, which is virtually undrinkable given its syrupy combination of 1.5 ounces of both Chartreuse and simple syrup, with no citrus to balance. Make sure to carefully review the recipes before pouring and shaking, in order to avoid pouring expensive ingredients down the drain. Finally, the resources section at the end of the book, while a great addition, generally favors a few extremely overpriced Internet retailers. Google around and you'll easily find better options.

All in all, despite these few issues, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the hows, whys, and whens of classic cocktails. I suspect that many of these recipes were forgotten for a good reason (certainly the Almagoozlum!), but just as many deserve to be revisited so that they can once again grace drinkers' glasses. And even if you find the recipes to be entirely without merit, the background stories will still make this book a worthwhile purchase.

The Originator, June 28, 2009
The 21st century cocktail drinker owes as much to Ted Haigh as the 19th century drinker owed to Jerry Thomas. Dr. Cocktail has been feverishly researching and recreating forgotten, century-old drinks since the early days of the internet and is probably the single biggest force behind the cocktail renaissance happening today in New York, London, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and other cities around the world. The first edition of this book is the reason I can walk into bars across the country and order a Corpse Reviver #2 without encountering dumbfounded stares, the reason there dozens of bottles of cocktail bitters in my liquor in my cabinet, and the reason Creme Yvette (among other lost ingredients) will soon again grace shelves in bars and liquor stores.

I've read the first edition, cover to cover, perhaps a dozen times; with each reading hoping to eke out just a little more information than I retained from the previous endeavor. This new and vastly expanded edition is a banquet of new recipes, additional historical information, and more tasting notes. While there are many books of great interest to those fascinated with classic cocktails (check out the reprints from Mud Puddle Books), I can think of no other introduction to the subject as broad reaching or as enjoyable to read than Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails. I have no doubt I'll pour over this edition time and again, just like the last, in an effort to extract as much of the Doctor's wisdom as I can.

Dr Cocktails somehow improves on perfection, October 5, 2009
Designed from the get go by a graphic artist with full artistic control and an obsessive and loving attention to detail this book delights at least four of the five senses - okay, all five if you like the smell of good ink) done with exhaustive attention to subject material, layout, paper, printing and virtually every other aspect one could think of.

This is a must have classic tome on mixology and of course on classic mixology.

While there are many new reprints of classic bar and mixing manual today this one is especially useful from a practical and entertainment standpoint. The wire binding, relatively spill proof paper , backstories and type size/font make it extremely easy to read and use- unlike many of its competitors.

Covering 100 extremely hard to find but very worthwhile recipes and the back stories to regale your audience while preparing said recipes.

Exactly what I wanted!!, August 20, 2009
So rare is it to find a book that is written exactly as you hoped for.... I found this to be the case with Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

If you care about the history as well as the drink mix this is for you!

In addition to getting drunk you learn something, July 29, 2009
The book contains a large number of classic cocktails. We get some fun and interesting history behind the cocktails, but the focus is on the classic, best recipe for each cocktail. Sometimes the author steps in and make some comments regarding the recipe and might suggest some changes. He might also suggest specific high quality ingredients to scout for. In addition, the book is very well illustrated. That is not essential, but it makes it more fun to read and browse. I just hope the bartenders will have read this book when it is time to order a cocktail. Book highly recommended

The best single cocktail recipe book in print, December 9, 2009
If you're only going to own one cocktail recipe book make it this one. I have perhaps three dozen in my collection but none is better at providing clear instruction and fascinating history for each drink. From alternatives to hard-to-find ingredients to stories of who really invented the French 75, you'll keep coming back to this one for more. (One side effect for me was that it turned me into a collector of old mixology books and a seeker of rare ingredients. I make my own grenadine now, by hand, because Ted made me realize the commercial products I have access to are all terrible.) Reading-- and frequently using --this book will not only make you a better mixologist, it will make you a better person.

Nostalgia For The Avid Mixologist, August 6, 2009
This is a great book for the nostalgic mixologist. Not only are the recipes fun to create, the history makes for a great discussion. It's been fun creating syrups and tonics from scratch and sourcing several of the vintage ingredients. Very well structured.

I LOVE this book!! And you will too, July 15, 2009
Beautiful spiral bound book encased in hardcover. Glossy, thick paper with pictures of cocktails and vintage "graphics" outlining the history, as well as preparation, of cocktails. It's a nice size book too. It's just so...pretty.

Aside from aesthetics, everything is measured out in ounces (with the equivalent in gills and centiliters in parenthesis). There are notes for preferred brands as well. The author likes Marie Brizard orange curacao, and Apry for example, and Parfait Amour instead of just any Creme de Violette. Good luck finding some of this stuff though. I live in California and Marie Brizard fruity liqueurs are hard to come by.
If BevMo doesn't have it, check out Beverage Warehouse in Los Angeles or online at beveragewarehouse[dot]com. Then, as a last resort, I go to drinkupny[dot]com because they have free shipping on orders over $99.99.

This is a great book, however, expect to drop a few hundred dollars on your bar if you're a novice like me.

A great distillation of vintage cocktails, November 17, 2009
I have been making cocktails for a lot of years now and this has been one of my standard cocktail books for several years (since the 1st edition). The second edition adds a few new drinks and a spiral binding that stays open better.

Regarding the book, Robert Hess of Drinkboy fame used to categorize drink books into the "Wad-o-drink" books and the specialized books. This is definitely in the second category. It represents a collection of drinks from the heyday of cocktail drinking that haven't remained in the common cocktail lexicon (and that were actually good). If you are interested in exploring cocktail drinking from a historical perspective, this is a must have volume. It provides clear recipes, great historic commentary and information on where to get many of the more obscure ingredients.

A future classic, October 20, 2009
More than just a collection of great (and near-great) cocktail recipes. This book is also fun to read. It's both concise and entertaining. In an improvement over the original addition, this imprint is spiral-bound so it will lay flat as you work. It's also a valuable source of information on where to get ingredients for these unique cocktails. This book is as good as it gets. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Brewing home versions of popular commercial beers has never been simpler or more fun than it is with the 200 recipes in CloneBrews. Home brewers will find everything they need to brew up a batch of their own clone of Magic Hat #9, Ithaca Brown Ale, Moose Drool, or Samuel Adams Boston Ale. And with 200 possibilities to choose from, home brewers will find the perfect taste for every mood and every season.

Revised, updated, and expanded, the second edition of CloneBrews contains 50 new recipes that reflect the current popularity of strongly hopped India pale ales and American pale ales as well as the growing interest in brown ales, imperial beers, English bitters, porters, stouts, wheat beers, and Belgian ales. The new edition also contains expanded and updated mashing guidelines and a complete review of ingredients and materials. All new to the second edition is a Food Pairing feature that recommends the best foods for every beer an indispensable feature for the brewer who also loves to barbecue or cook!

Tested and retested, tasted and retasted, Tess and Mark Szamatulskis recipes are the product of 20 years spent running a successful homebrew supply shop and working with customers to create perfect beer clones. They deliver the flavors that home brewers want, described in clear recipes that every brewer will want to make.

Reviews

Brew a clone; learn more about beer styles., October 2, 1998
In the preface to Clone Brews, the Szamatulskis (try pronouncing that name twice after a few homebrews) state that their object in this collection of recipes is not to introduce homebrewers to the joyless pursuit of reproducing commercial beers but to provide them with one way of discovering beer styles and developing a more discerning palate. The authors even encourage users of the book to tweak recipes to accommodate their own taste preferences. The recipes are organized by geographic origin. The result is (and this may be the books biggest weakness) that there are a relatively large number of recipes for contemporary light lagers (e.g. Tiger, Singha, Foster, Molson Ice, Maccabee, Tsing Tao, etc.). Although more homebrewers are becoming interested in brewing CAPs, I'm not sure how many out there want to brew up a batch of Molson Ice. . . .maybe I'm out of the loop, after all, the Szamatulskis own a homebrew supply shop; I don't even own all of my car. I suspect the authors were simply attempting to be judicious in their representation of beers from around the world. Unfortunately, there aren't many places where one can drink a beer that diverges from the adjuncty, pasteurized, pale lager style that has swept the world after WWII. There are plenty of German, British, Belgian, Dutch and American craft brewery clones, however, to keep classic style purists happy. The book came at just the right time as I'd gotten some yeast ready to brew this weekend and have been lackadaisical about working on a recipe. In looking for something within my yeast's profile, I also noticed another of the book's limitations: quite a few of the beers listed are not readily available to me. I thought about brewing the Shepherd Neame IPA recipe, but I have never tasted that beer nor can I get my hands on it even in the swanky liquor store that stocks lots of swell beers. Now, if your purpose is solely to brew some good beer, who cares if you can't pony up a bottle of the namesake to compare. But then, the book seems to anticipate a bit of competition--you against the defining standard clone--but a potentially educational kind of competition, as I've already mentioned. If you have access to lots of different kinds of beers and/or have tasted many of them near their places of origin, this limitation won't exist. The graphics on the page are modern and user friendly, a bit like frames on a web page or like contemporary magazine graphics. Each recipe is presented with a little blurb describing the flavor profiles of the beer at the top of the page. A partial mash recipe dominates most of the rest of the page with easy to read instructions on mash schedule, hop additions. In two right margin side bars appear "mini-mash" (base malt substituted for some of the extract) and all grain mash recipes. Access to a wide range of ingredients is implicit in all of the recipes. Perhaps the best part of each recipe is a prioritized list of yeast selections. Each recipe has at least two yeast suggestions, all liquid or bottle cultures. The book also contains a short introduction with some crucial technical data--an explanation of their use of HBU figures instead of IBUs and how to calculate HBU, extraction rate (70%) at which all grain recipes are calculated, etc. Several handy flavor profile tables and calculation tables appear in the back of the book. I think this information makes the book attractive to homebrewers with a wide range of technological savvy. All in all a cool book, worth the money. I find myself gravitating more and more to single brewer recipe books. I have several collections of award winning beer recipes, but I've grown a bit tired of calculating each brewer's extraction rate then reinterpreting the recipe into my system's capacities. That's just pure laziness on my part, though. More legitimately, however, I'm always a bit stumped by bizarre and missing information in some of these collections--recipes with strange or no hydrometer readings, no mash or hop schedules, etc. For homebrewers with even an intermediate knowledge of brewing techniques, the absence of this information makes the recipe unappealing. The Szamatulski's book, on the other hand, gives homebrewers a solid base from which to brew their clone beers, a potentially educational premise for any homebrewer.

clonebrews, December 4, 1999
I have been brewing beer for 9 years and this book has been by far the most helpful. The beer I brew now is better than anything I've made before.The recipes are easy to follow and Mark and Tess are very helpful with providing the required ingredients. I have tried at least 6 different recipes and the results have been excellent. If you are a beginner and want to learn how to brew good beer fast I would definately recommend buying this book. Try the Bass Ale, it's simple and you will be amazed at how similar it tastes to the real thing. Thanks, Mark and Tess for broadening my homebrewing experiences.

Excellent recipe book, August 21, 2005
This book is primarily a recipe book, though it does contain some useful information (such as reculturing yeast from bottles) in the ten pages devoted to the brewing process. The recipes comprise the bulk of the book and are divided by region, then country of origin. All of the recipes are approximations of commercial beers (top-notch ones, though), so don't look for micro-brews or THE exact recipe here. That being said, each recipe includes a brief paragraph about the beer, step-by-step brewing instructions (using malt syrup), and a side-bar containing mini-mash and all-grain alternate brewing instructions. Finally, this book contains a useful appendix that includes a chart of beer characteristics, a hop chart describing various hops, charts describing various grains and sugars, and a beer style index. This appendix makes it relatively easy to figure what grains to buy for which beer style, and vice versa.

Overall, I highly recommend this book as a companion to one that covers more of the brewing process and equipment, such as William Moore's Home Beermaking.

Home Brewing Could Not Be Easier!!, June 4, 1999
I have been frequenting Maltose Express for about three years now. If you have never had the opportunity to see a real Home Brew store, make the effort to see this one in Monroe Connecticut. It is unlike any other Home Brew store I have ever seen. The shelves are always well stocked and the ingredients are fresh (No waiting 4 days for a packet of yeast to rise because it is 8 months old). Mark and Tess are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to brewing beer. The book Clonebrews says it all!! The recipes in the book are incredible. The first recipe I brewed was New Castle Brown Ale. After waiting many weeks for it to finish fermenting, I finally got to taste it. I could not believe how great it tasted. I actually thought I was drinking the real thing. As I do with all my beers, (thanks to Tess) it was kegged. I brought it to a party and told everyone it was New Castle Brown Ale. No one even knew the difference until I told them! The information and recipes in this book are worth their weight in gold. This book is not just for the very experienced home brewer, but for the beginner as well. This is a MUST have!! Cheers to Tess and Mark!! Can't wait for the next book!

Good, but dated, March 1, 2007
I wanted to give this a higher rating and it does have a lot of better ratings from many others, but I just couldn't do it. There are quite a few recipes and I have made a few. If I hadn't done so, my rating on this would be higher. The book is well written, instructions are clear, but it is not for a complete novice, as some of the recipes are in need of revision. The yeast parings are questionable on a few recipes, as are a few of the recipes themselves. There was a recipe for one beer I know how to make quite well, and it was quite off.

A few notable items that are due to the books age: their knowledge of yeasts is limited and the brand of extract has long since changed their name. Muntons & Fison is now just Muntons. These are small things, but they show this book would benefit from an update.

Don't get me wrong, this book is good, but I would suggest that it is better for those brewers that have enough experience to adjust the recipes as needed. I know it was written about a decade ago, but if you are buying this book, you should know what to expect. I'm hoping for better things in Beer Captured.

Recipes for extract, partial mash and all-grain..., December 8, 2000
If there's one thing you get out of reading the reviews for this book it should be that all recipes include an extract, partial mash, and all-grain version. I'm brewing strictly extract beers now, but I plan on advancing my skills, and this book will not be outdated. Lot's of notable domestic beers(US), british, and big section of belgian, along with some obscure (to me) beer from around the world. Great book!

Award Winning Recipes, February 29, 2000
I am a Beer Judge and Brewer. I have been brewing for over 16 years. The recipes that are in this book come out exactly like the commercial beers. I just won two awards in the Best of Brooklyn competition on 2/26/2000. I won a first place with their recipe for Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and a second place with their Affligem Tripel. The book makes it easy to create incredible beers. The comments that the judges give are great: "Nice beer, right on to the style".

They taste like the store-bought stuff... even better., June 11, 2001
The recipes in this book really do come out tasting like the store bought versions of these beers (but homebrew is always better than the stale old store-bought stuff). Each recipe gives a brief description of the beer so you can read about different beers, then sample the brewery version of any that appeal to you and see if you like it enough to make 5 gallons of it. I have even won several competition medals brewing these recipes. There is a good reference section with specifications on beer styles and brewing ingredients (including grains, sugars and extracts, hops and yeast). Highly recommended. Also check out "Beer Captured" by the same authors.

Fantastic resourse for homebrewers, November 28, 1998
I have been getting my homebrew supplies from Mark & Tess' homebrew shop (Maltose Express, in Monroe CT.) for several years now & thus have had ample opportunity to try their recipes & get their advice on how to achieve a certain style in a homebrew. With this book, those homebrewers not fortunate enough to live nearby now have access to Mark & Tess' expertise. A big question often asked of homebrewers is whether or not they can make a beer like Heineken, Guinness, Bass,etc., etc. Now with this book a brewer can approximate the taste of his or her favorite beer at home. Thus far I've brewed nothing but good batches w/Mark & Tess' recipes. (Those who can ought to try their "Never Fail Pale Ale" in the June 1997 of "Brew Your Own" magazine.) Homebrewers can either follow the recipes in this book exactly, or experiment around some (at the very worst, you still have beer). Another item unique to this homebrew book, is that each recipe includes extract, mini-mash, or all-grain versions. That way, regrdless of which level you brew, from novice to all grain, you can pick up this book a start right away on any recipe. I also know that a great deal of reseach went into finding these recipes. For example, for Elm City Connecticut Ale, Mark & Tess spoke to two former brewers of the New Haven Brewery, as well as the man who created the recipe. I highly recommend trying this book and enjoying a fine clonebrew.

Best beer recipe book around, March 14, 2001
I own about a dozen recipe books and have used this book more than all the others combined! Recipes are broken down for extract, partial-mash and all-grain brewers. You can't go wrong with this book.

Phil (President, New York City Homebrewers Guild) ... Read more

Editorial Review

The newest and ninth edition to the Bartenders Black Book franchise adds 143 brand-new recipes that were created by bartenders, professional and laymen, around the world in the last two years. That brings the total beverage count to 3,000, more than double that of any other drink guide. All the sections have been expanded and updated, including Robert M. Parker, Jr. s Vintage Guide and Mr. Cunningham s already vast Martini section. Of course this book still has all its classic features: an index by ingredients, in-depth mixing instructions, metric conversion tables, a list of every possible garnish, sections on hot drinks, frozen drinks, beers, ales, lagers, and malternatives. ... Read more

Reviews

Recommended from Behind the Bar, March 16, 2003
I'm a bartender and there is always one customer who comes along and orders a drink you dont know how to make. Behind the bar we keep several drink books, but this is the only one that actually gets used. Easy to read recipies, non-coded names for liquors, short, sweet, and to the point. Spiral binded so the book will not close while you are mixing. Contains the most variety of drinks I've seen from Vodka Collins for beginners (which most books don't have) through Long Islands all the way to a Mongolian Mother for the more adverse. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to shake, stir, or blend.

Newest Edition Has Recipes, Convenience--and a Wine Guide, December 20, 2004

Tons of Lore and Just as Much Convenience


By Bill Marsano. There are more than enough bar guides around to satisfy even the thirstiest soul, so the question becomes which one is the most helpful, the easiest to use. Well, this one has a pretty fair claim to the title.

At about 4.5 inches by 9, it is of convenient, under-bar size (no bartender wants the customer to know he has to look anything up). It has some 2,700 recipes, and it takes them all with a straight face, from the utterly genteel to the impossibly vulgar (in my view, anyone who orders a German Leg-Spreader or a Duck Fart is a lout who should be flung into the street at the earliest opportunity, but that's the bouncer's job). There's an enlarged section on the martini, that greatest of cocktails, that Fred Astaire of drinks; and sections on flavored vodkas, shooters, floaters and wines. The wine section is especially worthy of note. Bartenders used to take the approach of Tim Costello's old Manhattan saloon, which had its wine list painted on the wall. It said: "Red, $2.50. White, $2.50. No substitutions." But times are changing and with any number of places offering wine by the glass, the able bartender has to know more than how to use a corkscrew. In this book, the wine advice comes from that demigod, Robert Parker Jr. himself. Nuff said.

But the best thing about this book is that it has a comb binding--something like a spiral-wire binding, but made of plastic. It means this book, unlike all the others I've see lately, lies FLAT. No more bending the book open, flexing it until the binding cracks, and then weighting it with a beer bottle to keep the thing from flapping closed. Sometimes strokes of genius are as easy as they are rare.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer and editor.

Buy this Book, April 10, 2003
I had to write a review after reading the prior one of a man in search of a picture book. There are a plethora of [bad] picture drink books on the market. It is funny, he was looking for a common thing (a [bad] picture drink book) and he got the finest drink recipe book ever written. The author painstakingly alphabetized and reworked thousands of drinks. He threw out all the [bad stuff] and made a No [fooling] essential tool, that restaurants, bars, and liquor stores must carry (they all seem to). The book is unbiased (no liquor companies pushing their product) It lays flat so I can work and read at the same time. I own a 4th, 5th and a 6th edition and I await new editions. I have learned from them all....THE BARTENDER'S BLACK BOOK IS A 5 STAR BOOK.

The Bartender's Black Book: The Drink Recipe Collection, September 13, 2002
This book is excellent. My husband works part-time at a liquor store and they have a copy there to help the customer's know what goes into their drinks at a bar. That way if they want they can purchase what they need to make them at home. The book is awesome. I'm always referring to it at the store so I decided I'd like a copy for at home. So I ordered it online from Amazon.com.

Best of what I have found, March 30, 2000
I have used several bartender books, and have found more of the popular drinks I see at various bars in this book. Most of these popular drinks are missing from other books. Long Island Ice Tea (several variations), Sex On The Beach, Purple Hooter, Buttery Nipple, they all are in there. I am an amateur bartender with a reasonably extensive liquor cabinet (40 bottles or so). My girlfriend left and took my copy, so here I am at Amazon getting one to replace it!

The most complete of all the drink guides., June 3, 2005
Don't know which kind of Orgasm is right for you? The Bartender's Black Book, by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham, offers no fewer than three choices. The original Orgasm (aka Burnt Almond or Roasted Toasted Almond) combines vodka, coffee liqueur and amaretto. Orgasm 2 uses triple sec and white cr�me de cacao instead of the coffee liqueur; Orgasm 3 uses Irish cream instead of the vodka. If Sex On The Beach is more your motivator, you'll be pleased to discover four varieties as you leaf through this handy, spiral-bound volume.

If The Bartender's Black Book were a simple compendium of titillating or even interesting mixed drink recipes (Sex on the Sidewalk, Atomic Waste, Quaalude, Dying Nazi From Hell, Rigor Mortis, Wharf Rat, International Incident, Root of All Evil, Tongue Stroke, Wombat) it would join the ranks of dozens of other stimulating compendia; good reads perhaps, but incomplete references. The Black Book, published by the Wine Appreciation Guild, is instead a definitive professional guide, featuring over 2600 recipes for every variety of mixed drink (or drink mix), with special sections on garnishes, bar tools, a wine guide by Robert M. Parker, Jr., and anything else you need to know about drink preparation. Cunningham is a professional bartender whose penchant for detail turned him into a drink recipe collector, then into a careful professional compiler. He revises the book each year, adding dozens of new recipes, many of which continue to expand the art of nomenclature: Leg Spreader, Hot Tub, Dirty Ashtray, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Prison Bitch, Brain Tumor, Boston Massacre, Jumper Cable, Stuffed Toilet, Long Sloe Comfortable Fuzzy Screw Against the Wall with Satin Pillows the Hard Way, and whatever else the mind of man can think to drink.

Cunningham covers the novelties, certainly, but he also gives us the ammunition we need to handle the basics. As an example of the care with which the Black Book has been produced, in the case of Martinis, Manhattans, Rob Roys and related spirit/vermouth mixtures, Cunningham provides bold-faced cautions: "DRY can mean either make drink with Dry Vermouth or less Sweet Vermouth than usual; PERFECT means use equal amounts of Sweet and Dry Vermouth; SWEET means use more Sweet Vermouth than usual; NAKED means no Vermouth at all." Speaking of Martinis, Cunningham adds a useful section that cross references more than 100 Martini variants: classics like the Gimlet and the Negroni, more unusual varieties like the Maiden's Prayer and the Purple Russian. A 30-page index cross-lists every drink in the book by constituent ingredient; Amaretto, for example, is used in several hundred drinks from the Abby Road to the Zonker; Dark Rum's applications range from the American Graffiti to the infamous Zombie. There are sections explaining beer and cognac varieties, all spirits, mixers and liqueurs, and an interesting monograph on "Being a Good Tipper" (think, 20%). The beverage references are generic (i.e., "Coffee Liqueur," rather than Kahlua or Tia Maria, "Orange Liqueur" rather than Cointreau or Grand Marnier). The result is a true resource, prized by professionals, supremely useful to amateurs with standards.

By the way, I know you're wondering, but, no, I have never actually had an Orgasm, of any variety, nor do I expect to have any Orgasms in the near future. You ask why not? I'm still working through the hundred or so drinks that begin with the letter "A." Atomic Bodyslam, anyone?

(...)

This is by far the best recipe guide available..., August 16, 1999
I've bartended for 7 years and I've gotta say that this book has the most current and creative recipes in the market today. It also has many alternate recipes for drinks that may vary by region. I've bought alot of bartending books over the years, but nothing beats this one. I have not been paid for this endorsement. ;)

Best book on market! Most up to date!, November 9, 2004
You will probably discard any other books you have previously purchased. The author/bartender obviously knows his stuff.
This book is not by a wannabe or a corporate monkey. It's great that this book does not push brands and is unbiased. The book lays open flat, and the recipes are easy to follow.

I once had a book with twice the recipes but they were 98% bad recipes. I threw that book out.

There is a wine section written by Robert Parker, that has helped me immensely picking out bottles of wine. Other things that make this book stand out are the Martini instructions, Dessert Drink Section, Hot Drink Section, Frozen Drink Section. Glossary of Bartending Lingo.

7th Ed. Bartenders black book, March 1, 2006
A ton of drinks but the only problem is that it doesn't list the glassware that will be used for the drink. Other than that, all the information that anyone would ever need for bartending.

Another bartender who loves this book., June 9, 2006
I own four or five drink recipe books. This is the one that travels with me when I tend bar. I've bought several copies of it over the years -- the single downside of this book is that, if you turn your back on it, one of your fellow bartenders will steal it from you. It's just that good.

It's the most complete drink book I've ever seen. It's easy to use, with drink recipies in a clear, sans-serif font -- in a darkened bar, it can sometimes be a little tricky to read if you're a geezer like me, but I think they did the best possible job of designing the book for use -- a larger font size, and the book would be too bulky to stick in your hip pocket, a smaller one, and even young guys would have trouble reading it.

The cover is water-resistant -- hell, I recently used the sucker as a cutting board to chop up limes. I don't recommend that use, but it survived the treatment. This book takes a beating -- it's been in puddles of beer and vodka, it's had orange juice poured on it, and it lives at the bottom of my bag at all times. I don't treat it nicely, and it treats me great.

There is no better book for a professional. None.

Another user mentioned that it has no pretty pictures. That's true. Because pretty pictures would distract from its primary use -- for a professional bartender to look up an obscure drink while working in a busy bar, in order to find the recipe, make it, and move on to the next customer. ... Read more