Book Recommendations; How to start a brewery

This book list is different from others. These recommended books are especially for how to start a brewery. Knowledge is key to starting your brewery! Every guest of MicroBrewr podcast is asked the following question:

Can you suggest a book for our audience that will help them succeed in opening a brewery?

The following book recommendations are collated from the answers shared, and the number of times each book was suggested.

Recommended Books

(Updated through: Episode 089)

  1. Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Beer from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery [2nd edition] by Sam Calagione (13)
  2. Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter (7)
  3. The Brewers Association’s Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery by Dick Cantwell (7)
  4. Beyond the Pale: The Story of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. by Ken Grossman (6)
  5. Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers (Brewing Elements) by John Palmer and Colin Kaminski (6)
  6. Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (Brewing Elements) by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff (5)
  7. Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles by Ray Daniels (4)
  8. Brewery Operations Manual by Tom Hennessy (4)
  9. Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse (Brewing Elements) by John Mallett (3)
  10. For The Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to Aroma, Bitterness and the Culture of Hops (Brewing Elements) by Stan Hieronymus (3)
  11. The Oxford Companion to Beer by Garrett Oliver (Editor) (2)
  12. The Art of War by Sun Tzu (2)
  13. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (2)
  14. Podcast Launch: A Step by Step Podcasting Guide (audio version) by John Lee Dumas (2)
  15. Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh (2)
  16. New Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home and Microbrewers by Gregory J. Noonan (2)
  17. The Brewers Association’s Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery by Ray Daniels (2)
  18. The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Fourth Edition: Fully Revised and Updated by Charlie Papazian (2)
  19. The E-Myth : Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber (2)
  20. Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer (2)
  21. IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale by Mitch Steele (1)
  22. Ben & Jerry’s: The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor by Fred Lager (1)
  23. Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them by Stan Hieronymus (1)
  24. Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer (1)
  25. American Sour Beers by Michael Tonsmeire (1)
  26. Beer Advocate magazine by BeerAdvocate (1)
    beer-advocate-mag-cover-92
  27. Building a Business the Buddhist Way by Geri Larkin (1)
  28. There’s GOT to be an easier way to run a business: How to have a successful company — and a life! by Bill Marvin (1)
  29. The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community by Ray Oldenburg (1)
  30. Cellarmanship by Patrick O’Neill (1)
  31. Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery  [1st edition] by Sam Calagione (1)
  32. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard (1)
  33. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (1)
  34. Running a Restaurant For Dummies by Michael Garvey (1)
  35. Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business by Jay Conrad Levinson (1)
  36. World Guide to Beer by Michael Jackson (1)
  37. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (1)
  38. Build Your Dreams: How To Make a Living Doing What You Love by Chip Hiden and Alexis Irvin (1)
  39. So You Want to Start a Brewery?: The Lagunitas Story by Tony Magee (1)
  40. Companies We Keep: Employee Ownership and the Business of Community and Place by John Abrams (1)
  41. Complete Guide to San Diego Breweries, 2014/2015 Edition by Brandon Hernández (1)
  42. Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson (1)
  43. Tesla: Man Out of Time by Margaret Cheney (1)
  44. Honest Business by Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry (1)
    honest-business-cover
  45. Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition by Phil Markowski (1)
  46. The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott (1)
  47. Get Sh*t Done by Lauris Liberts (1)
  48. Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer (1)
  49. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (1)
  50. Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable–Includes new bonus chapter by Seth Godin (1)
  51. The Umami Factor: Full-Spectrum Fermentation for the 21st Century by Robert Rivelle George (1)
  52. The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer (1)
  53. The New Restaurant Entrepreneur: An Inside Look at Restaurant Deal-Making and Other Tales from the Culinary Trenches by Kep Sweeney (1)
  54. Pizza: More than 60 Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pizza by Diane Morgan and Tony Gemignani (1)
  55. Building Strong Brands by David A. Aaker (1)
  56. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition) by John C. Maxwell (1)
  57. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins (1)
  58. Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman (1)
  59. A Textbook of Brewing by Jean De Clerck (1)
  60. Technology Brewing and Malting by Wolfgang Kunze (1)
    technology-brewing-and-malting-cover
  61. Brew Law 101: A Legal Guide to Opening a Brewery – California Edition by Candace L. Moon, Esq. and Stacy Allura Hostetter (1)
    brew-law-101-cover
  62. Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink by Randy Mosher (1)
  63. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande (1)
  64. Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own (Third Edition) by Ben Watson (1)
  65. The New Cider Maker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers by Claude Jolicoeur (1)
  66. Principles of Brewing Science: A Study of Serious Brewing Issues by George Fix (1)
  67. Alt Whiskeys: Alternative Whiskey Recipes and Distilling Techniques for the Adventurous Craft Distiller by Darek Bell, Amy Lee Bell, and Pete Rodman (1)
  68. The Startup Playbook: Secrets of the Fastest-Growing Startups from Their Founding Entrepreneurs by David Kidder (1)
  69. Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar Inc. by Gary Erickson (1)
  70. Mission in a Bottle: The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently–and Succeeding by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff (1)
  71. Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide by Michael Jackson and Sharon Lucas (1)
  72. Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation by Brewers Publications (1)
  73. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (1)
  74. Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer 3-volume set by Karl Ockert (Editor) (1)
  75. Operation Brewery: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Brewery on a Budget by Eddie Oldfield, Mike McGovern, and Dan Norris (1)

 

Books from MicroBrewr

MicroBrewr has a couple books, too!

Download the ebooks for FREE!

The Secrets of 5 Craft Brewers; Mistakes you must avoid

6 Free Social Media Tools To Get People Talking About Your Beer by Joe Shelerud, MicroBrewr founder.

The Secrets of 5 Craft Brewers; Mistakes you must avoid by MicroBrewr   Book2

 

MicroBrewr book club

Think of this as the MicroBrewr book club. Let us know what you are reading! Leave your own book reviews and book recommendations in the comments section below.

 


Some of the links above are “affiliate links.” If you click the link and buy something, I will receive some money from the purchase. It doesn’t add anything to your purchase price. While I have not personally read all of the books listed here, based on the guests’ recommendations, I feel that these books will truly provide value to you. Please do not purchase any of these products unless you feel that you need it or that it will help you achieve your goals. Read more at the Affiliate Disclaimer.

 

9 replies
  1. Orlando Maldonado
    Orlando Maldonado says:

    There is another book I just ordered that hasn’t been recommended, probably because it is too new. It is So You Want to Start a Brewery?: The Lagunitas Story by Tony Magnee. It literally released this month. Can’t wait to read it!

    Reply
  2. Charlie Blitzstein
    Charlie Blitzstein says:

    A Brewer’s Guide to Opening a Nano Brewery: Your $10,000 Brewery Consultant for $15, Vol. 1 by Dan Woodske

    Dan Woodske is the owner and brewer at his own nanobrewery, the Beaver Brewing Company in Beaver Falls Pennsylvania. Starting as an avid homebrewer he wondered why there wasn’t a brewery within an hour drive of his home…that’s when he decided to take his passion for brewing to the pro level. This book describes everything you need from buying brewery equipment, marketing your beer, licensing, running your brewing, and finding that perfect space. The process of opening a brewery can seem daunting, but in about 100 pages you will find brewing good beer is the hard part, the rest seems easy once it is all laid out for you. You want details on the licensing process? You want to learn how to sell your beer? You want real life examples on how a nanobrewery works and how it can be profitable? Then buy this book. Don’t spend $10,000 on a consultant, spend $15 and get info from someone that actually owns and operates a nano-brewery…and does it successfully.

    Via Amazon. Great read and some real good information. In fact, you should get him on your podcast!

    Charlie

    Reply
  3. Gaston
    Gaston says:

    More tittles of awesome books

    Handbook of brewing and Brewing Microbiology both from Fergus Priest back bones of brewing

    Chemestry of Brewing from Roger Barth

    Handbook of brewing from Hans Eblinger for german brewing tech

    Brewing: science and practice Dennis Briggs et. Al.

    Blue book of Yeast from GG Stewart ( the grandpa of Chris White and Jamil book Yeast)

    Tecnology for Brewers and Malters from Wolfgang Kunze! The holy bible of german brewing

    Both @GordonStrong Brew Better beer, Modern Homebrew Recipes,

    @SteveKHindy CraftBeer Revolution

    Reply

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  1. […] of books, which you can find the updated list here. You can also find an expanded reading list at Microbrewr.com. All of it so informational and entertaining! I know I’ve set multiple directions for this blog […]

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