Wisdom for Home Brewers: 500 Tips for Making Great Beers of All Kinds

In 2012, there were more than 1 million American home brewers, and that number is climbing. More Americans are becoming interested in do-it-yourself production and local sourcing, as well as artisanal craft beers and the creativity and artistic expression they represent. Now, for the first time since before Prohibition, home brewing is legal in all 50 states, paving the way for home brewers everywhere to build their community through sample swaps and competitions, and, in a few places, small-scale production at pubs.

Complete novices can enter the home-brewing market for as little as $50, which will buy a low-end beer-making kit. Brew masters who have been crafting beer for many years search out new ingredients and experiment with blending styles. Anyone who brews, regardless of skill level, will search out advice to help ensure their beer is satisfying and delicious.

In Wisdom for Home Brewers, a collection of 500 brewing tips plus basic recipes for different kinds of beer, Ted Bruning combines practical instruction for beginners with more detailed, obscure, and even a little surprising information for those who’ve been at it for years. Tips are divided into ten chapters covering everything from equipment and ingredients to troubleshooting and storage. The tips are accompanied by simple annotated diagrams where required, and a series of specially commissioned linocut prints by printmaker Melvyn Evans completes the charming package.

TED BRUNING is an award-winning beer and brewery writer who has been writing on the topic for over twenty years. He spent thirteen years working on the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) membership newspaper and was the editor of CAMRA's What's Brewing for eight years. He wrote the books Historic Pubs of London and Historic Inns of England, the latter of which won the British Beer Writers' Guild Silver Tankard in 2000. He is also the author of Home Brewing: A guide to making your own beer, wine and cider (published by the National Trust) and The Microbrewers' Handbook (which is now in it's fourth edition).