How To Brew by John Palmer Review

Every homebrewer eventually owns this book. John Palmer's How To Brew ($15, 4.8 stars, 2700+ reviews) has been the standard introduction to the craft for two decades, now in its 4th edition. It teaches process, science, and troubleshooting in one volume. We tested the 4th edition's instructions over 8 weeks of brew sessions.

TL;DR

The right first homebrewing book for anyone serious about the craft. Palmer covers extract brewing through all-grain, water chemistry, yeast handling, and troubleshooting — the foundation every brewer needs. The 4th edition is current; older editions are still useful but missing newer techniques. Pair with Designing Great Beers (Daniels) for recipe formulation. Skip if you're a one-time hobbyist (Mr. Beer instructions suffice).

Why It Matters

Homebrewing has a steep learning curve. Most failed first batches come from skipped fundamentals — wrong temperature, contaminated equipment, mishandled yeast. Palmer's book solves this by teaching the why, not just the how. When you understand why fermentation needs steady temperature, you'll set up your fermenter differently than if you just memorized "keep it cool."

The 4th edition (2017) is the current version. It includes water chemistry as a full chapter (a major upgrade from earlier editions), updated yeast strain coverage, and modern equipment. Used copies of older editions float on Amazon — verify the edition before buying.

Key Specs

• Edition: 4th (2017)
• Pages: ~400
• Topics covered: Extract brewing, partial-mash, all-grain, water chemistry, yeast biology, fermentation, troubleshooting, packaging, recipes
• Format: Paperback (hardcover available)
• Author: John Palmer (chemical engineer, longtime homebrew educator)
• Companion: howtobrew.com (free first-edition online; paid 4th edition in print)

Pros

• Foundation-first teaching. Process science before recipe formulas.
• Water chemistry chapter. Most-skipped homebrew topic, fully covered.
• Troubleshooting tables. Off-flavor diagnosis with cause and fix.
• Updated for modern techniques. BIAB, no-boil hopping, kveik yeast.
• Companion website. Free 1st edition online for sampling before buying.
• Conversational tone. Not dry textbook prose.
• Recipes provided. ~30 styles to start with.

Cons

• Dense for casual readers. Designed for serious learners; not coffee-table reading.
• Heavy science chapters. Water chemistry takes effort to absorb.
• Doesn't cover sour beer well. Get a separate book for Lambic/Berliner.
• Doesn't cover commercial-scale. Hobby focus only.
• Older editions still on shelves. Verify 4th edition explicitly.

Who It's For

• First-batch brewers wanting to understand process.
• Stuck-at-extract brewers advancing to all-grain.
• Off-flavor sufferers needing troubleshooting reference.
• Recipe-development newcomers building style intuition.
• Re-readers. Most brewers reread Palmer 2-3 times across years.
• Skip if you only want to brew one batch ever (Mr. Beer kit instructions suffice), or if you specialize in sour/wild beers (need genre-specific text).

How to Use

• Read chapters 1–4 before first brew (extract method)
• Brew first batch with extract
• Read chapters 5–9 before advancing to all-grain (water chemistry, mashing)
• Use troubleshooting tables (chapter 21) when batches go wrong
• Re-read recipe chapters when developing your own
• Companion website howtobrew.com has free 1st edition for sampling

How It Compares

• vs Designing Great Beers (Ray Daniels): Designing Great Beers is recipe-formulation focused. Complementary — Palmer for process, Daniels for recipes. Most brewers own both.
• vs The Complete Joy of Homebrewing (Charlie Papazian): Joy is the historical original homebrewing text. Comparable for beginners; older science. Palmer is the modern replacement.
• vs Brew Like a Monk (Stan Hieronymus): Monk is style-specific (Belgian beers). Different category — for advanced brewers focused on Belgian.
• vs Brewing Classic Styles (Jamil Zainasheff): Brewing Classic Styles is recipe-focused for BJCP styles. Complementary; pair with Palmer.

Bottom Line

How To Brew by John Palmer is the right first homebrewing book for anyone serious about the craft. Foundation-first teaching, modern 4th edition, troubleshooting reference. Designing Great Beers is the recipe-formulation companion. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing is the older alternative. For "the book every homebrewer eventually owns," this earns its slot at $15.

Check the latest price on Amazon.