"Beginners" Essentials?

I’ve been brewing for 3-4 years now, and my brother-in-law-squared (sister-in-law’s fiance) wants his first brewing equipment.  Looking over my own beginning-brewer’s kit, I can see a couple of things that just aren’t needed… and a couple that I’d like to upgrade.  Since I’m kegging now, and have done a number of upgrades myself, I have some items that I can send his way that I’m just not using any more, but are still in good shape.  We are doing a “secret”-santa gift exchange in that family, and he’s the one I’m buying for, so I have a reasonable budget ($70) I think.  Any additions/subtractions from others?

  • Bottling bucket (I keg now, he’ll get my old one)
  • Fermentor (6 gal BB, new), + bung + air-lock
  • Hydrometer
  • 3 feet of vinyl beer hose
  • wing capper (my old one)
  • Package of Caps
  • Auto-siphon
  • Iodaphor + PBW
  • Bottling Wand
  • If I have $20 left over, I’ll add an ingredient kit.

I am deliberately NOT adding empty bottles, since he is already collecting, and I have to ship this a couple states away.  My sister-in-law is suggesting a large discount turkey-fryer kit to his mother, so between the two of us, he should be all set.  Beyond those, anything that I’m missing?

If he’s going for the turkey fryer for a burner/kettle, that implies he’ll be doing full boils.  That makes an immersion chiller pretty important.

Some good books. Papazain and Palmer.

A floating thermometer.