Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer Review

With what I would call a fairly educated background, some of the biochem discussion was a little more than I can imagine is needed for the average home brewer. None the less those discussions were very informative for myself. I was in my 2nd year of brewing when I bought the book. I did end up reading the book cover to cover and constantly refer back to information in it.
Not the quickest reference book as it bounces between theory and practice through out.
I especially enjoyed the section on identifying off flavors in your beer, it was a great list of what not to do while brewing. I found it very pointed and concequential in nature. I mean what more does a book need to say than "Rack beer promptly; minimize bottle yeast; store beer cool" or your beer will taste like sulfur. That is just about how blatant the table format is for off flavors. Sometimes those are the types a statements novices need in brewing which is considered more of an art than a process.

I recommend this book...I actually bought a copy for a friend who is a home brewer.Get more detail about Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great-Tasting Beer.

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France Top Quality

Mr. Lynch brought a new way of bringing wine into this country, by finding small, high quality local producers, convincing them to sell him wine, and then importing the product. There are now a number of high quality importers following his path. I sell wine retail and frequently tell customers two things. These are the wines you drink when in Europe and wish you could find at home; and it's like going to a Farmer's Market to buy wines. The wines are agricultural, not industrial. The book tells the story of his first ventures into France.Get more detail about Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France.

The Complete Joy of Home Brewing Immediately

This is the homebrewer's bible. Read, revisit, and always keep a copy nearby (while you experiment... liberally). Get more detail about The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.

Coffee : a guide to buying, brewing, and enjoying Best Quality

I bought this book based on the rave reviews, and I wasn't disappointed. If you're a relative newcomer to coffee, or you're bewildered by all the choices of beans and different roasts, then this book is for you. The author clearly has his own opinion of which coffees are best, but he also makes it clear that coffeelovers are different and therefore have different tastes.
This book will explain the difference between coffees from different places, different roasts, methods of processing, methods of grinding and brewing, as well as buying and storing coffee. He details how to make espresso and cappuccino, French press coffee, drip-brew coffee, and many other common and not-so-common methods of brewing. He will tell you how to determine what kind of coffee to get to fit your taste in regard to origin, roast, grind and brew method, as well as teach you about the history and origins of coffee.
I came into the coffee world knowing nothing, and, after reading this book, I now know more about what I'm looking for in coffee than several of the coffee places I've visited. I'm making my own espresso and cappuccino. Overall, my experience with this book has been all positive. I can think of nothing negative to say about it.Get more detail about Coffee : a guide to buying, brewing, and enjoying.

Fodor's In Focus California Wine Country, 1st Edition Get it now!

This is a very good, comprehensive guidebook to the Florida Keys. I have been there on many occasions, most recently 6 years ago and was looking for some updated information. It seems to cover all the pertinent spots and more and is pretty detailed in the information. i would definitely recommend this for first-timers to the keys and also veteran "conchs" since the restaurant sections are extensive and current.Get more detail about Fodor's In Focus California Wine Country, 1st Edition.

Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass Buy Now

I have enjoyed wine for many years before feeling the urge to learn more about it; fortunately, the book I stumbled onto to begin my 'wine scholarship' was Natalie MacLean's 'Red, White, and Drunk All Over.' She's a wonderful, witty, engaging tour guide through French and California wine countries, and I felt like I was right beside her as she tried her hand working as a wine merchant and sommelier. I so appreciate her down-to-earth approach to what can be an intimidating and overwhelming subject, and she's a terrific writer, too. I may never become a sommelier, but Natalie MacLean has definitely encouraged me to become an educated enthusiast of one of life's great pleasures. Get more detail about Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass.

I Drink Therefore I Am: A Philosopher's Guide to Wine Order Now

In this book conservative philosopher and composer, Roger Scruton seeks to combine his interest in philosophy with his love of wine. He laments the passing of the Greek "symposiums" where wine was drunk and important issues discussed. The book is certainly interesting, but it is not the jolly, "good humoured antidote to the pretentious clap-trap" that the publishers promise. At least not until the appendix where he suggests what to drink while reading major philosophers' works with is very funny and well written.

He begins by recognising two people influential in his own discovery of wine, which read a little like appreciative retirement speeches to the two gentlemen concerned. He then moves on to discussing in detail French wines and then more briefly other wine regions. Here Scruton's knowledge and enthusiasm are evident, but he is something of a wine `buff' and there is plenty of wine-speak in evidence. Thus he suggests that `the best accompaniment to a bottle of fine old white Hermitage is a clay-baked hedgehog' and if you `roll the name Maillol in your mouth while imagining well-shaped buttocks and well-matured wine, and you won't be far from the taste of Collioure'. Not much of the promise of `an antidote to clap-trap' evident here, then.

In the second half, things get more interesting as he turns to philosophy and the role of wine and the implications of certain ideas to wine. Scruton is one of those writers who lets much of their character and opinion infuse his writing. He is unashamedly right wing, pro-France (and most other wine producters, especially American ones compare poorly in his view), anti-EU and largely un-`PC', and at times his views may cause mild offence to the more sensitive reader (the anti-fox hunting and modern Islamic views on alcohol get short shrift), albeit with some nice dry humour in parts (he suggests that the rich contribute to the well-being of the world by consuming the most expensive wines and converting it by natural processes to something that will benefit the soil).

But the greatest joy of this book is the appendix where he suggests what wines to drink with different philosophers' works. It is irreverent and funny, but at the same time, wise. This, finally, fulfills the promise of the publisher's jacket notes. I would unreservedly award this chapter a five star rating. Get more detail about I Drink Therefore I Am: A Philosopher's Guide to Wine.

The First American Cookbook: A Facsimile of "American Cookery," 1796 Decide Now

"The First American Cookbook" was delightful to receive. My brother (a retired Chef and Restauranteur) and I spend several days over our coffee reviewing the book, laughing at some of the things we remembered from our mother and grandmothers, and
I ended up ordering enough copies (16 total) for our daughters, grand-daughters, and a great-granddaughter for Christmas ("Hope chest" for the great-granddaughter). So many ingredients are "out of date", but several of the receipes were "straight out" of our paternal grandmother's reciepe box (which I have), containing reciepes she took to Alaska with her in 1890, when as newly weds she and grandpa went to Sitka, Alaska where he was a master-carpenter, and build much of the city of Skagway. Grandma ran a Boarding House, and told stories of a kindly gentleman who boarded with her . . . the legendary "Soapy Smith"........a gentleman with her and a quick draw when someone came onto his claim. Thanks for the memories!!!

Thanks for the memories!!!

Mary Jayne Stone
Portland, Oregon

Get more detail about The First American Cookbook: A Facsimile of "American Cookery," 1796.

At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life Right now

At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life by Susan Sokol Blosser is one book that seems to offer an exception to the adage, "you can't judge a book by its cover".

Just as the subtitle suggests, At Home in the Vineyard effectively describes the slow, steady transformation of an estate winery, a wine industry, and a human being over a period of more than 30 years. It is an intimate study of all three components delivered in a narrative style that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

This book is first and foremost a memoir describing the author's experiences planting a vineyard, starting a winery, and managing both through several decades of trials and tribulations. In addition, Susan provides the reader a first-hand historical account of the Oregon wine industry from its beginnings in the early 1970's. Along the way, she offers candid insights into her personal and professional growth as a wife, mother, business owner, daughter, sister, community leader, friend, and neighbor.

Until reading this book, I never realized the integral role Susan Sokol Blosser played in developing Oregon's wine industry. Nor did I know about the lead role Sokol Blosser Winery took toward adopting sustainable practices, becoming one of the first vineyards to be certified by LIVE and the first winery to be certified by LEED. This is impressive considering the impact these efforts have had on the rest of the state's wine industry.

Having read a variety of wine memoirs, Susan's story stands out as one of the more insightful and intriguing books of its genre. At Home in the Vineyard should appeal to the wine enthusiast, aspiring winemaker, and Oregon pinot fan alike. Anyone reading this book will come away more connected to the people and places behind Oregon wine in general, and Sokol Blosser Winery in particular.

If you are seeking to understand Oregon wine in a deeper, more connected way, then you owe it to yourself to read At Home in the Vineyard.Get more detail about At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life.

Lowest Price Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy

The two books I recieved were not first quality. They were seconds with red dots in the edge indicating that. The pages were not cut correctly and the binding was sub par, The edges look like a tattered notebook instead of a properly made hardcover book. Get more detail about Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy.

Low Price Coffee Basics: A Quick and Easy Guide

Coffee is an interesting subject and has a wonderful history as well. This book is well written and easy to read. It captivated me so much that I read the entire book in two days instead of the usual week. I just could not put the book down. The information is wonderful if you ever want anything to do with coffee. I am planning to open a coffee shop someday soon, I have purchased the building , but I need to do my homework. What a wonderful place to start. You need to understand the history of coffee, and you need to understand the attributes of coffee and the differences between the different roasts and countries of origin before you try to brew your first cup. This is the place to start no matter what your interests are. I really enjoyed reading this book and I was entertained the entire time. I would read it even if I was not interested in a business in Coffee.
Get more detail about Coffee Basics: A Quick and Easy Guide.

Save The Tra Vigne Cookbook: Seasons in the California Wine Country

We like both Michael Chiarello's show on PBS and the wine country. This is a beautiful cookbook that combines both, so it is a perfect addition to our cookbook collection.Get more detail about The Tra Vigne Cookbook: Seasons in the California Wine Country.

Discount Slim Smoothies: Over 130 Healthy and Energizing Recipes Without All the Calories

I loved this book. I've been wanting to make smoothies at home for a long time, and when I got this book, I felt like I hit a treasure trove. There are plenty of recipes to keep you from getting bored with the same old smoothies, and the recipes themselves are simple and not overly ingredient-intensive. They're also very very easy to double or even triple the recipe for a party.

All of the recipes call for an optional teaspoon or so of honey, but I've found that when I make these smoothies, the fruit is already sweet enough, so I'm able to leave the honey out, and the smoothies still taste fabulous!Get more detail about Slim Smoothies: Over 130 Healthy and Energizing Recipes Without All the Calories.

Cheapest Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium, 6th Edition

A great book on belgian beers by probaly the greatest beer advocate of our times. Make me want to take a trip to Belgium so I can taste these beers for myself.Get more detail about Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium, 6th Edition.

Cheap The Juicing Book: A Complete Guide to the Juicing of Fruits and Vegetables for Maximum Health (Avery Health Guides)

Bought this as a gift for daughter. Works extremely well, is fairly easy to clean and makes great juice! Excellent value.Get more detail about The Juicing Book: A Complete Guide to the Juicing of Fruits and Vegetables for Maximum Health (Avery Health Guides).

Buying Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis

Everyday Drinking is enormously enjoyable, perhaps inevitably, as it combines the author's skill as a comic writer with a subject for which he has great enthusiasm. The chapter devoted to the hangover justifies the purchase in itself.
It must be said that in places it is obviously a product of its context (1970s Britain) which makes some of the advice seem quaint and one or two remarks out of step with contemporary (PC) values.
But if you enjoy drinking and the conviviality associated with it, then you almost certainly have a good sense of humor and will love it. Get more detail about Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis.