Stouts, ales, lagers, porters, bitters, pilseners, specialtybeers, and meads. . .they're all remarkably easy to make! WithThe New Complete Joy of Home Brewing -- acclaimed by criticsand amateur brewmeisters alike as the best and most authoritative guide on the market -- you can learn to make beer just the way you like it! And it's fun! Whether you prefer a richer, creamier head, a more flavorsome, full-bodied brew, or a sparkling, sweeter ale -- from the lightest lager to the darkest stout -- as a home brewer you can make them all and even keg your own like the beer masters of old!

Simple, Easy-to-Follow Sections on:

• Getting your home brewery together: the basics -- malt, hops, yeast and water
• 10 easy lessons to making your first bubbling batch of beer
• Brewing exciting world-class styles of beer that will impress and delight your friends
• Using fruit, honey and herbs for a spicier, feistier brew
• Brewing with malt extracts for an unlimited range of strengths and flavors. . .and much, much more!

Plus: A complete home brewer's glossary; a fascinating look at the history of beer; details about the advanced world of all-grain and mash extract brewing; growing your own hops; more than 50 fantastic recipes-from Cherry Fever Stout to Monkey's Paw Brown Ale.

Amazon.com Review
"Relax. Don't Worry. Have a home-brew." It's the mantra of home-brewing, a phrase that nods to the technical aspects of brewing only as it dismisses all stress with a sip and a smile. Home-brewing is fun, after all. Charlie Papazian didn't just coin the term, he virtually spearheaded the home-brewing revival in America. Figurehead for the American Homebrewers Association and its membership magazine, Zymurgy, Papazian is one of the founding fathers of the modern home-brewing scene.

Often touted as the home-brewer's bible, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing charts a beginning brewer's course, keeping the focus on enjoying the process as well as the results of home-brewing. An easy-to-use table of ingredients helps the newly initiated design their own recipes, although many home-brewers happily spend years sampling those Papazian provides. Dozens of recipes for all levels of experience are here, christened with the most improbable (and irresistible?) names in home-brewing literature ("Toad Spit Stout," "Cheeks to the Wind Mild," and "Goat Scrotum Ale" among them).

While Papazian's classic does cover a broad sweep of home-brewing techniques (including more advanced procedures like grain mashing and yeast culturing), it's more than just a home-brewer's guidebook. Papazian's personal take on the history of American brewing is an entertaining read for any beer enthusiast, and his laid-back, humor-driven style engages readers whether or not they've ever boiled up a brew. This book makes home-brewers almost as often as it helps them. If enthusiastic friends haven't convinced you to start home-brewing, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing undoubtedly will. --Todd Gehman