Hey everyone…my friend and I started homebrewing about 5 years ago together, and both have just about every gadget you can think of…from air-locks to aged bourbon barrels. His birthday is coming up and I’m drawing a complete blank here on what I can get him. Last year we did a “Brewer for a Day” which I’m thinking of repeating because it was so much fun.
I’m just wondering if anyone can think outside of the box and offer up any suggestions that they may have?
What’s your budget? Blichmann products are all really well made and there is something in every price range.
Water book or any brew style book. Any new hop that you havent tried.
“well made” is an understatement. You don’t pay extra for a name, you pay extra for more quality than you will ever need, and that is a good thing.
Not sure what the ‘brewer for a day’ thing is, but there are a few breweries around these parts that will let you brew on their system and then serve your beer in their pub/tasting room. THAT’S pretty cool.
But seriously, what’s the budget here?
I’d be pleased with a sack of malt. Or a custom gold-plated tap handle.
Maybe a set of etched pint glasses. Ingredients work too.
Give him a challenge. Give him a box with some random ingredients and a gift certificate to the LHBS or Northern Brewer and tell him to make a brew with what’s in the box. Offer to be his assistant brewer for the day, too.
Kind of like the TV show “Chopped”. I like it ! That’s a great idea. More memorable than another gadget.
This is a fun topic. I really like the ingredients in a box idea. That would be fun. Also, there are tons of hats, shirts, glassware, etc. that you can get to wear proudly and advertise his craft. Like everyone else says, depends on the budget.
What5 about something personal like a hand carved, engraved mash paddle or tap handle
+1 a sack of two row. Not memorable, but functional.
Maybe finding him a yeast strain or hops that he hasn’t used before. Maybe get ingredients to a recipe he wants to try.
Something else I just thought of. A gift card from his favorite brew shop. I always enjoy those.
On my fortieth birthday my brothers in law got together and bought me 40 different bottles of beer. That was fun and memorable enough not to forget for over 20 years.
If you are in the Northeast, the Woodstock Inn and Brewery in Lincoln, NH has a Brewer’s Weekend package. http://www.woodstockinnnh.com/packages.php. If you are not in the Northeast, check some of the local small breweries and see if they offer something similar.
AmandaK has a great idea there…
An out of state road trip to his favorite brewery (or several).
Is there another passion/hobby? Maybe cooking? Here in Indy a local butcher has “butchery classes”. My brewing compadre and I learned how to do seam butchery on a hog and also how to make charcuterie items from the different cuts. There was some nice local micro-brewed beer involved as well. We have since started processing our own hogs several times a year. It’s a perfect companion to brewing and quaffing.
You could get him some ingredients to make a mead.
Or a sack of a grain you wouldn’t normally buy. I would be over the moon if someone got me a bag of Maris Otter or Munich or something like that.
If I were him, I’d like a wine kit. I’ll never get around to getting myself one, but if one showed up I’d be all over it.