Rating: 
Summary: Believe the title of this book...
Review: ...this is /the/ book for those who wish to enter all-grain (as opposed to extract or partial mash) brewing. The title specifically references lager beers, but the information, techniques and theory described apply to the production of ales as well. Don't buy this book first if you are just entering brewing as a hobby, but do buy it second or third if you move on to all-grain methods.
Cheers to beers.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Greg Noonan is probably one of the best authors on brewing books. This book is a great reference for brewing lagers, if not just brewing alltogether. This book is backed by true data, not anecdotes. Whether brewing lagers or ales, this book should be on your brew library shelf!!
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for all-grain efforts, lager or ale.
Review: Noonan's text is simply superb. It is well organized, extremely detailed, and concise. This is a book about how and why you use each part of the brewing process. Noonan champions and explains the decoction mash, and even explains how to figure out if the malt you're using needs a decoction or an infusion mash. Appendices address both the infusion mash and the step mash, concisely, yet in detail. The first third of the book, dedicated to ingredients, is alone worth the price. The detail on malt, brewing water, and yeast instantly imparts a greater understanding of and appreciation for the brewing process. Read this book and begin to make informed decisions about your ingredients and the processes you use to brew beer from them.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Reference
Review: This book is required reading for any serious brewer. After reading it, you will know how to choose your ingredients, the correct process for your ingredients and the proper equipment to make high quality beers. There is a lot of good advice for setting up your brewery (at home or otherwise) and the general guidelines for getting the most out of your brews. Even though I have been an all-grain brewer for some time, I find that I still go back to Noonan's book for practical information rather frequently. The only downside to this book is that the theoretical sections can be rather confusing. I am an engineer by education and I had a difficult time of understanding the enzyme reactions that occur in a mash or way hop resins combine with ions in the wort. A good deal of this in-depth theory made this book read like a college text, instead of like a book for the hobbyist. Still, once you can distinguish the practical aspects from the theoretical information, this book is a must-have.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference
Review: This book is required reading for any serious brewer. After reading it, you will know how to choose your ingredients, the correct process for your ingredients and the proper equipment to make high quality beers. There is a lot of good advice for setting up your brewery (at home or otherwise) and the general guidelines for getting the most out of your brews. Even though I have been an all-grain brewer for some time, I find that I still go back to Noonan's book for practical information rather frequently. The only downside to this book is that the theoretical sections can be rather confusing. I am an engineer by education and I had a difficult time of understanding the enzyme reactions that occur in a mash or way hop resins combine with ions in the wort. A good deal of this in-depth theory made this book read like a college text, instead of like a book for the hobbyist. Still, once you can distinguish the practical aspects from the theoretical information, this book is a must-have.
Rating:
Summary: A great reference - but not for beginners!
Review: This classic book has recently emerged from the land of the out-of-print books in a new edition, and I bought one as soon as I found out it was available. As an experienced homebrewer, I found it fascinating and informative. Noonan gets down to the hardcore chemical and technical foundations of brewing. And if you are interested in decoction mashing, Noonan provides what is probably the best description of the process that is available in print. This book is perfect for the professional brewer or advanced all-grain homebrewer. However, the sheer volume of detail would bore a newcomer to brewing, or worse yet, scare him or her off. The beginner simply doesn't need this much highly-technical information. However, after that beginner gets a few batches under his belt, this book would be a good addition to his or her brewing library.
Rating:
Summary: A great reference - but not for beginners!
Review: This classic book has recently emerged from the land of the out-of-print books in a new edition, and I bought one as soon as I found out it was available. As an experienced homebrewer, I found it fascinating and informative. Noonan gets down to the hardcore chemical and technical foundations of brewing. And if you are interested in decoction mashing, Noonan provides what is probably the best description of the process that is available in print. This book is perfect for the professional brewer or advanced all-grain homebrewer. However, the sheer volume of detail would bore a newcomer to brewing, or worse yet, scare him or her off. The beginner simply doesn't need this much highly-technical information. However, after that beginner gets a few batches under his belt, this book would be a good addition to his or her brewing library.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe this is unavailable
Review: This is the best brewing book of the dozen or so I own.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for all-grain efforts, lager or ale.
Review: This is the best written of all the brewing books I've read. Noonan is concise and informative about every aspect of brewing lagers. The chapters are organized well ('Water', 'Hops', 'Malt') and he is easy to follow when he lays out the procedures for brewing an all-grain beer. Two minor complaints: Noonan trumpets the primacy of the decoction mash and derides infusion mashing, which may give the novice homebrewer some confusion as to the 'proper' way to proceed; the book is also very scanty with recipes, though it never promises any and indeed its technical side is so superior to Papazian or Miller or anyone else out there, it belongs on the shelf of every homebrewer anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful, well written, clear, technical
Review: This is the best written of all the brewing books I've read. Noonan is concise and informative about every aspect of brewing lagers. The chapters are organized well ('Water', 'Hops', 'Malt') and he is easy to follow when he lays out the procedures for brewing an all-grain beer. Two minor complaints: Noonan trumpets the primacy of the decoction mash and derides infusion mashing, which may give the novice homebrewer some confusion as to the 'proper' way to proceed; the book is also very scanty with recipes, though it never promises any and indeed its technical side is so superior to Papazian or Miller or anyone else out there, it belongs on the shelf of every homebrewer anyway.
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