Just got a homebrew kit a week ago and planning to brew a wheat ale soon. I was wondering what some staple brewing books are. Anything from history to recipe books would be appreciated.
How to Brew. You'll get this answer from just about everyone. There's a reason for that. Joy of Homebrewing (if you're less technical but still want to learn well).
Where are you in the mitten? You could come to one of my brew clubs meetings if you're close to Howell.
Whoops, I recently moved to Texas but forgot to update my information. I used to be in Grand Rapids though. I will check out How to brew for sure. I was wondering if there are any books that look at brewing across the world and throughout history. I think it would be easier to remember different kinds of hops and grains if I had a story to tie to them.
I saved this thread when I was looking for a wheat ale recipe. You might find it helpful. http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/awesome-hefeweizen-recipe-anyone.36967/
You don't need to memorize all kinds of grains and hops, you just need to research what you intend to put into your beer before you brew it. If you intend to stock up on ingredients, then you should of course research them first as well. You'll learn the basic stuff as you brew. Your intention to do some reading first is admirable tho, definitely do that. You should probably start off extract anyway. Perhaps try a simple wheat beer using just wheat extract and an ounce of hops. I brewed one exactly like this and it came out delicious. In fact I can't really say that my all-grain wheat beer is "better," just that both are delicious*. Step it up to steeping grains, then partial mash and all grain over time according to how interested you stay in the hobby. *a testament to the quality of the extract I used for that batch
