Terry Foster - Pale Ale, Revised: History, Brewing, Techniques, Recipes

There is not space enough to acknowledge all those who contributed to this book, most of them unwittingly, as I ploughed their minds and/or their writings. I suppose that most of all, I am indebted to the whole new brewing community, both amateur and professional. Its members have willingly expanded and disseminated their knowledge of beer and good brewing, with the aim of improving the quality and range of American beers. One of the great disappointments in our age of improved and improving methods of communication has been the steady dumbing down of our media, reducing everything to sound bytes and fleeting snapshots. All the more credit, then, goes to the beer writers and microbrewers who have been ready to tackle and explain the vast technical complexities of the brewing process.

If I have to name names, then I would like to thank Charlie Papazian (who got me into this Classic Beer Style Series in the first place). Charlie has done as much as anybody to popularize homebrewing.

Many other brewers and writers contributed, and I try to recognize them by citing them in the references. Stephen Mallery, publisher of Brewing Techniques, warrants mention as one who has taken the high ground in looking at the fundamentals and practicalities of brewing. And Michael Jackson will always have a place among the brewing immortals in his never-ending search for the perfect beer. Dr. John Harrison and his companions at the Durden Park Beer Circle must be commended for their extensive research into old beers and for their clear understanding that those beers must be interpreted in the eyes of the brewers and drinkers of past centuries, and not in a modern context.

Youngs of southwest London is one of the proudest and fiercest defenders of real ale.

Among English brewers I must thank Youngs of Wandsworth, which brewed the first beer I ever drank. I thank it not just for that, but for its unswerving loyalty to real ale and its commitment to producing what it knows to be quality beer and not being pulled away from its aim to follow fashionable trends. My thanks also to David Crease for his insights on the English brewing scene and for helping to keep me sane in what sometimes seems to be a hostile world.

And of course, thanks to my publisher at Brewers Publications, Toni Knapp. Her timing was impeccable. She asked me to do this just as I was looking at a mountain of collected information and wondering what sort of book I should write next. In gratitude, I actually got the manuscript to her just before the deadline. I am afraid she will find me less compliant as we finish the details of editing!

Finally, praise and thanks to Theresa Duggan who did such a good job of making sense of not only the original but also the scrawled corrections as we went along. Her diplomacy in my struggles with the copy editor was amazing, and her ability to push everything through on time was astounding. Thank you, Theresa.