Marty Nachel

This is very much aimed at the American reader. Anyone else is going to feel sidelined for most of the book. It would have been a good idea to bring someone in who really knew something about Europe.

My guess is that the bits about pub food were written for the first edition and not revisited this time. British pub food was already changing in 1995, and while old favourites remain available, most of the menus have changed a lot, and those pubs worth going to for the beer will also probably have really good food. (For both, avoid plastic menus with pictures.)… (mere)

Why read: Requested from Amazon Vine

What impressed me: Everything in this book was explained in basic, easy to understand terms.

What disappointed me: While this book was a broad look at all things beer related, nothing is covered in extreme depth. Good for the parts you aren't interested in, bad for the parts you want to learn more about. I wish the topics touted on the front cover were covered more fully and topics like homebrewing and cooking with beer were left out.

Recommended: Not really. Everything in this book is glossed over and readers interested in the different topics would do better to read a book on the specific topic they are interested in.… (mere)

Like many books in the Dummies series, Homebrewing for Dummies skims the surface of brewing techniques of all kinds and at all levels. Nachel begins by explaining the basics of what equipment and ingredients are used to make beer. The overview starts with kit brewing, and ends with "Do It, Grow It, Build It Yourself" brewing. Nachel discusses bottling, kegging, and storing beer. A chapter is also devoted to homebrewing competitions and the evaluation criteria used to judge quality beer. Approximately 100 pages of recipes are included as well as a short chapter on creating ciders.… (mere)