review
This book is seen as the Dutch standard work for the hobby brewer. In Change Water into Bier, Adrie Otte takes the starting home brewer step by step through the brewing process. At the same time it is a practical reference book for the advanced brewer. Many hobby brewer has learned how to brew beer with this manual. At the back of the book are recipes, arranged by beer type.
Dutch standard work
Until the book Turn water into beer published in December 2011, fans of brewing their own beer had to make do with English books written by American brewers. The advantage of a Dutch book is that it is written for Dutch measures and weights and for raw materials and brewing equipment available here. In the years that followed, the book by hobby brewer Adrie Otte has always remained the standard work for the home brewer.
Layout of the book
The book consists of three parts. Part 1 is an introduction for the novice brewer, part 2 discusses the properties and ingredients of beer and part 3 goes into the brewing process in detail. At the back of the book are about twenty beer recipes.
Part 1: The basics of brewing
Part 1 provides a brief overview of all steps in the brewing process. The book also discusses what you need globally and what is involved: work clean, clean and clean! The (novice) home brewer’s nightmare is an infection that ruins his beer. Part 1 also deals with the history of hobby brewing and Dutch law. Because you produce alcohol, there are rules for what the home brewer can do with his beer (in short: drink it yourself or serve it to friends at home).
Part 2: The properties and ingredients of beer
This part of Turn water into beer starts with a list of do’s and don’ts. A list that the novice home brewer can safely hang on the wall. Of course, the importance of hygiene comes back here, but Adrie Otte also calls, for example, not to indulge yourself with all kinds of herbs, which many starting brewers seem like to do. The book then discusses the properties of beer, such as color, sugar content, bitterness and alcohol content. The raw materials (malt, hops and yeast) and their effect are also extensively discussed.
Part 3: The brewing process, step by step
In the most extensive part of the book, Adrie Otte goes through all the steps of the brewing process in detail: scraping, gelatinization (mashing), filtering, rinsing, cooking, cooling, fermentation and bottling. This is followed by an interesting chapter about brewing errors: how do you recognize them, how do you prevent them and what do you do about them? From cooked vegetable flavor to butter babblers, all kinds of taste deviations that do not belong in beer. If you start to recognize them, you will know what you did wrong in brewing beer. In this part of Turn water into beer Adrie Otte also discusses the importance of accuracy in brewing. Measuring and calculating is essential for brewing a good beer. Finally, you can test your own knowledge on the basis of fifteen multiple choice questions.
Recipes and Attachments
At the end of the book you will find about twenty beer recipes, classified by color and weight of the beer. The necessary ingredients and brewing equipment are for sale in various Dutch brew shops. The book closes with some useful appendices and overviews: extensive lists of all malt, hop and yeast types and some conversion tables between American and European sizes.
Conclusion
Turn water into beer makes you excited to start home brewing. With this book you will not only learn all the basics of home brewing in clear steps and clear wording, but the advanced hobby brewer will probably also enjoy the book for a long time.
Rapid developments
At the same time, developments in the field of hobby brewing are going fast. New yeasts and hop varieties are appearing on the market, and common brewing methods are being disputed and refined. If you really want to immerse yourself in the latest techniques, new beer styles and, for example, the treatment and cultivation of yeast, you will have to look for additional information on the Internet and in specialized American books on brewing in addition to this book.
Informative and practical
Apart from this minor critical note, this book remains a must for the Dutch hobby brewer. It’s informative and practical at the same time. To immerse yourself in all the properties of beer and the effect of the different ingredients, and to put it open next to you when you put the brewing kettle on the fire at home.
Turn Water into Beer – Adrie Otte, 2011, Brouwland, ISBN 9789081739481