Summer Brewing, and Having a Blast

With the DIY craze continuing to spread by the day, we’re always on the lookout for new resources on things like roasting your own coffee or brewing your own beer, and this week we were excited to see the just-released Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer come across our desks. Homebrewing books can be a dime a dozen, but this one stands out with its fun “you can do it” tone to easy-to-navigate design. Realistic recipes walk you through brewing everything from pilsners to porters without the need for fussy ingredients or over-sized equipment, and each recipe easily adapts for those eager to take their homebrewing to the next level. Perfect for novices and über-enthusiasts alike, Beer Craft includes everything from field guides for yeast, hops and malts to tips on barrel aging, adding fruit and brewing sours. Complete with notes of inspiration from industry insiders like Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada, Shane Welch of SixPoint and Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin, and with additional chapters on trouble-shooting off flavors, designing labels and pairing your homebrews with food, Beer Craft promises to make summer DIY drinking a whole lot more satisfying. $18, amazon.com