Author Charlie Papazian is a well- known name in beer circles, and it was only a matter of time before he wrote, “The Homebrewer’s Companion,” a book about brewing beer with information on styles, techniques, specifications, and more.
Author Charlie Papazian is a well- known name in beer circles. He is the man who founded the American Homebrewer’s Association and he gained fame among the beer drinking public for his highly successful debut book, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing. With such a good deal of success with his first book, it was only a matter of time until Papazian produced a sequel: The Homebrewer’s Companion, a book about brewing beer with information on styles, techniques, specifications, and more.
Part of the reason The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing was so successful was its writing style and wit. Knowing that these two qualities are largely responsible for the success of Papazian’s first volume, I expected this book to contain more of the same. Instead, The Homebrewer’s Companion is a little more technical and factual. Most of the humor is gone, replaced by technical facts, recipes, and more.
As a reference guide, The Homebrewer’s Companion certainly has some value and homebrewing enthusiasts can easily benefit from the material within. Each of the world’s important beer styles is broken down to its individual specifications, such as its specific gravity range, its ingredients, its color, etc. Homebrewers can use this information as a general guide for brewing their own beer. They can also make use of the many recipes contained within the pages of The Homebrewer’s Companion. The recipes are mostly in the intermediate range, but there some that require greater skill and knowledge about homebrewing in order to successfully produce.
Charlie Papazian has authored many important books and articles about beer and beer making. The Homebrewer’s Companion certainly has some good material to offer, but don’t buy this book expecting the same type of writing that made The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing so memorable. The Homebrewer’s Companion is different and while I agree it has some good points to offer, the lack of wit and style make it very middle-of-the-road in terms of overall enjoyability.
Rating: 6 Cheers out of 10
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