I have a favor to ask the community, what would be the perfect gift to give to someone who makes Beer? Now, let me start off by saying, he’s quite experience in making a variety of beers (from ales, stouts, porters etc…) and leads me to believe he has everything he essentially needs to make good Beer. But i want to give him an excellent gift that means something special to him (Beer is VERY special to him) -especially making it! Therefore, i want to get him a gift for brewing but brewing isn’t quite my specialty nor do i have any knowledge on what to get him. If anyone could give me a recommendation on what to get my Dad, the brewer, as a gift for beer making or something relative to that matter: i would wholeheartedly appreciate it!
Thank you so much for reading & have a wonderful day!
There is a set of two books that I can almost guarantee he has not sought out or read. These two books are very rarely looked at because of their cost. The books are published by the Siebel institute which commercial brewers attend 4 year brewing programs to be hired at breweries and much of the information is from De Clerk which is a long referenced brewing scientist. These texts along with a few select others are basically the “gold” standard that many soft cover authors based their studies on also.
Bottom line: There are good-great references on the internet and soft cover authors but to read these two editions cover-cover and have as reference in the brewery will be a life long gift for a dedicated brewer as it is one thing he will appreciate due to the depth of knowledge, but would never think to buy for himself simply as 80% of home brewers are not even aware of these texts even though home brew stores carry them. The link I have provided is from our host Northern Brewer.
Volume#1
The above ideas are good - I especially like the idea of the books - although, I LOVE books. Maybe some kind of customized artwork for his brewery/bar? Stained glass, painting, carving, statue, etc. with unique reference/depiction of his operation - does he have a name for his “brewery?” Many people do. Customized tap handles? Carved tap handles unique to his beer? Stuff like that would be cool.
Personalized tour/trip to a favorite brewery, meet the brewer if possible??
It will be hard to buy brewing equipment without just asking him what he wants or needs. On the other hand ingredients to brew beer can always be used. I’m thinking a pound or two of hops, or a 50-55lb bag of base malt. You could easily asked questions as you are drinking beer or about a beer you had in the past. It’s easy to get a home brewer to spill their guts about what ingredients they used or like to use.
This is tasty beer, what kind of hops did you use? Do you use that hop a lot?
Does it matter what kind of barley you use? What kind do you like to use?
Great post and great discussion. I really appreciate the custom paddle idea. This is something he’ll use EVERY brew session. There are some amazing ones out there. Plus, if you go real classy with it (talk to a wood carver, furniture maker, etc) he can also display it in his brew kitchen.
An idea I’ve thought of in the past is to mix ancestry with brewing – researching the home land (for me Ireland) and finding some vintage piece to display.
A cool gift would be to try and find a barrel he can use to age beer. Also, if he hasn’t experimented with sour ales, a wooden barrel would be a great way to get into it. Sour Ales take years to ferment, so it’s not like he’d use up the ingredients and forget about the gift. This one would stick with him.
Wow! I’m absolutely amazed at all the replies! Thank you so much! I’m thinking of buying all these and preparing a giant gift basket of these items! This is amazing, thank you so much guys -this is a great community!
+1 (great idea) on the gift card. I have told my wife to pass on to anyone asking that a gift certificate from either Northern Brewer or the local home brew shop goes a long way. The gift card allows him to get something special that he may not splurge on normally, or whatever.
Another great idea above is the personalized beer mugs/ mash paddle/ etc. for the brewery or bar. I have 2 cool pieces of art, one done by my wife and another done by my bro in-law. Plus custom pint glasses & custom coasters. And the artwork on my fridge was done by my wife while I was out of town (see avatar pic…)
The best thing a brewer can have is people that care about their brew…
