The Brewing Fundamentals Study Book with crosswords for ₹1,999

₹1,999 buys the study book, not a course

The book is study material only. There are no classes, lab sessions or brewery visits in the price. You get a printable A4 PDF of 17 chapters that follow the four weeks of our in-person 1-month course, with a crossword at the end of each one and every answer at the back.

If you want to learn in a brewery with a brewer beside you, that is a different product. The 1-day course costs ₹25,000 and the 1-month course costs ₹1,25,000. Many people read the book first, then decide.

Seventeen chapters in the order of the four weeks

1. Week one, brewing fundamentals. What beer is and how it is made, malt, hops, brewing water, yeast strains and beer styles, including lagers, ales, wheat beers and sours.
2. Week two, brewhouse operations. Milling and mashing, lautering and wort collection, then wort boiling, hop utilisation and wort treatment.
3. Week three, fermentation and yeast. Fermentation science and by-product control, yeast propagation and storage, maturation, filtration, stabilisation and carbonation.
4. Week four, quality and grain to glass. Micro control, hygiene and CIP, the brewery lab, filling and packaging quality, sensory evaluation and recipe development with worked examples.

All 17 chapter titles

Here is the full list, so you can see exactly what you are buying before you pay:

• 1. What beer is and how it is made
• 2. Malt
• 3. Hops
• 4. Brewing water
• 5. Yeast strains
• 6. Beer styles and special beer types
• 7. Milling and mashing
• 8. Lautering and wort collection
• 9. Wort boiling, hop utilisation and wort treatment
• 10. Fermentation science and by-product control
• 11. Yeast management, propagation and storage
• 12. Maturation, filtration, stabilisation and carbonation
• 13. Micro control, hygiene and CIP
• 14. The brewery lab: QC testing and brewery chemistry
• 15. Filling, dispensing and packaging quality
• 16. Sensory evaluation and tasting protocols
• 17. Recipe development: grain to glass

Written from the course our students take in person

The chapters follow the syllabus of our 1-month course, in the same order. The difference is who sets the pace. In the course a brewer walks you through each step at the mash tun and in the lab. With the book you read the theory first and check yourself as you go.

That makes the book useful in two ways. It is a cheaper way to learn the theory if a month in a brewery is not possible right now. It is also good preparation for the course itself, because students who arrive knowing why mash pH matters get far more out of the day they stand at the tun.

Brewing in Indian conditions runs through the chapters too: storing malt and hops in humid heat, treating borewell and packaged water, fermenting when the room sits above 30 °C (86 °F) and keeping packaged beer fresh in a hot supply chain.

Every chapter ends the same way

Each chapter opens with what you will be able to do by the end. Then come short sections with the numbers brewers actually use, such as a mash at 62 to 70 °C (144 to 158 °F) or a mash pH of 5.2 to 5.6. After that you get a table of key numbers, the words to know and five questions to check yourself.

The last page of every chapter is a twelve-clue crossword on the same topic. Answers to the questions and the grids are at the back, so you can check yourself without a tutor.

Words you have to recall stay longer than words you only read

A line that says mash pH should sit at 5.2 to 5.6 is easy to nod at and easy to forget. A clue that asks for the measure that should sit at 5.2 to 5.6 makes you dig the answer out yourself. That small effort is what helps it stay.

So read a chapter, answer the five questions without looking back, then do the crossword the next morning. Fifteen minutes on the puzzle turns the chapter's vocabulary into words you can use on brew day.

Who the book suits

It suits anyone preparing for our 1-day or 1-month course, homebrewers who want to know why a batch worked, new brewery and taproom staff and students revising for a brewing exam. No science background is needed. If you only want puzzles, our free 103-puzzle Beer Crosswords book is on the resources page.

How to order

Ordering takes two steps. Pay ₹1,999 and we email the book to you as a PDF. To start, use the enquiry form and choose Brewing Fundamentals Study Book with the email address you want it sent to. We reply with the payment details. The book is for your own study, so please do not share or resell it.

Common questions

Is this a course?

No. It is study material only: a 17-chapter study book with crosswords. Classes, lab work and brewery visits are part of our in-person courses, which are priced separately.

What does ₹1,999 include?

The Brewing Fundamentals Study Book as a printable A4 PDF: 17 chapters of study notes covering the full 1-month course syllabus, a crossword and five check questions per chapter and all the answers at the back.

How is the book delivered?

By email. Pay ₹1,999 and we email the PDF to you. You can read it on screen or print it.

How much are the in-person courses?

The 1-day course at a brewery costs ₹25,000 and the 1-Month Intensive Brewing Excellence Course costs ₹1,25,000.