This was such a great book. It was simple to read and understand, without making you feel like a dummy. I liked that it included a lot of pictures and the captions were funny. I thought this is a great addition to any home-brewer's library.

Make Your Own Beer is a layman accessible introduction to homebrewing beer by John Shepherd. Due out 30th Nov 2020 from Pen & Sword, it's a compact 104 pages and will be available in paperback format.
The book has a logical and accessible layout. The introduction provides a capsule history of modern zymurgy, changing beer styles, and the renaissance of craft beers. The following chapters provide an overview of the scope and reasonable possibilities for home-brewing through a very well written tutorial through the process: equipment, ingredients, preparation, mash & sparge (don't worry, understandable definitions are provided), hopping, transfer, fermentation, packaging, storage, and further exploration/experimentation. There are several appendices which give examples of record keeping brew sheets and brew-kit equipment. There is no index in the eARC I was provided for review (but it's a short and streamlined book).

This would make a great gift for a keen beginner or intermediate hobbyist. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Excellent book on beer making. I've read many of these, I mean many. I've been homebrewing for over 12 years and still check out new books on the topic as it is ever evolving and changing. This one covers a great process of where to start and where, when and what to upgrade. As well as how to go about making custom recipes, and most importantly when to move into the more complex brewing styles and how to build up to it.
It also has a really well done history of beer, most of these books have similar approaches to this so it's not really new information. I just think it was presented well. The whole book reads like a story vs a text book. It has great reference material and if you go through it to learn how to brew beer and expand your home-brewery you won't be left out to dry here.

This seems to be slanted to the British market more than American, but I found it pretty informative. I don't brew beer, but have family members and neighbors who do. Most do an admirable job of it, too! This book should be an interesting read for homebrewers in a person's life! I didn't understand a lot of the book, though I did think the chapter on the difference between cask and keg beers interesting. I think I heard some American brewers were beginning to use casks. They sound intriguing and worth seeking out if you enjoy trying a variety of beers.
I think the step by step of equiptment and ingredients was helpful. So much stuff! I though beer brewing was so much easier! My grandmother would brew beer for her family, a dunkel, I believe, and can't imagine her going through all these steps. Well, what do I know. Someone dropped the ball after WW2 and the family beer recipe was lost. No luck asking various branches either, no one has it.
Anywat, this book maybe a good starter for anyone learning to brew, or someone wanting to read about new /old techniques and a bit of history.

The comprehensive book is a must for anyone with an interest in brewing. It’s gives an overview of the history of brewing and gives clear advice on how to brew. It tells you what you need, what you can adapt and how you can improve. If you have Neve brewed before- this is the book for you. If you have brewed before but want some more ideas this is your go to guide. Fabulously detailed, guide book.

By way of background, to give insight into the reviewer, I am a passionate homebrewer, Certified BJCP Beer Judge (working towards National Rank) currently pending seating for the Certified Cicerone examination, and attorney, and avid reader. That will inform and undergird the review.

Make Your Own Beer is a breezy introduction to the brewing process, and "all things beer," by John Shepherd. It was fairly accessible to the layperson, covering most of the areas of import during the homebrewing process, and contained a wealth of eye-catching photographs. At ~100 pages, if you're reading it without actually doing the fun part - brewing the beer - it's a quick and easy read. But like a first attempt at homebrewing a new beer style, it could use some fine tuning.

First, who is John Shepherd and why is he an authority? This could be coming from a place of ignorance as an American, but his name is not familiar to me, and quick internet searches did not show up anything to answer my question. Thus I was surprised to find that he did not address the issue until the second chapter. Indeed, I think the first two chapters need to be switched completely, as "an introduction to this guide" should probably be, well, the introduction.

Then, the descriptions of the elements of kit. Having read the book, I'm not actually sure what the purpose of everything is. For example, the mash tun, first mentioned (I believe) on page 27. What is it? What does it do? Then when discussing the mash stage, suddenly the word "sparge" enters the vocabulary with no definition or explanation. I don't think the average reader requires a graduate school dissertation on starch extraction, sugar conversion, alpha and beta amylase rests, etc., but I think they would have benefited from more than just "do this because that's what you do." For the first-time brewer, I suspect they would struggle if using this book alone.

On that note, the brewing process is described halfway in the abstract, halfway based on a recipe that's found in the back of the book. Why is that? It would be stronger, and more practical, to just apply the recipe to the brewing instructions so we see concrete details and data instead of vague instructions. And speaking of recipes, there's only one in the book. Share some secrets with your readers! Give them an immediate second, third, fifth brewing option! I know there are near infinite recipes available online, but include some more in the book!

Which brings me to the last issue. The photographs. The book is chock full of them, and they are really solid, professional photographs. But they are a mix of stock and original photographs. The stock ones really stand out, especially the ones in breweries. I understand Mr. Shepherd had/has a brewery - it would have been much more immersive to see pictures of him, or his brewery, or his brewers, than random (and clearly stock) pictures. On that same point, some of the captions are really comical. For example, on page 12, there are three guys sitting at a bar. They look British to me, but that's besides the point - the caption states "What American craft brewers sometimes look like." What does that even mean? I think it would be offensive if it wasn't so absurd.

As I say, in all, a pleasant and breezy read through a brew day. But one that would leave the first-time reader and first-time brewer thirsty for more information - and not in a good way, I fear.

Cheers!

Very thoroughly written book about home brewing. There is a lot of in-depth knowledge, and it’s easy to spot that the author has a lot of experience regarding the subject. There are clear instructions about what you need, what you need to do and when, with pictures. The guidance through the process of brewing beer at home is excellent.

There are great explanations about the ingredients, but not too much so that it would confuse a keen newbie. Extra points for pointing out the importance of cleaning! It can never be emphasized enough. In fact, I believe that is were many go wrong. It is naturally the least exciting bit about brewing. However, if you’re not going to give it the attention it needs I don’t see a point in brewing your own beer. By following the instructions in this book you should be able to brew yourself some tasty beers!

I find that quite a few of the photos could be better, and they are not really balanced. It is easy to spot the difference between amateur and professional shots.