Brew Chem 101 By Janson Lee W

by Lee W Janson

Now every homebrewer can make better beer simply by knowing the basic science behind the components of beer and fermentation. Do you need to have an advanced science degree to understand brewing chemistry? Certainly not! Any brewer, explains author Lee W. Janson, can understand the basic details of the life of a yeast or the careless steps that produce those annoying off-flavors and learn how to avoid them. Brew Chem 101 features non-technical language and a highly readable style, explanations of the chemical reactions at each stage of the brewing process and how to avoid potential problems, and a primer on beer tasting and judging. 117 pages.

Genres: Brewing, Beer, Nonfiction, Reference

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 1996

Reviews

[Robbe Cavyn]

Die ga ier wel een beetje kort door den bocht soms ze

[Stuart]

An excellent short course in chemistry and microbiology, with a focus on identifying and manipulating the flavor, aroma and mouthfeel profiles in beer.

I checked this out from the library, but I found myself wanting to photocopy pages and add them to my homebrew notebook. I may have to purchase a copy and then write all over it.

I come from a non-science background (although I have taught myself some basics) and I found the chemistry writing accessible and non-patronizing. One quibble is that the book could use an update on the chemical processes behind sour beers, as well as a broader focus on non-hops bittering agents. The book carries a very "trad homebrew" feel, and there's a whole world of fermented beverages that the book sort of glosses over. Hopefully we'll get a second edition.

[Matthew Vallely]

This book was a great step in the right direction towards learning more about beer chemistry and all of the delicate organic and inorganic processes underlying the creation of a beer. It was also a nice introduction into recognizing and avoiding off flavors through tasting and brewing techniques. It was a great start and should set me up nicely for my pursuit of further reading on off flavors and tasting, as well as towards my Cicerone certification. It was written fairly simply without too much depth of chemical analysis, but served as a first impression and backbone for a lot of the chemistry involved.

[Lachlan Stewart]

Well written, succinct and approachable. Exactly what it sets out to be. Has brought my understanding of brewing chemistry up a long way (from a low starting point!) in a very short time.

[Ronald Smith]

The book does use simple language and diagrams key points. A good chemistry primer for homebrewing.

[Travis]

It's a 100 page book. The first half is about chemistry, while the second half seems to stray from the thesis. It felt as if the first half of the book was the first two weeks of a class and then the author needed to fill some pages and quickly churned out the last half.

I went into this book because I know nothing about chemistry. This is problematic because I have several other books that talk about it as though the reader already has a basic understanding of chem. I do have a slightly better understanding, but I'm left with more questions than answers. I would like to see a revised version focus more on the praxis.

[Jeff]

Very accessible and a quick read, despite containing a bunch of o-chem. Provides sound reasoning behind all the steps in the brewing process (especially the ones you might try skipping) with enough detail to convince, but not so much that you get bored.

[William]

I read the NetLibrary eBook.

Discusses chemistry in the context of what makes good and bad beer.

I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in beer, not just those who are going to brew beer.

[Ben]

Almost made organic chemistry make sense

[Barry Forrest]

The organic compound illustrations were the only new material for me. I've see everything else in "How To Brew" and "Homebrew Beyond the Basics"

[Belle]

straightforward book, covers the basics well

[Fred]

Good information, but beyond my current skill level.

[Tarmo Tali]

Hopelessly outdated by now.