I've long been a fan of the BeerSmith software and love Brad's podcasts and email articles on homebrewing. So I was excited to get this book when it came out. I hoped it would be down-to-earth useful and practical and was delighted to read through it! Unlike some of the other reviewers I was glad that it wasn't just a how-to book for using the BeerSmith program -- though that might be a good book to have from Brad too. Instead I was impressed with Brad's restraint in not pushing his software on every topic.From beginning to end I found the information easy to understand, very useful for me in my brewing and expanding my brewing knowledge, and delightful reading. I only wish the book were bigger.Brad touches on just about every subject in homebrewing and goes into surprising depth on some subjects such as water chemistry and water additions.Even if you've received all of Brad's email homebrewing articles, having them compiled in this book in concise order and indexed makes it a great buy.I own most all of the essential homebrewing books but would rate this one at the top with John Palmer's How To Brew for having good practical information for homebrewers from beginner to advanced.