Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was disappointed with this book. The "statistics" on second round NHC recipes - which take up much of this book - are of dubious relevance. Knowing that 51% of recipes used Hallertau hops, 40% used Saaz 5% used some Cascade, and 10% used a bit of Munich Malt and the odd one used some wheat, or 30% used Bohemian lager yeast but one used some obscure lager yeast at ale temperatures with no lagering but still fluked a great pils doesn't help me to "design a great beer"! There was some useful stuff in amongst the distracting numbers, so drop the pages and pages of meaningless tables in the next edition please.
Rating: 
Summary: the whole Classic Beer Series in one book
Review: I've got several brewing texts, but this is the one I frequent the most. If you're a moderately experienced brewer looking for details on a particular style, or you're trying to get away from just copying other people's recipes and try your hand at it for a change, this is just the book. It tells you the ingredients, mash schedule, yeasts, etc that would be appropriate for a style and what worked for other award winning beers, plus some history on each of the major styles.
Rating:
Summary: A must have...
Review: If you are serious about your brewing, and want to create your own brew rather than copy someone else, this book is for you. The book takes away the mystery of recipe formulation, and guides you on your way to great beer.
Rating:
Summary: A must for any homebrewer
Review: If you're the type of homebrewer who likes to create his/her own recipes from scratch, stop making beer until you get this book. Since I read it over a year ago, all my own recipes have come out great. A true bible. Hey Ray, where's volume 2!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Ray Daniels not only knows a great deal about beer, he knows how to write, organize and design a great book. The first book anyone interested in taking the step from beer drinker to brewer should buy. A nice gift for your "beer expert" buddy who needs to back up his statements with fact. Cheers
Rating:
Summary: Over a dozen great books in one volume.
Review: Ray Daniels' book is actually several books in one volume. In part one aspects of brewing technique are covered with chapters on hitting target gravity, hop selection and utilization, malt profiles, and several other useful technical subjects. In part two we are treated to 14 mini style books. History, techniques, and commercial examples relating to the styles are presented. Accompanying this information is Ray's unique presentation of the profiles of ingredients used in commercial and winning homebrew recipes. If you've ever asked "What really goes into a _____?" This is the place to look. Chapters also have sidebars that summarize the contents -- like the box at the end of each chapter that lists tips for successful brewing of the beer style. This is a wonderful book I can't imagine not owning.
Rating:
Summary: For the Next Step
Review: Since I've never been one to follow recipes, this book is the first one I go for when considering a new batch. It never sits long on my shelf and rarely gets far from my reach. Sometimes I do feel left wanting after reading up on a particular style, but then I must remind myself that brewing is as much an art as it is a science. No one can predict exactly what will happen in the kettle or the fermenter, but good knowledge gives you the best chance. Ray Daniels has provided exactly that.
Rating:
Summary: THE reference work for brewing from scratch.
Review: Some people are content to brew with other people's recipes. For those that are not, this book represents a breakthrough, not only in brewing how-to manuals, but in the whole spectrum of manuals on creating things to ingest. This is not a beer cookbook, id est: pick one of these that looks good, buy these ingredients, mix like so, cook like so... This book takes the process one step farther: what do you want to brew? this is typically how that style is brewed. this is what is typically in that style of beer....and the general instructions necessary to create the recipe for the beer you want, with all sorts of reference information to help the brewer achieve that goal... A reasonable understanding of brewing is a pre-requisite. This book is for creating beers with particular characteristics with regard to the brewer's particular process. If there are any shortcomings, it would be that certain common styles, such as German Dark Lagers, Belgian Trappist Ales, are not addressed. But the design process laid out allows a brewer, even without the benefit of anything more that basic parameters, to make a beer that will approach those parameters. I own or have read several texts on homebrewing, this is the only book to which I refer when I set out to brew a batch of beer.
Rating:
Summary: I consult this book before every batch
Review: The first section of Ray's book covers the fundamentals of all grain brewing. I seldom refer to it. However, the second section not only profiles many of the classic beer styles, it analyzes the recipes and techniques used in producing competition winning entries for the styles. While one can argue that strict style guidelines and competitions based on style guidelines are counterproductive in the craft beer industry, it is very interesting to see how accomplished brewers are formulating their recipes. Many of the formulation compilations are surprising. If anything, they show that you CAN deviate from strict recipe guidelines and produce a quality beer. I have two shelves full of brewing books. This is the one I would hang onto if I was allowed only one brewing reference.
Rating:
Summary: The #1 beer brewing book
Review: The title of this book is the truth. It IS a book about Designing Great Beer: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles. If I were allowed only one book about brewing beer, this would be it. With this book and a little work on my brewing system to figure out certain variables (efficiency, how much water is lost etc...), I was able to create an Excel Spreadsheet that walks me through the process of designing my own beer and it works. I plug in the size of the batch I want, original gravity, bittering, and a few other things and it tells me how much mash water and sparge water I need to start. Then when things don't come out perfect, an additional spread sheet helps me calculate how much malt extract, sugar, honey or even water to add to get the gravity to where I want it. This is all from what I learned from part one of this book. If you are an all grain brewer and you don't have this book, you are not brewing to the best of your ability. If you like to enter contests, you know that the judges don't care if the beer is good. They want beer that is good and true to style. The second part of this book is such a comprehensive guide to style I can almost guarantee it will help you improve your scores.
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