Product reviewsA Harperresource Book Ser.: The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charles Papazian (2003, Trade Paperback)

The Best Brew Book!

This truly is an excellent guide for starting the hobby. It certainly was my first brew book. Although my first homebrew store gave me simpler instructions with my first purchase, this book gave me the understanding of what those instructions meant.

The author is very laid back and is a knowledgeable guy that does not want you to quit the hobby because of petty details. Good brewing comes with time. After 11 years of brewing, I realize that this is a hobby, not a job. This is why the author repeats the phrase "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew."

Being pretty savvy with both biology and chemistry, I was the typical case of a worry wort (no pun intended to all grain guys).

My first two brews, when I was too clueless to know what to worry about, came out better than the next 5!

Take this from a decent brewer: You will always want this book in your home. Although I normally use a bit more advanced guides (Designing Great Beers, and New Brewing Lager Beer), there is still some good stuff in this book. I would hardly call it only for beginners. I would say since almost every home brewer bought this book first, it is perceived to be a beginner's book. He has excellent all grain and whole hop data. He has excellent dilution data in case your wort is too concentrated. He hits on some topics that even the more advanced books don't.

This book is for beginning and experienced brewers. After all, after brewing for 11 years I picked up the third edition and found some new stuff I never saw before (hop growing and such)

You will like this book. Trust me, and relax don't worry.......

Hint: If you don't understand the terminology of your new hobby at first, use the glossary in the back of the book or an online site such as www,beertown,org or www,howtobrew,comRead full review...

Must have for any homebrewer.

From new brewers to the seasoned homebrew master, this book is an essential guide and reference. Many of the recipes included result in wonderful brews. This book will teach you everything from the basic homebrew setup to the more advanced. With detail history and instructions with different brews. You'll find yourself returning to its pages time and time again. I own all three versions and love each one.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: discover-books

Great book!

I bought this book because I've been brewing at home for a few years and wanted to move beyond the pre-assembled ingredients "kit" at my local homebrew store. This book explains previously mystified things about homebrewing in plain, easy to understand language. It allows you to understand the reasoning behind each process and ingredient so you can make your own decisions about which ones are worth the time, effort, and expense, and which ones you can do without. I have successfully transitioned into experimenting with new recipes and I'm saving money on ingredients!Read full review...

Relax, Don't Worry, Have a (successful) Homebrew!

This is the preeminent text for the beginning home brewer, and a worthy reference text for the more experienced brewers to turn to...
It truly should be considered as required reading before undertaking this new hobby in order to prevent disappointment and ultimately allow the first (and every) batch to be successful.
The author presents the background and techniques of homebrewing in an easy to understand, easy to follow manner with the goal of 'demystifying' the whole process allowing the new brewer to concentrate on the important issues without worrying about the trivial...
"Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew!"Read full review...

Great book with tons of great recipes for brewing

I decided to buy the book for my boyfriend, as for christmas I had bought him a home brewing kit. He read the book in less than two days and was confident in his brewing abilities. He even decided to make up his very own recipe on his first try at brewing. It was a good book and I recommend it anyone interested in home brewing.Read full review...

Best Book on Brewing!

All you need to know in one book

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: discover-books

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing

EXCELLENT MANUAL AND REFERENCE!!

Written in a very casual and witty style!
Without the excellent Technical and Practical aspects covered therein it would STILL be a Fun Read!

Bought the book Ten days later....... Bottled my first IPA! Think I'll name it Charlie in honor of Mr. Papazian!

WDWRead full review...

very good book for beer lovers.

this is the best book for home brewing i have ever seen. and it's very informative if you like beer but have no interest in making it yourself. but beware, if you read it you will most likely want to try some of the recipes yourself. i brew from whole grains as a result of this book and will never go back to mass produced beer.Read full review...

The Complete Joy of Home Brewing update

I have an older version of this book, giving this copy as a gift. seriously considering updating my copy. Some new recipes and some new information included.

Great update to an already great book!Read full review...

One of the best Brewing books I've found.

There are many books out there on Home Brewing. This one is one of the best. A very enjoyable read from cover to cover. Very good beginner advice as well as intermediate. Buy this book, relax...and have a HomeBrew.Read full review...