New to the industry looking for information and advice

[NewFewBrew]

Hey everyone, hows the beer today? Im 26 and live in Central Oregon, a transplant from the North East and to make a long story short i'm aspiring to become a brewer. I currently work in a brand new and very small brewery in my area as a beer steward and have a plan in place to intern in the brew house. My post today is to ask about books, I greatly want to expand my knowledge of brewing and fermentation science but also want to be prepared for working in the brew house. Currently life won't allow me to take classes on fermentation science and brewing, so besides working hands on the best manner for me to learn is by reading. I am looking for books on fermentation science, the brewing process (including information on the different malts, hops, yeast and their effects on the taste and feel of a beer), and MOST IMPORTANTLY Detailed Information on Brewing Systems. I currently also work in a chemical plant as a systems operator, I have knowledge of various process systems and have always been a technical person with a career history in the automotive industry working as a Ford Technician. I strive to gain as much knowledge on the Art of Brewing and thought there would be no better way than to ask the masters themselves. Any advice or information on what would be good books to pick up would be very helpful

Thank you very much for your time and attention
Alex

[Jeff Lockhart]

I may get laughed out of the industry for this, but the two best books I ever read on brewing were homebrewing books. "The Complete joy of home brewing" and "Home Brewing for dummies".

[ChesterBrew]

Jeff, I was going to ask if he's a home brewer. I agree with you that there are many good homebrewing books that approach the topic in a simpler way that can greatly aid in comprehension. In addition to the ones you mention, John Palmer's "How to Brew," Ray Daniels' "Designing Great Beers" and Gordon Strong's "Brewing Better Beer" are all also very good.

"Technology Brewing and Malting" by Wolfgang Kunze is the textbook that's recommended for the World Brewing Academy courses; it's not cheap at $200+ through the Siebel Institute, but it's an extraordinarily thorough reference.

Hope this helps...

[NewFewBrew]

I am a home brewer, I have The Complete Joy 3rd Edition and thats a great book, good info and advice. I looked into Technology Brewing and Malting and its up around $400 used. A text book is probably the best way to go for me so i'm going to look around more. Thanks guy for the suggestions i'm also going to grab another home brew book. I did pick up The Naked Pint as well

[ChesterBrew]

I looked into Technology Brewing and Malting and its up around $400 used. A text book is probably the best way to go for me so i'm going to look around more.

You can buy it for $210 directly from Siebel:

http://www.siebelinstitute.com/produ...wing-textbooks

[NewFewBrew]

I must have found something different on Amazon it said technology brewing and malting g. Thanks fir the link

[brewmaster 2011]

also buy the mebak

[gitchegumee]

Look about this site. There are quite a few threads regarding brewing books.

[gungadin]

I would second "Designing Great Beers"

[almalkin]

I would also throw in the MBAA "Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer." The three volume set should be available from the MBAA.

The BA also has a recommended reading list:

http://www.brewersassociation.org/pa...ended-reading/

[Mindhop]

Yeast- the practical guide to beer fermentation is another good one!

[dinobrew]

I have the Kunze book and I usually find that it does not answer the questions I want it to. I find that it has too much information on the many different types of machines and vessels available to a brewer these days( as well as some systems that no one uses today). The information on brewing processes and techniques is very general and does not help in solving problems. My old "Joy' copy which started me brewing gets much more use than Kunze. I also use my copy of "brewing" by lewis and young a lot. that being said working in a brewery and talking with brewers is going to be the best way to increase your knowledge and understanding of brewing.

Prost

[NewFewBrew]

Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions in books. I've been able to work in the brew house a bit and its very exciting. I've also looked into online classes through Siebel. Im gonna hit Barnes and Noble soon and look through some, id like to find one that covers the all types of hops, malts, and yeast (to a point) and what they contribute to the beer.

[Damase]

Kunze, DeClerk, and Papaizain are well thumbed thru for me. I also reference the MBAA series (3 volumes), Yeast, and a few others for regular reference. But between Kunze and DeClerk you should be all set. Though truth be told, when I went to Siebel, the only books I had really read through and through were the two Papaizians (I was a chemist before hand and had a strong bio-chem background so that might have helped) and I made it through okay.