Lands of Amber Waters: The history of brewing in MN
927927
Book was extremely interesting. Didn't know that there had been so many brewing companies in Minnesota. Would recommend the book to others interested in beer making.
4324165
Very interesting history of the A-B brew and the family history of places you may have grown up visiting in the St. Louis Missouri area of the United States.  If you like beer you and history, you will thoroughly enjoy reading of this dynasty. You may also gain some insights into your own life as well.
1897789
Very interesting to have events in Milwaukee woven in with a narrative of events in Minneapolis.  To anyone who has visited the Museum of the Milling Industry, it is fascinating to learn how the project got started.
251964
I really enjoyed this story. Sierra Nevada was the first "craft beer" I tried back in the mid 90's, and I still vividly remember my first "Bigfoot", which lead to me starting to brew. So for me, learning the story behind the beer was very personal and special.

Brewers, beer lovers, and Sierra Nevada enthusiasts will really enjoy this story. But it's a story of entrepreneurship and business philosophy as well. It also made me think about my business and my employees.

As you read it particularly towards the end open a Sierra Nevada and drink it while you read, the dedication to quality really comes through in the beer. For me that brings it all together!
1374717
This book is awesome. If you are like me, and you don't listen to what the other brewing authors say about perfecting a few beers that you like, read this one. I hardly ever brew the same beer twice, and I like experimentation. This book will pave way for many new ideas and tasty new brews. There are a few inaccuracies and typos in the book. For example, altitude does change the boiling point of water. However, the few mistakes are far shadowed by the excellent writing and research that went into this book. If you brew with a lot of odd ingredients like I do, you will have to pick this one up.
2626711
The heightened interest in wine review we saw blossom in the nineties has given way to similar interest in beer review in recent years.  Books like The Beer Lover's Rating Guide by Klein and Michael Jackson's various Beer Guides and Beer Companions dominate the market, but Stuart Kallen's simple book is far more approachable and to the point.
The big beer guides contain ratings and reviews of between 1200 and 2000 brews--about 1750 more varieties than I have been able to find in the Madison area.  Kallen focuses on the 50 beers you are likely to find nearly anywhere--excepting those few beers which are no longer produced (like the #2 Eisenbock): the text could use a quick update.  His reviews discuss the unique history of the chosen beers, the way the beer is produced, and gives a sip-by-sip analysis of the beverage as it goes down.  His text is a heartwarming introduction to my favorite new hobby.
2804855
My wife and her KC family loved the book. It's an interesting history of KC beer with lots of pictures (past and present) to support the text.
4443939
I bought this book as a reference. It sounded dreary, but I figured it would answer occasional questions.

Instead, it was quite fascinating in a variety of ways. It dealt with the background of Michigan's Finnish immigration (the first and biggest 19th c. migration stream), the decline of the tar trade as sailing ships became obsolete, the dreadful winters and crop failures of the late 1860s.

The settlement of small communities is detailed -- interesting to Upper Peninsula people. I had to stop before the meaty chapters on the Apostolic Finns and the politics and purposes of the 20th c. cooperative movement, headquartered in Superior, Wisconsin. Its relics can be seen throughout Finnish rural areas of Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Probably the author's bi-cultural perspective, being a native of Finland transplanted to Suomi College in Hancock, Michigan, makes this such an interesting book.
4159216
We own Stevens Point Brewery in Wisconsin,and was looking for wonderful recipes made with beer!! I found it in this book. Plus the authors teach how to do a tasting.
702935
Let me start this review by saying I am what could be called a casual brewer.  I brew a couple of batches a year for special occasions, and a few more for drinking myself.

From that perspective, this is an excellent book.  It focuses on interesting yet simple recipes that produce great, full-flavored beer.  Most of the recipes are all-extract, with a few adding some steeped barley for additional depth.

The variety of beers in this book is truly stunning.  From traditional ales, to brewery copycats (recipes modeled after major beers, and titled with a wink so you can figure out who it's copying), to wheat beers, beers with fruit or spices, ciders, meads, etc.

I highly recommend the book to people who want to brew for a hobby without making it a full-time job.
3799502
This book is very interesting.  I wish it had been titled appropriately.  Something like "Beer: A history of America".  28 pages of the 254 are dedicated to a few moments in history of beer and ancient civilization.  Then for the remainder of the book we are in America.  Don't get me wrong-- its all very fascinating and inspiring, but I was a little misled by the title of the book.  My only other real complaint about this entertaining and educational read is that the author assumes a certain educated audience.  I mean that he will state a brewing process or say the beer cost the man a penny.  Well the reader might say to himself, how much was a penny worth during 1628?  Keep google and a dictionary handy.  Otherwise a good read.
232031
Getting back into home brewing after a long break.  This book by Mr Foster has been invaluable.  It covers a the history of the pale ale style(s) as well as some great recipes.  Each recipe has an extract and all grain version(s).
2236622
This is a fun read. It is basic, but if you're new to the brewing or history of beer, you've got to start somewhere. I think this is a great place to begin your education. I was particularly impressed with the author's general(and sometimes more specific) knowledge of the brewing process and how that process has evolved over time due to regional, economic, and historic circumstances. There's so much info to know about beer that the book could have gone in an infinite number of directions. But the author does a wonderful job of simplifying and  breaking down the sections to give the reader a clear picture of what's involved in the brewing of lagers and ales and how the current techniques have come to pass. Many different types of beer are discussed, and this gives the reader some real world examples that can then be sampled at home. Reading this book, you will learn about the ingredients, processing, and aging of beers and the history behind much of the industry. The best part: as basic as this book is, it gives one the opportunity to read, drink and compare various beers, so that the reader can develop a more genuine, in-depth understanding of why he/she enjoys a certain style or brand. I really searched around before choosing this book to begin my "book" beer education, and I'm glad I chose this one. I highly recommend it if you want to begin broadening your understanding of lagers and ales. This is a good first step toward becoming more knowledgeable and familiar with beers you may never have tried before.
1906233
While not quite as good as their later book "Beer Captured", I'd give this book about 31/2 stars for the amount of information it contains (the Szamatulski's 2nd book is even more detailed hence the lower rating). You get a variety of recipes from all over the world including countries you might not expect to even allow alcohol. I've never brewed beer but I'd say that this book would do pretty well for extract, mini mash or all grain method brewers who have a good idea of what they're doing. While there is some introductory information and some more in the appendices I really don't think the total novice(like me) should rely on this book alone. How close are the cloned recipes?, I don't know but expect that most of us couldn't tell the difference.
4178163
Imagine going out with a friend who knows a lot - really quite a lot - about beer and sitting at the bar becomes this great, long conversation about beer and how it is made, and how each style obtains characteristic flavors. This conversation makes you thirsty for more and amazingly, there's a book to read that sounds just like your beer-savvy friend. We all have that friend in Josh Bernstein, who conducts home-brew hours and tastings all around NYC. Though I live far away, in Milwaukee, WI, I really enjoyed the guided tour from Josh, in print. What a treat! Well worth sharing with all your beer-loving friends.
Lucy Saunders
author, THE BEST OF AMERICAN BEER AND FOOD
organizer, conserve-greatlakes.com
2790282
Author Jonathan Hennessey and illustrator Aaron McConnell have teamed up again to create their third non-fiction graphic novel, and this time, they pulled in professional brewer Mike Smith. Their pooled knowledge and experience are apparent on every page of The Comic Book Story of Beer. Historian Maureen Ogle (Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer) might find some details or perspectives to quibble with, but I didnt. Hennessey and Smith have written a seamless and easy to follow history of beer over the millennia. McConnells illustrations are clever, rich and detailed. One example: the female brewer on page 39 in her pink boots. (For non-brewers, thats a shout-out to the Pink Boots Society.) To my knowledge, there's no other published book like it.

An ideal Christmas or birthday gift for homebrewers, beer lovers and comic book fans!
4573980
This book is fantastically well researched, and extremely informative in an area of brewing that is short on really quality literature. "Wild Brews" and "Farmhouse Ales" are both very quality books for traditional methods and the history of old world "wild" beers, but if you are interested in brewing or consuming experimental American sour beers, this book is absolutely essential.

The author has an exceptional blog he has maintained for many years titled "The Mad Fermentationist". I have read nearly every article on the blog, and it got me started brewing sour beers in my own home. I have brewed over a dozen sour beers now, and felt like I mostly knew what I was doing. This book goes FAR beyond the content on his blog, and expanded my knowledge far beyond what I expected.

The in-depth information into the methods of elite sour breweries and award winning homebrewers allows you to not only attempt to replicate their methods, but also gives you enough information to create your own methods from their advice. While incredibly well researched and dense with information, the book is extremely accessible due to the excellent writing style of the author.

Overall I can't recommend it enough. If you brew sour beer, or want to brew sour beer, you absolutely must own a copy of this book.