Best book for a novice homebrewer

"How to Brew." Then "Brewing Classic Styles." Even though you have a dozen batches under your belt, it's not clear if you have the basic theory down...and the fact that you're asking leads me to think you might not. So that's why I say "How to Brew" first. You can browse the online version, and if it looks like stuff you don't know yet, consider buying the revised print version.

 

I'm a fan of "the Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by C. Papazian, but as the 4th edition is due out at the end of September, I would hold off until then. It promises to be "Fully Revised and Updated." I hope this is true, as previous versions ar e bait dated. CP's enthusiam is definitely not outdated, however.

 

American Sour Beers.

 

"How to brew" is a must. "Brewing classic styles" for me is the perfect recipe book that also teaches you the basics of each style. I also got a lot out of the "Yeast" book. That would be my trifecta. Once you are ready to tackle water adjustment (if you haven't already) , then the "Water" book.

One other thing that has helped me a lot is "Brew Strong" on the brewing network. Listen to those as well. I download them and listen to them in the car... the wife hates it.

 

Another consideration, but yet to be released, Mastering Home Brew: The Complete Guide to Brewing Delicious Beer. Randy Mosher did a hell of a job selling it during the National Homebrew Conference. But start with How to Brew since it's proven.

 

Another vote for -How To Brew- then -Brewing Classic Styles-.

 

All of the above. But these guys on this forum will be your greatest ally and confidant. Books r good but just talking with a real person on here can really make things click sometimes

 

This for sure. Books are a good base, but for lack of a better term... Brewing is a highly fluid process that begs frequent advice in the early learning phases!

 

I'd like to learn more about brewing. Both in a big picture Brewery size as well as home brewing. What are some books, or I guess any materials, that have helped you learn the art of brewing the best?

 

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is what you want to pick up.

 

Tasting Beer is excellent. The Oxford Companion to Beer is a wonderful beer encyclopedia, albeit a bit pricey. For specifically homebrewing, I'd recommend Charlie Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing. The Brewer's Association Press also has a series of in-depth books about a number of styles, such as Pale Ale, Bock, Kölsch, etc., that I really love. There's plenty more out there, of course.

 

Start with "How to Brew" on the homebrew side.

After that, if you still want to learn how the pros do it, there are lots of fairly expensive texts available. Here's a link to a few...
http://beerbook.com/professional.htm
Disclaimer: I haven't read more than excerpts of any of those.

"New Brewing Lager Beer" is kind of pro oriented. Chalk full of information (not just specific to lagers). Warning: It is not an easy read.

The Oxford Companion is a nice coffee table book and fun to browse. But the information is not layed out in a way conducive to learning a process. It's essentially a bunch of disconnected articles, in dictionary/encylopedia format.

 

If I had to recommend one book, it would be Palmer's How to Brew, but there are lots of good books out there.

 

In which I suggest reading How to Brew first.

 

Another way in which the Oxford Companion may not be conducive to learning is that Horst Dornbusch is involved (as both associate editor and author of some of the material, I believe). @patto1ro likes to point out Dornbusch's tendency to write things that are at odds with the historical evidence. (Seriously, scroll through those posts, they are amusing.) So I'd take Dornbusch's contributions cum grano salis.

 

Whaaaaat? An industry professional who claims things that aren't true? Inconceivable.

 

I think the books have been covered. Ask questions and if someone tells you the only way to do "X" is this, run as fast as you can. there are a million and one ways to do pretty much everything involved in brewing. Experiment, get first hand knowledge, the books will get you started, which it seems you're already started, the experience will lead the rest of the way.