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The New IPA: Scientific Guide to Hop Aroma and Flavor
In the NEW IPA, Scott Janish scours through hundreds of academic studies, collecting and translating the relevant hop science into one easily digestible book. Through experiments, lab tests, discussions with researchers, and interviews with renowned and award-winning commercial brewers, the NEW IPA will get you to think differently about brewing processes and ingredient selection that define today's hop-forward beers. It's a must-have book for those that love to brew hoppy hazy beer and a scientific guide for those who want to push the limits of hop flavor and aroma!
- GenresBeerBrewingNonfiction
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2019
95 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 15, 2019
The content of this book is amazing and truly 5 stars, and it's a tragedy it didn't hit a quality bar to be published by some of the bigger publishers. If Scott can make the time for the necessary improvements, I think and hope he can get it the distribution this book could potentially deserve.
The reason I'm rating this more critically is because it reads like he rushed it. Rather than authoritatively summarizing the research he has studied and citing it accordingly, he reports on it as if he's doing a book report. It leaves the reader with a constellation of data points, and little authority on the matter. I can forgive that, as being more dry and empirical has an unassuming honesty to it that is charming in its own way, although it's not as impactful as it could be. Furthermore, the structure of the book is counterintuitive, with many sections feeling out of order or like they could be part of another section. These content structure choices make it clear that the intention of the book is also ambiguous. A vast majority of the book is style-agnostic reporting on hop research, often with lagers, and even wine, but then sprinkled throughout, "haziness" is referenced as if this was a book about NEIPA. The title of the book is fine, and a simple chapter about different new IPA styles could have easily positioned this as the Bible of IPA trends... rather than a book that is about hoppiness in general but that we think is mostly about hazy IPA because that's what he's interested in and mentions it alot.
My biggest frustrations are editorial in nature. The grammar is broken and the units are inconsistent. For example, one page uses sulfate:chloride ratio and the next page uses chloride:sulfate ratio. One page uses lbs/bbl and the next sentence uses absolute number of lbs, leaving you to track back to find how large the brew house was in order to calculate it yourself.
A 2.0 with these problems resolved could make this one of the best new brewing books in years.
The reason I'm rating this more critically is because it reads like he rushed it. Rather than authoritatively summarizing the research he has studied and citing it accordingly, he reports on it as if he's doing a book report. It leaves the reader with a constellation of data points, and little authority on the matter. I can forgive that, as being more dry and empirical has an unassuming honesty to it that is charming in its own way, although it's not as impactful as it could be. Furthermore, the structure of the book is counterintuitive, with many sections feeling out of order or like they could be part of another section. These content structure choices make it clear that the intention of the book is also ambiguous. A vast majority of the book is style-agnostic reporting on hop research, often with lagers, and even wine, but then sprinkled throughout, "haziness" is referenced as if this was a book about NEIPA. The title of the book is fine, and a simple chapter about different new IPA styles could have easily positioned this as the Bible of IPA trends... rather than a book that is about hoppiness in general but that we think is mostly about hazy IPA because that's what he's interested in and mentions it alot.
My biggest frustrations are editorial in nature. The grammar is broken and the units are inconsistent. For example, one page uses sulfate:chloride ratio and the next page uses chloride:sulfate ratio. One page uses lbs/bbl and the next sentence uses absolute number of lbs, leaving you to track back to find how large the brew house was in order to calculate it yourself.
A 2.0 with these problems resolved could make this one of the best new brewing books in years.
August 23, 2019
A Must-Read for Brewers of IPA Beers!
This book is full of the most recent research on APA & IPA brewing. I noticed an immediate improvement in my first home brew after reading this wonderful review!
This book is full of the most recent research on APA & IPA brewing. I noticed an immediate improvement in my first home brew after reading this wonderful review!
May 12, 2020
This is a great book, not only for information related to brewing Hazy IPAs and other hop forward beers, but also for how best to utilize hops in any beer style. The book is geared toward crafting NEIPAs, but there are interesting threads on other brewing variables which span the book. For instance, there are recurrent nods toward the use of chit malt and dry hopping on the colder side, and, as the book progresses, the evidence builds in favor of incorporating these things into your brewing process. The beer stability chapter in particular is incredibly interesting and is relevant to any beer style. NEIPAs/IPAs aren't exactly my favorite styles, but this book makes me want to start designing thick and hoppy bois, experimenting with hops/yeast/grains in new and exciting ways.
That being said, the book is plagued with editing problems and, in some of the paraphrasing and study explanations, it can be unclear as to what is being stated. The book might also benefit from more illustrations to link words to concepts and provide some added clarification and relief from the (at times) monotonous nature of the material (e.g., illustrations of pertinent molecules or diagrams). The book also assumes the reader has a decent understanding of biochemistry. I found that I would concurrently research some of these concepts to clarify a compound or pathway I wasn't overly familiar with. If you are looking for a more pragmatic understanding then this might not be an issue.
In light of these issues, this is a monumental resource and invaluable to the home brewer / professional brewer looking to elevate their understanding of the brewing process (and hops in particular). However, it certainly requires more than one reading to fully digest.
That being said, the book is plagued with editing problems and, in some of the paraphrasing and study explanations, it can be unclear as to what is being stated. The book might also benefit from more illustrations to link words to concepts and provide some added clarification and relief from the (at times) monotonous nature of the material (e.g., illustrations of pertinent molecules or diagrams). The book also assumes the reader has a decent understanding of biochemistry. I found that I would concurrently research some of these concepts to clarify a compound or pathway I wasn't overly familiar with. If you are looking for a more pragmatic understanding then this might not be an issue.
In light of these issues, this is a monumental resource and invaluable to the home brewer / professional brewer looking to elevate their understanding of the brewing process (and hops in particular). However, it certainly requires more than one reading to fully digest.
May 14, 2022
It could be a nice literature review if it was not marketed and sold as a scientific guide and with a similar price tag. The research mentioned is interesting, but it is inconclusive and so are the individual chapters and the book as a whole. Event the attempts on running own flawed experiments based on the weak assumptions made on this basis are strongly indicating that no conclusions can be made from this and that more research is needed. Which would be still OK for a literature review paper. But not for a book claiming to be a scientific guide. On the top of that, the poor editing and cheap print does make it feel like a sneaky money grab at this price point.
August 23, 2025
A great collection of tips, tricks and summaries of research papers for brewers that want to improve their IPAs, especially the New England IPA sub style.
There are so many contradicting advices you will get if you ask any number of resources and it is difficult to determine what they are based on, but Scott Janish backs it up with concrete evidence from real studies and his own scientific test batches.
The book is from 2019 and it's good to see that many of the processes we apply nowadays have a proven background, but I also gained a lot of new insights. It would be interesting to see what Janish would add or change in a new edition.
There are so many contradicting advices you will get if you ask any number of resources and it is difficult to determine what they are based on, but Scott Janish backs it up with concrete evidence from real studies and his own scientific test batches.
The book is from 2019 and it's good to see that many of the processes we apply nowadays have a proven background, but I also gained a lot of new insights. It would be interesting to see what Janish would add or change in a new edition.
September 7, 2025
A great tool for those interested in brewing NEIPA style beer at the Homebrew or commercial level. The author was thoughtful with including not only the research, studies, and data but also his interpretation and the best practices based on results. A lot of the book is super complex and over my head, but still effective at explaining how it impacts beer.
I jumped around to chapters that interested me first. It’s easy to do so and will certainly be referenced in the future. The key finding at the end of every chapter as well as the Brewery input at the end are great additions and will the reader look back after the first read.
I jumped around to chapters that interested me first. It’s easy to do so and will certainly be referenced in the future. The key finding at the end of every chapter as well as the Brewery input at the end are great additions and will the reader look back after the first read.
August 18, 2019
What an excellent compilation of studies on and methods of brewing modern IPAs. A strong focus on hazy styles, though that is definitely not the only kid that would benefit. So many incredible and actionable nuggets of wisdom I have to go and try in my next IPA.
Though I believe it needs a re-read now to really get the most out of it.
Though I believe it needs a re-read now to really get the most out of it.
November 17, 2019
Highly recommended
Very comprehensive and meanwhile well organized and easily readable. The author presents key research conclusions and shows you the process of reasoning, so you don't have to read swaths of technical papers by yourself. I was shocked by the quantity of knowledge and intelligence this book carries. Highly recommended.
Very comprehensive and meanwhile well organized and easily readable. The author presents key research conclusions and shows you the process of reasoning, so you don't have to read swaths of technical papers by yourself. I was shocked by the quantity of knowledge and intelligence this book carries. Highly recommended.
February 21, 2020
The only real guide on hop usage.
December 22, 2020
Amazingly detailed, I'm going to keep coming back to this book for new ideas. It's already been the inspiration for a couple really good hazy IPAs from my home brewery.
March 4, 2021
Great book if you're a professional or a homebrewer interested in brewing the best IPA you can.
April 20, 2021
Really enjoyed this. Lots to think about, even if you’re not a big NEiPA lover/brewer.
I’ve already planned some tweaks to my brewing!
There are still a lot (a lot) of typos.
I’ve already planned some tweaks to my brewing!
There are still a lot (a lot) of typos.
May 14, 2021
This is a dense scientific approach to the smaller details of making IPA.
It took me a while longer than usual to make the most of it.
It took me a while longer than usual to make the most of it.
April 21, 2022
A thesis on hops that doesn't feel like a reference text. This book completely changed how I look and brew this style.
May 2, 2023
Some good bits. Some not so good. I’m reading this 4 years after publishing so things change. The chapter on haze stability should be revisited for sure. Overall worth reading.
August 19, 2024
Somewhat technical but a great reference for those who want to brew a better NEIPA.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews