Scott's Reviews > Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass

If beer was a religion Randy Mosher would be a modern prophet, prayed to over offerings of hops in breweries across the world. His book, Radical Brewing, would be a holy text taught in pubs, bars and craft beer joints.

I exaggerate a little, but perhaps not as much as you might think. Radical Brewing is, in my opinion, a foundational text for any aspiring homebrewer.

Radical Brewing is an essential guide to making your own beer, but it isn’t a boring technical manual- it’s a cheery, ale-infused jaunt through the culture, history, deliciousness and creation of the amber liquid. Mosher combines serious knowledge with a genuine passion for his subject and takes his readers on a fascinating tour through beer.

This book will show you how to make beer, but more importantly, it will show you why you should make beer- you will be part of a great tradition and a modern movement, you can make unique beers for you and your friends and you can subvert the actions of the massive beer companies that largely produce tasteless slop. Many books will show you how to brew, not many will fire you with the passion to do so. Mosher’s book is one of the latter.

Along with guidance on the creation of beer, Mosher also includes many interesting and tasty beer recipes. Having made a number of these recipes I can attest to their tastiness. His ‘Saison Buffoon’ was one of the first beers I ever brewed- a delicious, dry farmhouse style ale made with Indian jaggery and infused with lemon peel and grains of paradise. Mosher’s book, and his saison, expanded my beery horizons beyond pale ales, lagers and IPAs.

Mosher’s book is copiously illustrated and full of humor, making it a rare thing among brewing books- an easy and entertaining read. You’re not going to get the hard math and ratios that you’ll learn in a book like Ray Daniels’ Designing Great Beers, but Mosher’s book will entertain you in ways that more textbook style brewing guides won’t.

I’ve been brewing for years and this book remains a go-to reference text for me. If you’re a homebrewer, would like to be a homebrewer, or know a homebrewer, buy this book. Radical Brewing is genuinely inspiring in its breadth, depth and dismissal of any and all limits in the pursuit of great beer.