When I heard about Brew It Yourself I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I have made a few infusions in my time, almost always involving gin, so I was looking forward to seeing what Richard Hood and Nick Moyle (aka Two Thirsty Gardeners) had put in their book. It’s been a while since I’ve opened a book up and not known which bit to look at or which recipe to try first but everything in Brew It Yourself sounds so tempting and completely achievable.
It’s a good sized book, which may sound a little odd, by which I mean it’s not too bulky but includes plenty of information and recipes. It’s divided into the following sections:
- Foreword – an introduction from Richard and Nick which would fill a complete novice with confidence
- The Basics – what you need, where to find things and a bit about foraging
- Wine and Mead – so many recipes in this bit, the pineapple wine caught my attention
- Cider – basic cider and lots of other flavours to try
- Beer, Ale and Lager – all sorts including a few classics, the pumpkin ale sounds intriguing
- Sparkling drinks – not all alcoholic, I want to try all of these
- Liqueurs – starting with classic sloe gin and moving on to some amazing sounding combinations, notably Beech Leaf and Honey Liqueur
- Cocktails – so when you’ve got a cupboard full of homemade drinks you can fix yourself a tipple
Some of these recipes require more equipment and patience than others but I think that means there’s something for everyone. You may start with a simple infusion then before you know it you’ve converted the garden shed and are spending all your spare time brewing. Of all the recipes in the book I would love to try making: scrumpleflower (homemade cider with elderflower), fig wine (this also uses rose petals, delicious!), fizzy iced tea (this one only takes a few days to make) and raspberry and thyme whisky (how good does that sound for a winter’s night).
Brew It Yourself is published by Nourish Books and is priced at £14.99.
Thank you to Nourish Books for my copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Sounds like my kind of book! So much I haven’t done yet in this line, and it’s so much fun. Thanks for a terrific review!
My son is quite accomplished at brewing beer. He started at the age of 16 when he was too young to buy it himself. That’s what he’d do afternoons in his friend’s basement. Luckily, he is now 25.
so cool! This makes beer brewing sound totally doable!
I’ve made liqueurs, but never thought of brewing any of these other options. Though my hubby would certainly love to try his hand at beer. Looks like a great book!
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So fun and cool!
Melanie @ meandmr.com