With regard to updating DGB, I too think it would outdated very quickly. There is so much information about great beer recipes online these days that one can design a great beer by looking at the online recipes and choosing an ingredient from one person’s recipe, then another, etc., to make a great recipe for their own brew. That is what I do when trying to brew something new and have had really good luck with it. It takes a bit of practice to get really good at tweaking the recipe to what a person will be looking for but that is the whole fun part of the hobby.
The current version of DGB gives you ideas on what can make a good recipe for a certain style and then a person can go to online recipes to pick out what they want to put in that beer. Years ago DGB was my go to book, but now I rarely open it.
The only data I know of about this is Brulosophy’s, which indicate that this percentage of homebrewers is just shy of 40%.
I am a scientist, and the thought of reading a brewing book that is essentially a compendium of primary papers sounds dreadful (although to be fair I do not necessarily think that this is what you are suggesting).
IMO what homebrewers desperately need is not yet another book about brewing science, but formal sensory training. This of course does not lend itself to book format unless the book came with scratch-and-sniff stickers
I enjoy listening to podcasts during the brew day - some for fun and less than technical expositions (Denny and Drew usually hit this button, as does Brulosophy); some for in depth discussion on a topic involving commercial brewers (MBAA usually hits this button); and some for in-depth homebrewing issues (Palmer and Zainasheff come to mind). These are interesting and help pass the time during mash and boil intervals. There are many others, including the whole Brewing Network selection to watch and listen to if you would want. Books are typically things I like to spend some time with during long winter evenings - some are easy reading, some are not and if not, I tend to let it sit until I really have little else to do and can justify working through the harder to read books.
It’s been a while since I read “Tasting Beer” by Randy Mosher, and I honestly don’t remember whether it was before or after I started brewing, but I remember that being rather useful. It might be time for a re-read, as a matter of fact.
And I also agree that as a scientist myself, I would much rather consume whitepaper and technical journal articles in online format rather than in a book.
So what? I know what I want from homebrewing and I don’t need you or anyone else to tell me. Nothing you or he say applies to my hobby. Do what you want to and so will I. It’s freaking making beer at home. It’s not a big deal.
