David G. Miller (1) (1945–)

This is a great primer for anyone interested in homebrewing. The first brew book I picked up and still my most referenced. This will take you from extract brewing (5 gallon pot on the stove) through to all grain brewing (more of a garage/outdoor project, especially if you're using a butane burner) with intermediate steps on the way. The author does something pretty clever with the recipes too - as the chapters progress from simple to harder methods he takes five or six basic recipes listed show more and rewrites them to include the more complicate brewing proceedures.
But even if you never get beyond the first few brewing methods you'll still get a great beer with these recipes.
My only complaint is that a few steps were not as clear to me as I would have liked when I started out. But I think that is more due to my learning style than any fault of the author. And really, your local brew supply store guys are usually willing to answer any questions you can throw at them. Happy homebrewing! show less