Craft beer for the homebrewer Recipes from America's top brewmasters

The craft-beer industry has exploded in recent years, with nearly 2,400 craft breweries in the U.S. and counting, and this has led to a renaissance in the hobby of home brewing. No longer do beer connoisseurs have to settle for that commercial American swill that Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko once famously wrote tastes as if it were brewed through a horse. Although the most comprehensive home-brew-recipe book may be Clone Brews (1998), by Tess and Mark Szamatulski, this entry differs from the usual clone approach by offering 38 authentic recipes contributed by the craft brewmasters themselves. Here you will find artisan pale ales, IPAs, porters, stouts, lagers, Belgians, and wheat beers that you can re-create in your own kitchen. Some of the more enticing offerings include Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner, from Schmaltz Brewing; Hop Stoopid and Little Sumpin Sumpin', from Lagunitas Brewing Company; Buffalo Sweat, from Tallgrass Brewing Company; and Hazelnut Brown Nectar, from Rogue Ales. So many beers, so little time.--Siegfried, David Copyright 2010 Booklist

American beer has come a long way from the bland brews of the 1970s to the wide range of present-day craft beers. Many of the popular brewing companies have home brew roots. Agnew, author of the blog A Perfect Pint, has put together a recipe book with help from others in the home brewing community including Billy Broas, Denny Conn, Matthew Schaefer, and Jordan Wiklund, in which each brewer was given a range of formulas to sample from commercial craft brewers. While the recipes are accompanied by straightforward instructions, they are definitely aimed at those who have made their own beer before. Furthermore, each beverage has been adjusted so that readers can make these recipes their own. Also included are descriptions of the beer produced and profiles of the craft brewery. VERDICT Although this book is not for the novice beer maker, the experienced brewer will find much to enjoy here.-Ginny Wolter, Toledo-Lucas Cty. P.L. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.