I bought my husband his first kit this past March for his birthday from NB after months of research into the best starter kit. I also got him the “How to Brew Beer” by the one and only Mr. John Palmer… so that started a whirlwind of yeast in my fridge and friends giving us their empty beer bottles and spending “quality time” on the back porch watching water boil… haha! But it stuck and he’s moved to a 20 gallon system and all-grain batches now and talk of growing his own hops, etc etc. When the latest NB magazine came out and it suggestions for things to get your favorite home-brewer, he said he had everything or the one-step-up of that…
SO! the question is, what do I get the home-brewer who has everything for Christmas? I want it to be something that he will use all the time, but maybe not something he would buy for himself because he can’t justify the cost when he could have bought more grains or something like that.
Ideas please! And thanks in advance, links to what you suggest would be most helpful!
If he is doing 20 gal all grain I’m going to guess he has a mill already if not thats a great idea. Kegging system is awesome. I really like the above idea of a high quality thermometer, look up thermapen.
If all else fails, sacks of 2 row, maris otter, pilsner malt depending on what he brews are always appreciated. As would be pounds of hops depending on what he brews or maybe even something new so that he can play with a new ingredient.
I personally just started doing water adjustments and if he doesnt do that you could send a sample in to ward labs and package the result with various salts so he can take his brewing to the next step.
Don’t know what your budget is or whether you share his passion for beer, but you could always book a trip to one of the great beer making areas of the world (Belgium, Germany, England, Portland. All these places have lots of fun things to do in addition to drinking beer and touring breweries
Hey guys, thanks for the replies! He has a kegging system, he converted an old fridge in his beer room to hold 6 soda kegs (10gal of pumpkin ale just finished the first test run of the new keg system).
@Jeff4Amnesty: I wish we could take a trip, but that’s not in this year’s budget
@robotninja: he just got the mill, its sitting on my dining room table now… I will definitely look up thermapen though, thanks!
@Roddy: what do you mean by a yeast cultivating system? can you send me a link to what that might be or offer a good/reliable brand?
@Shadetree: by a walk-in do you mean a walk-in freezer like for cold fermentation? I’ve looked on craigslist a little for those, they run around $2k, which is a little steep. But he has been keeping an eye on large chest freezers, so maybe I look a little harder for one of those.
@Surly: I know that he keeps his yeast in the fridge to reuse, is there a special “wash” that he needs for that? I’m definitely going to look at a thermometer, with more than one person suggesting it, it must be important. Do you have a brand/type you recommend?
@Glug Master: That’s an interesting machine. it says “This is a high-flow version of the classic March 809 pump for transferring hot and cool liquids during brewing.” what part of the process is that used for? It’s okay to be technical, I listen to it everyday…
If he doesn’t have a way to do temp-controlled fermentation, like a chest freezer, then that’s what you ought to get him - his beer quality will improve immediately.
+1 to what shadetree just posted. I assume he already has one considering all the other stuff he has.
How about a subscription or 2 to a few good brewing magazines. ‘Brew Your Own’ is very good. Or if he isn’t already, maybe you could get him a Home Brewers Association membership. Members get access to a website with lots of good articles and info, a magazine comes out every few months and you get discounts at brewpubs, bars, breweries, LHBS (local home brew stores).
P.S. Keep up the being a cool wife thing. My wife is very supportive of my addiction too. She just bought me a 2tap tower for a kegorator for Christmas. Even gave it to me early so I can have it up and running before the holidays. Nothing better than a cool and supportive wife!
@dobe12: he just got his membership and is subscribed also to the Brew Your Own (lots of mags coming in these days, postman must think we’re Alchies!)
@gregscsu: except for the march pump, he has all the rest of the stuff. I might dig a little more into that and see if it’s something he might use. Is it mainly for bottling?
@Shadetree: I’m really leaning towards a freezer, but now I’m struggling with the size. I found on Sears.com a Kenmore 24.9 cu ft chest, is that big enough to hold a couple of carboys?
then he probably does have one… I’m looking at the pH/temp meter, that has great reviews and I’m not positive if he has one. Is it a common thing to get or one of those fancier things that makes brewing easier? I’m talk about this one… http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brew … rtini.html
