Skip to main content

Reference Library

A curated list of books, websites, and other resources that inform the thinking behind CraftBrewer — and that are worth your time as a brewer.

This is not a comprehensive list of everything ever written about beer. It is a list of things that have been read, referenced, or found useful in building this site. Entries are added as they earn their place.

If you have a recommendation, open an issue on GitHub.

note

Channels, podcasts, and tools are in preparation. The books section is the most complete for now.

Books​

Books are grouped by purpose. The same book sometimes appears in more than one group — where it does, only a short cross-reference is given.

Start here — BrewClub and kitchen brewing​

How to Brew Beer in Your Kitchen — John J. Palmer The primary reading recommendation for BrewClub. Written for kitchen-scale brewing at 10 litres, with clear explanations of every step and why it matters. Palmer describes it as a distillation of his larger How to Brew — and recommends graduating to that once you've worked through this one. Sponsored by Grainfather. Available as a paperback.

How to Brew — John J. Palmer, 4th ed. (Brewers Publications, 2017) The definitive homebrewing reference. Covers extract brewing, 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 across 25 chapters and four appendices. The graduate text after How to Brew Beer in Your Kitchen. The first edition is available free at howtobrew.com — the fourth edition is significantly expanded and worth having in print. See the BrewClub Resources page for chapter references relevant to BrewClub.

Simple Homebrewing — Denny Conn & Drew Beechum (Brewers Publications, 2019) Focused on reducing complexity — brewing better beer with less fuss. Good BIAB and small batch coverage. Relevant to the apartment brewing philosophy behind CraftBrewer.

The Complete Joy of Home Brewing — Charlie Papazian, 3rd ed. (William Morrow, 2003) The original homebrewing bible, by the founder of the American Homebrewers Association. More approachable than Palmer. "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew." A foundational text and a good historical companion to the more technical references.

The Modern Homebrewer — Andy Parker & Jamil Zainasheff (CAMRA Books, 2024) A practical up-to-date guide with QR codes to video content. Zainasheff also co-authored Brewing Classic Styles and Yeast. Good for a contemporary perspective alongside the older standards.

Brooklyn BrewShop's Beer Making Book — Erica Shea & Stephen Valand (Clarkson Potter, 2011) 52 seasonal recipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. for small batches. 1-gallon scale — very relevant to small-batch and apartment brewing. The seasonal recipe structure aligns well with the CraftBrewer editorial identity.

Brygg Öl (Trestegshumling) — Henok Fentie & Karl Grandin (Natur & Kultur, 2013) (Swedish) The Omnipollo founders' homebrew book. Based on trestegshumling (three-step hoppingHopping Adding hops to wort or beer at various stages of the brewing process. Hot-side hop additions during the boil contribute bitterness and some flavour. Cold-side additions (dry hopping) after fermentation contribute aroma and flavour without bitterness. The timing, quantity, and variety of hop additions are among the most influential variables in beer flavour.) — a small-batch kitchen brewing approach directly aligned with CraftBrewer. Includes Omnipollo recipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. alongside contributions from Brooklyn Brewery, Evil Twin, and others.

Recipes and styles​

Brewing Classic Styles — Jamil Zainasheff & John J. Palmer (Brewers Publications, 2007) 80 BJCP-winning recipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. covering all major styles. Extract and 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. versions. A comprehensive style-by-style recipe reference.

Brew Classic European Beers at Home — Graham Wheeler & Roger Protz (CAMRA Books, 1993) Clone recipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. for European classics — Czech lager, Munich Helles, Belgian styles. The older of the two Wheeler & Protz books; well-regarded for its continental focus.

Brew Your Own Real Ale at Home — Graham Wheeler & Roger Protz (CAMRA Books, 1993) Clone recipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. for British real ales. Relevant to cask and bottle-conditioned ale projects.

Brew Better Beer — Emma Christensen (Ten Speed Press, 2015) Recipe-focused, with small 1-gallon batch options. Covers IPAs, sours, pilsners, stouts. From The Kitchn.

Designing Great Beers — Ray Daniels (Brewers Publications, 1996) Recipe design methodology — grain bills, hop schedules, water chemistry by style. More technical than recipe-collection books; useful for understanding the why behind recipe decisions.

Ingredients and science​

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation — Chris White & Jamil Zainasheff (Brewers Publications, 2010) The definitive guide to yeast selection, starters, and fermentation management. Zainasheff also co-authored Brewing Classic Styles and The Modern Homebrewer. Essential for understanding fermentation from first principles.

IPA: Brewing Techniques, RecipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. and the Evolution of India Pale Ale — Mitch Steele (Brewers Publications, 2012) History, technique, and recipesCIP — Clean-in-Place A method of cleaning the interior of pipework, vessels, and equipment without disassembly, using pumped cleaning and rinsing solutions. Standard in commercial and microbrewery settings. Requires dedicated CIP equipment and is out of scope for small-batch homebrewing. for IPA. Pairs well with Hops and Glory for the historical context and cultural background.

The Chemistry of Beer — Roger Barth (Wiley, 2013) Academic-level brewing chemistry — Maillard reactions, hop chemistry, fermentation biochemistry. More technical than most brewing books; a good complement to the science content in the Brewer's Manual.

The Drunken Botanist — Amy Stewart (Algonquin Books, 2013) The plants that create the world's great drinks. Covers hops, grain, botanicals, and fruit. Useful background for ingredient understanding.

The Art of Fermentation — Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012) Fermentation across cultures and substrates — beer, kombucha, vegetables, wine, dairy. Foreword by Michael Pollan. Broader than beer but foundational for anyone interested in fermentation science. Key reference for kombucha and wild fermentation.

Wild Fermentation — Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2016, revised edition) More practical companion to The Art of Fermentation — recipe-focused, covering vegetables, grains, beer, wine, and dairy.

Beer culture and history​

The Oxford Companion to Beer — edited by Garrett Oliver (Oxford University Press, 2011) The definitive encyclopaedic beer reference. A-Z entries on styles, ingredients, history, people, and breweries. Edited by the Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster. Verify any beer fact here.

The Beer Bible — Jeff Alworth (Workman Publishing, 2015) A comprehensive guide to beer styles worldwide. Good for style context and recipe planning.

A Brief History of Lager — Mark Dredge (Kyle Books, 2019) 500 years of the world's favourite beer. Strong lager history and style context.

Hops and Glory — Pete Brown (Pan Macmillan, 2010) One man rebrews a historic Burton IPA and ships it to India. Travel writing meets IPA history. Pairs with IPA by Mitch Steele for anyone going deep on the style.

God and Guinness — Stephen Mansfield (Thomas Nelson, 2009) History of the Guinness family and their brewing legacy. Non-technical but good beer culture reading.

A Year in Beer — Jonny Garrett (CAMRA Books, 2021) Seasonal drinking through the year. Garrett also wrote The Meaning of Beer and co-authored Beer School.

The Meaning of Beer — Jonny Garrett (CAMRA Books, 2024) Fortnum & Mason Drink Book of the Year 2025. Subject of an ongoing CraftBrewer documentation project.

Home Brewing Without Failures — H. E. Bravery (ARC Books, 1965) A 95-cent pre-craft homebrewing paperback. Historical curiosity and a reminder of how far the hobby has come. Charming artefact.

Tasting and pairing​

Tasting Beer — Randy Mosher, 2nd ed. (Storey Publishing, 2017) Styles, tasting technique, and beer and food pairing. Good for BrewClub tasting sessions.

The Brewmaster's Table — Garrett Oliver (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2003) The definitive beer and food pairing book by the Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster. Oliver also edited The Oxford Companion to Beer.

Beer School — Jonny Garrett & Brad Evans (CAMRA Books, 2014) Crash course in craft beer. Approachable and readable.

The Craft Beer Dictionary — Richard Croasdale (Mitchell Beazley, 2017) A to Z of craft beer. Good reference for terminology and glossary content.

Cheese & Beer — Janet Fletcher (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013) Guide to pairing cheese and beer. Good for BrewClub events.

Swedish language​

Brygg Öl (Trestegshumling) — see Start here section above.

101 Öl — Örjan Westerlund Swedish beer reference. ISBN to be confirmed.

Websites​

howtobrew.com John Palmer's free online edition of the first version of How to Brew. Not the full fourth edition, but a substantial free resource covering all the core topics. The starting point for anyone who wants the underlying science without buying a book first.

More sections in preparation​

Channels, podcasts, tools, and online communities are being added. Check back or open an issue on GitHub to suggest an addition.