I’m fortunate enough to live in an area with a thriving home brew culture. So I have ready access to local experts and folks that know what they’re doing. But I’ve spent many hours online digging up info to help me through my stuck fermentations, buttery-tasting brews, and kegerator trouble shooting. Here’s a list of some of those resources:
Homebrewing Organizations
American Homebrewers Association – Great resource for all things homebrewing. Membership provides a subscription to Zymurgy, discounted fees on homebrew competitions, and a host of other benefits.
Minnesota Homebrewers Association – Local group aimed at helping homebrewers improve their brewing technique, skills and enjoyment of the hobby.
Home Brew Supplies
Midwest Supplies – One of the best home brew supply stores around. Nice folks, always helpful, and they have a great mail order catalog if you’re not lucky enough to live in Minneapolis.
Northern Brewer – Great supply store tucked in a small shop on Grand Ave., also with a nice mail order catalog if you’re not in the Twin Cities area.
Instruction and Education
Brew-Wiki – The homebrewer’s version of Wikipedia. An informative resource.
How to Brew – An online step-by-step guide to the science and art behind home brewing.
BYO – The How to Brew Beer Magazine…lots of great articles, advice, and technical info.
Beer Judge Certification Program – Excellent beer style guidelines resource that has helped me understand the nuances between, say, a Belgian witbier and a Belgian pale ale.
How to Brew Lambics – Fantastically detailed discussion by Jim Liddil on the considerations involved in brewing a lambic-style ale, one of the more difficult homebrews to master. Only the most patient need apply.
Recipes
The Cat’s Meow – Fantastic recipe site with more than 1,000 great brews to choose from.
Gambrinus’ Mug – From the guys that brought you The Cat’s Meow…they had too many good recipes for one site, so they expanded.
Jamil Zainasheff’s Recipes – Awesome list of recipes from a nationally recognized, award-winning homebrewer.
BeerTools – Thousands of recipes to choose from.
Award-Winning Recipes – Pretty self-explanatory.
Brew365 – great recipe site, lots of clones
Recommended Beer/Brewing Books
Land of Amber Waters, by Doug Hoverson (2007) – A beautifully researched history of brewing in Minnesota. A must-read for any beer lover in the Upper Midwest.
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, by Charlie Papazian (1984) – The homebrewers’ bible written by arguably the most influential homebrew and craft beer advocate in the U.S.
Extreme Brewing, by Sam Calagione (2006) – Great read, focuses on “extreme” beers and how to use ingredients in interesting and non-traditional ways.
The New World Guide to Beer, by Michael Jackson (1977) – One of the classics. Intriguing examination of the major beer producing regions of the world.
The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food, by Garrett Oliver (2005) – Garrett is not only head brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, but also a true advocate and authority on enhancing the experience of both beer and food through pairing. A must read for any foodie or beer lover.
Tasting Beer, by Randy Mosher (2009) – Fantastic book covering the history of beer and sensory evaluation techniques for deconstructing the various flavor and aromatic characteristics of a beer.
