Resources to Help You Brew Beer at Home
Following on from our Helpful Resources for Beginner Brewers article, we are looking at intermediate resources to help improve your skills, knowledge of the techniques and theory to brew great beer at home.
Brewing Books for Intermediate Homebrewers
Brewers Publications shine here, starting with Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. As the title suggests, this book is a step by step guide to recipe development. Published in the 90s, this book is still relevant even if it doesn’t contain all the new varieties of hops and malt that are available today.
Brewers Publications further extend their range with The Brewing Elements Series;
- Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse by John Mallet
- For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops by Stan Hieronymus
- Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff
- Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers By John Palmer and Colin Kaminski
In the end, beer is an agricultural product. These books provide an in-depth look into each element of beer and how to get the most out of each ingredient. Written by industry leaders, these books contain a wealth of knowledge on each topic.
Brewing Magazines
Not all the written brewing material out there are books!
Zymurgy Magazine is published by the American Homebrewers Association. It contains everything related to the beer industry and how to brew beer at home.
The magazine includes beer news, gadgets, jokes, reader reviews, letters to the editor, answers to homebrewing questions, beer style insights, news and recipes from competitions around the world, events and beer happenings, homebrew shop listings and equipment.
Fun fact: ‘zymurgy’ is the study or practise of fermentation in brewing.
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine follows a similar format to Zymurgy with lots of other contributors and articles.
Ferment Magazine is a UK-based publication that looks at the broader areas of fermentation including winemaking and distilling. The articles are more social in nature compared to the specific and technical content that is common in other brewing magazines.
Brewing Podcasts
The Brewing Network Podcasts
Podcasts are great for learning how to brew beer at home from industry professionals. In addition to those mentioned in our Beginner Homebrewer Resources article, The Brewing Network has a few shows that are great for intermediate homebrewers.
We recommend listening to:
The Experimental Brewing podcast is hosted by our good friend and Grainfather user Denny Conn, and Drew Beechum. The two hosts dive into the science of brewing beer all while being serenaded by Denny’s ukelele.
Marshall and the gang over at Brūlosophy run a podcast based on experimentation. They also answer questions on brewing beer.
Courses, Certifications & Workshops for Homebrewers
By this point, most homebrewers start daydreaming about a career in the beer industry. Courses are an excellent resource for obtaining qualifications.
The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) is an international program that trains and certifies beer judges.
Judges are trained and then tested on the theory of recognising, tasting and evaluating beer styles. Part of this program focuses on beer brewing practices and methods so that judges can provide constructive feedback to brewers on their beers.
Similar to the BJCP, the Cicerone® Certification Program is geared toward the serving of craft beer.
The Cicerone® Certification Program seeks to ensure that consumers receive the best quality beer at every service occasion.
The five areas those who sell and serve beer need to acquire knowledge in are:
- Keeping and Serving Beer
- Beer Styles
- Beer Flavor and Evaluation
- Beer Ingredients and Brewing Processes
- Pairing Beer with Food.
Prove that you are serious about your career in brewing beer with the Siebel Institute of Technology’s courses.
Over the last 140 years, the Siebel Institute of Technology’s World Brewing Academy (WBA) programs have become some of the most recognised professional qualifications in the industry. There are both on-campus courses and web-based courses for a range of different levels; from basic corporate level courses to the WBA Master brewer program.
Workshops
There are also plenty of local workshops and courses held by several various organisations. These are typically cheaper, more convenient and great for homebrewers to learn how to brew beer.
Homebrew competitions are a fantastic resource for homebrewers too. While these competitions are mostly subjective, they are great for picking up and identifying off flavours in your beer that you may not be familiar with.
What are your favourite brewing resources? Leave a comment below or contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions. We’re happy to help!
If you’re new to brewing beer, check out Brewing 101: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Beer at Home.