Stout

I have read most of the classic beer style series from Brewers' Publications, and contrary to many of the opinions expressed in reviews so far, I think that _Stout_ by M.J. Lewis is one of the best. _Stout_ is an outstanding book for the serious home-brewer; don't be misled by the unfavorable reviews. I am, however, glad that I waited to purchase this book. As one reviewer says, it does not provide information for a first time brewer (though such information is readily available in print and online). And as another reviewer suggests, the chapter on stout in Daniels' _Designing Great Beers_ provides a much better *starting point* for stout brewing. Using Daniels' chapter as guide, a brewer can make a passable stout on his first try, and even possibly a great one. Lewis' _Stout_ is a book for the home- or craft-brewer who can already make a decent stout, but who wants to take it to the next level. The history of Guinness and the account of their brewing methods is interesting, but in terms of practical value, the real heart of this book is chapter 4, "A Taste of Stout". Chapter 4 begins with a corrective polemic on beer styles, where Lewis argues (reasonably persuasively) that the subdivision of stout styles has rather little to do with flavor profiles and rather more to do with marketing, which in previous, less teetotaling eras, often involved making health claims (hence the wholesome-sounding "oatmeal" and "milk" styles of stout). I personally find beer styles to be extremely helpful in my attempts to explain beers to novice tasters. But as a brewer, I really just want to make a great beer. If it ends up a bit sweet: fine, call it a sweet stout if you'd like; if it ends up a bit astringent and well attenuated: fine, call it a dry stout. If it ends up on the lighter side: call it a porter. What really matters is that the beer tastes great and looks great in the glass. Lewis takes an empirical approach to profile the sensory qualities of stout. He begins with a deflated definition: a stout is a black or very dark beer that is referred to as a `stout' by its brewer. The rest of chapter 4 is spent supplementing this definition with a statistical analysis of commercial stouts available at the time of writing (1995). No concise definition is ever offered, but correlations and oppositions in the flavor breakdown are discussed at some length. In the course of this discussion, the reader is given a concise introduction to the world of scientific sensory analysis. The author clearly has the ambition to get his readers to try such methods for themselves, and to that end he provides an excellent explanation of the principal elements of stout's flavor, mouth-feel, and aroma. Using this lexicon and referring to the standard reference beers for each element, a reader is able to become an expert taster of stout. A few test batches later, and the reader can explain what ingredients make what sorts of flavor contributions to his beers and is

Do you think you brew a great stout ? well read this book then re-evaluate it. This gives a great account of the history of the product as well as the big names of stout brewing and how they got there. You also get in depth review of the procedures and ingredients the big brewers use. There are great chapters on the profile and ingredients needed as well as changing your water profile to suit the style. Don't forget the recipes for brewing that great stout. This book ideally hi-lights the fact that stout isn't what people really think it is , it's a far more simpler beer than you imagine but complex in flavour at the same time.

Dr. Lewis' book is an excellent introduction to stout. He presents a short history of the style, and a detailed analysis of the taste components that make up stouts. In this short text there is a collection of brewing information summaries supplied by around 30 breweries worldwide. Grain bill, water treatment, mash and fermentation details are provided. The book has a short chapter on homebrew versions, and contains an excellent presentation on how to compute the amounts of various grains based on a desired contribution to total wort sugar. I've used the book to make a clone of my favorite stout.

I'm not Irish, but I love Stouts. Dr. Lewis' introduction touched my heart in a way that only a true lover of stouts can appreciate. For people like me, this book is worth buying--even if you don't have a biochemical engineering degree (which I do). Of course the author is a god in the world of brewing, but I have seen him in action. His humor comes out in the book almost as well as in person. I only wish that I knew him better so I might have gained these pearls of wisdom directly from the source. Also, don't forget to have a four-pack of Murphy's in the ice box for when your copy arrives.PS--If you need help with your homebrewing, just drop me a line: [email protected]

This work is an excellent overview of the style covering everything from the history of stout to the unique microbiological character. It is also the only time I've seen factorial ecology applied to something as interesting as beer.