Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Top 100 Juices: 100 Juices to Turbo-Charge Your Body with Vitamins and Minerals Immediately


This book was fantastic. I didn't buy it on Amazon because I really wanted to see the recipes prior to purchasing it. The chapters are broken up by what the juice aims to do (i.e., anti-aging, detoxifying, weight shifters, etc.). What I like is that you could find most of the ingredients at a normal grocery store AND each recipe is accompanied by a picture. I wasn't looking for a written lecture on why I should juice, but I did want to know the benefits that the drink would provide. Each recipe provides an overview on the benefits of each veggie/fruit and what vitamins the drink will provide. A majority of the recipes can be done with a juicer, but there are some that utlize a blender. I definitely recommend this book! Get more detail about The Top 100 Juices: 100 Juices to Turbo-Charge Your Body with Vitamins and Minerals.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Rogov's Guide to Israeli Wines 2010 Get it now!


I see a time in the not-very-distant future when you'll go into a wine store and see the signs for France, California, Italy, Spain, Australia -- and Israel. Not Just "Kosher," but "Israel" (kosher or not). Israeli wines have become very, very good and there are now so many labels to choose from, it's hard to know what to try. Daniel Rogov's been trying them out for many years, and this compendium of his review of virtually every Israeli wine is a must-have book. I buy the new version every year when it comes out and use it all year to identify new wines that I want to try. Whether you share Rogov's taste or not, the book will help you figure out which wineries are making great wines, which are up and coming, and which of those bottles at the Passover sale to pass up. This book (and/or Rogov's new Kosher version), plus a upscale corkscrew - and of course a selection of 90+ wines - makes a fantastic wedding gift. The only frustrating thing about this book is not finding many of the boutique wines in the U.S. - a good reason to visit Israel. (If you are reading this review after Fall 2010, you probably want to be looking for the 2011 version.)Get more detail about Rogov's Guide to Israeli Wines 2010.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Vinifera: The World's Great Wine Grapes and Their Stories Order Now


I've brought these to several dinner parties and always got the same response. "Oh these are sooooo cool. Where did you get them?" It's a very entertaining way to learn about the elixir in your glass while you are hanging out with friends...
Highly recommended!Get more detail about Vinifera: The World's Great Wine Grapes and Their Stories.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Modern Moonshine Techniques Decide Now


When it comes to books on distilling your own spirits, most are from the perspective of "my grand daddy used to..." without any explanation of why. This book not only covers the history of moonshine production but also introduces the reader to more modern techniques based on science and explains why the techniques are effective. No more folklore or "smoke and mirrors", this book will get you producing your own unaged whisk(e)y better than your backwoods counterparts.Get more detail about Modern Moonshine Techniques.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Save Belgian Ale (Classic Beer Style Ser)


AS a home brewer with 20 years experience, I found the book very useful when I decided to delve into the mysteries of brewing Belgian Ale styles. I think this book and others in the series need to be periodically updated. Since returning from college in Europe in 1976, the number of European beer styles available in the US has increased dare I say, 1000 fold. In 1976 you were lucky if you could find a Lowenbrau (Germany's Budweiser at the time), St. Pauli Girl or a Becks. Now the number of beers imported is virtually uncountable.

The section in the book near the end giving us commercial examples of the types of beer, as well as offering up the author's opinion on commercially available varieties, "if you can find them" and giving us is horribly out of date. Today the number of Belgian ales avaiable at any good liquor store is mind boggling. The increase in the availability of this incredibly diverse beverage needs to be reflected.

I recommend the book to any would be belgian ale brewer. I found it particularly helpful in cloning some of my favorite belgian ales. The process for doing that could also be added to any update of the text. Get more detail about Belgian Ale (Classic Beer Style Ser).