Resources and further reading
BrewClub is a starting point, not a finishing line. The resources below are the ones worth knowing about early. When you're ready to go deeper, the full CraftBrewer Reference Library — books, YouTube channels, podcasts, websites, and magazines — will be your next stop.
The two Palmer books
Two books by John J. Palmer cover the ground BrewClub covers and everything beyond it. Both are useful throughout — one is written for small-batch brewing and is the closer fit for BrewClub; the other is the full reference, and the first edition is free online if you want to go deeper at any point.
How to Brew Beer in Your Kitchen
A small-batch brewing guide written for 10-litre batches — close to BrewClub's batch sizes and directly applicable throughout the programme. Clear, practical, and focused on understanding the why behind each step, not just following instructions. This is the book to read before and during your first few brews.
The chapter references most relevant to BrewClub:
| Topic | Chapter | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Ch. 2 | 11 |
| Cleaning and sanitation | Ch. 3 | 19 |
| Yeast | Ch. 6 | 51 |
| Fermenting the wortWort Liquid extracted from malted grain during mashing and boiling, before fermentation. The starting point for beer. | Ch. 11 | 97 |
| Packaging | Ch. 12 | 111 |
| Troubleshooting | Ch. 13 | 123 |
Available as a paperback. Sponsored by Grainfather. Full details in the Reference Library →
How to Brew — 4th Edition
Palmer's full reference — the graduate text. Covers everything from extract brewing through to all-grainAll-grain brewing A brewing method in which the brewer converts raw malted grain into fermentable wort entirely from scratch — mashing the grain to convert starches to sugars, sparging to rinse the grain bed, and boiling the resulting wort with hops. Gives complete control over the recipe but requires the most equipment and time. The fourth and final stage in the BrewClub brew sequence., water chemistry, yeast management, and troubleshooting in 25 chapters. The most widely recommended homebrewing book in the hobby, and the primary reference behind much of the Brewer's Manual. Reach for this when you've completed BrewClub and want to go deeper.
The chapters most relevant as a next step after BrewClub:
| Topic | Chapter | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning and sanitation | Ch. 2 | 25 |
| Yeast and fermentation | Ch. 6 | 85 |
| Yeast management | Ch. 7 | 105 |
| Kegging | Ch. 10 | 153 |
| Troubleshooting | Ch. 25 | 441 |
The first edition is available free at howtobrew.com. The fourth edition (Brewers Publications, 2017) is the definitive version and worth having in print. Full details in the Reference Library →
More resources
Further recommendations — books, channels, communities, and tools — are being added to the full CraftBrewer Reference Library. Check there for the complete list.