A Friendly Guide with Straightforward Language

books:


	• Brew Chem 101: The Basics of Homebrewing Chemistry Lee W. Janson Storey Publishing, LLC, 1996 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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A Friendly Guide with Straightforward Language

As I sat in my Beer Judge Certification Class learning about glucose, fructose and raffinose, and about chlorophenols, dimethyl sulfide and oxidation, a feeling of panic began to rise. What is this ion stuff? If only I had foreseen how important chemistry would become in my life, my attitude toward the scientific curriculum of my salad days would have been different.

Fortunately, one of my BJCP classmates, a water analyst for the EPA, recommended a book, "Brew Chem 101 - The Basics of Homebrewing Chemistry," written by Lee W. Janson, M.D., Ph.D. I liked the idea of the "101" - a clue that this was basic stuff. This is not an intimidating textbook from the halls of academia, but a friendly guide for those of us who need a foundation to support our new-found knowledge of brewing science. In straightforward language, Dr. Janson spoon-feeds the reader with useful information.

He describes the "real" differences between organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry. Janson elegantly discusses "charged atoms...collectively referred to as ions," the dissolving characteristics of water, hydrophobic molecules, and isomerization (described simply as a "change to a molecule with some partial charges that can, therefore, dissolve.") His idea of chemistry lessons allows the reader to impale herself on an idea in a matter of minutes, and climb the necessary steps to the temple of knowledge.

The Table of Contents presents brewing in a methodical relay, while each topic is covered simply, yet thoroughly enough for the non-chemist. Besides his acknowledgments, intro, recommended further reading, and glossary, Janson covers:

The Basic Chemistry of Brewing; The Biochemistry of Beer; Yeast and Fermentation; Mashing and Sparging; Understanding and Avoiding Off Flavors; Evaluating Beer

For the Beer Judge, the chapter on Off Flavors is invaluable in its simple presentation. Nothing significant is skipped; yet, the gentle immersion into the whys and hows of chemical reactivity are well laid out.

This is a good starter book for the novice, and serves as a stepping stone to more comprehensive books like Principles of Brewing Science by George J. Fix and Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles by Ray Daniels.

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Good for the Beginner, okay for everybody else

I read Brew Chem 101 in one day. It's an easy read and not too technical. Chapter 3, "Yeast and Fermentation" is a good explanation of how different strains of yeast work and the general environment needed for good yeast growth. Chapter 5, "Understanding and Avoiding Off Flavors" is the goldmine of the book. Not only does Lee W. Jason, Ph.D. explain the taste or smell, he explains the technical cause and methods for avoiding each flavor. The beginner should check this book out before brewing his next batch. The brewer that's been around the block for a while might find parts of the book interesting too.

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A good "basics" book

If you have a degree in chemistry, microbiology, or biology, this book is not for you. Buy George Fix's book or one of the texts by the Siebel Institute. This book is also not for the all-grain veteran looking for insight on the mysteries of recipe formulation and yeast interaction. Finally, Brew Chem 101 is certainly not for the professional brewer. This book is best for beginning - intermediate homebrewers looking to move from extract brewing to partial mash or all grain brewing.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to brewing science for people long out of high school and/or not really science-types. It is fairly light on technology and terminology, while providing sound fundamentals on good brewing. As others have pointed out, the science in the book is not 100% accurate, but it is accurate enough for homebrewing and it seems the author intentionally simplified the science to save overly long explainations on obscure (read, boring) topics. I have some issues with the techniques used in the book, especially regarding boiling grains, but ask 50 award-winning brewers to define the perfect brewing technique and you'll get 50 different answers.

I do wish Janson had provided much more information on water chemistry and the effects of temperature at different stages of mashing, but I understand this book is meant as a springboard to further reading.

I appreciated Janson's chapter on off flavors. He provided easy to understand descriptions, possible sources, and ways to avoid them. While his solutions may seem obvious to advanced brewers, they are accurate the provide a fix to 90% of the problems encountered by novice brewers.

Everything in this book can be found on the Internet or through your local homebrew club, and there is no published "perfect" book on homebrewing. However, it is nice to have a reference book on the shelf and, for what it is, Beer Chem 101 is very good. In conjunction with Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide or Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Janson's book provides an easy progression from extract brewing to all-grain brewing. I would have liked an advanced section on water, yeast, and mashing to ease the transition to Priciples of Brewing Science by George Fix, and I had a few issues with technique, so I have given it 4 stars.

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101 out of 100!

Easy to read. Content well suited to "101" level knowledge. Content was well ordered and liked the methodology for debugging brewing problems.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

These simple explanations serve as a guide to the brewing process and demystify the biochemistry of beer, yeast and fermentation, mashing and sparging, and more.