Botany of Beer: An Illustrated Guide to More Than 500 Plants Used in Brewing

"With beautiful India ink illustrations by the author, this book describes every known plant species around the world (roughly 500) that in one way or another is used in the process of brewing, or making beer. The book is as much for homebrewers and professional beer makers as it is for beer aficionados, botany enthusiasts, and collectors of illustrated food books. The volume contains detailed information that is scientifically verified and precise and offers new stimuli for rediscovering and replicatingancient and early modern uses of these plants. The work contains botanical and beer-making fact sheets for the individual species, botanical illustrations, and information boxes on the plant's use throughout history as well as in current beer production.Each section provides the particular plant's scientific name and classification, morphology and geographical distribution, and detailed information about which of its parts are used in beer making, potential toxicity, chemical composition, and the brewing styles in which it's most commonly used. The volume concludes with a useful glossary to permit non-botanists to make sense of the more technical terminology"--
From mass-produced lagers to craft-brewery IPAs, from beers made in Trappist monasteries according to traditional techniques to those created by innovative local brewers seeking to capture regional terroir, the world of beer boasts endless varieties. The diversity of beer does not only reflect the differences among the people and cultures who brew this beverage. It also testifies to the vast range of plants that help give different styles of beer their distinguishing flavor profiles.This book is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated compendium of the characteristics and properties of the plants used in making beer around the world. The botanical expert Giuseppe Caruso presents scientifically rigorous descriptions, accompanied by his own hand-drawn ink images, of more than 500 species. For each one, he gives the scientific classification, common names, and information about morphology, geographical distribution and habitat, and cultivation range. Caruso provides detailed information about each plant’s applications in beer making, including which of its parts are employed, as well as its chemical composition, its potential toxicity, and examples of beers and styles in which it is typically used. The book also considers historical uses, aiding brewers who seek to rediscover ancient and early modern concoctions.This book will appeal to a wide audience, from beer aficionados to botany enthusiasts, providing valuable information for homebrewers and professional beer makers alike. It reveals how botanical knowledge can open new possibilities for today’s and tomorrow’s brewers.
This book is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated compendium of the characteristics and properties of the plants used in making beer around the world. The botanical expert Giuseppe Caruso presents scientifically rigorous descriptions, accompanied by his own hand-drawn ink images, of more than 500 species.