Christmas Presents!

[supe_kitchen]

This wasn't intended to a be a Christmas gift but it turned out to be a great one... I got a text from a buddy of mine who works for a beer/spirits distributor... He has a 5 gallon oak barrel for me that was used to age whiskey in at a local distillery... I'm pretty stoked about it! The only bummer is that I'm having hip surgery on Friday and won't be able to brew anything to age in the barrel for another month or maybe longer....

Put off the hip surgery and brew so you can have something aging while you rehab. Depending on the surgery you proly won't be able to brew anything for a while anyways. I am actually a rehab physical therapist and this is what I would do, depending on the surgery of course

 

[Jersh]

Put off the hip surgery and brew so you can have something aging while you rehab. Depending on the surgery you proly won't be able to brew anything for a while anyways. I am actually a rehab physical therapist and this is what I would do, depending on the surgery of course

Eh, I would love to put it off, but we've met our family deductible this year (had a baby in September) so I want to get it in now... It's 'just' hip arthroscopy, I have a labral tear that they are repairing. I have a buddy that has been wanting to brew with me, so I'll have him do all the heavy lifting for the next brew....

 

[thyirishmen]

I got a new 5 gallon firestone Challenger VI keg to add to my collection

 

[porterguy]

It was a Merry Beery Christmas for me!

Designing Great Beers
British Real Ales
The Beer Devotional
1001 Beers Yu Must Taste Before You Die (actually 2 copies, so one will be traded in for another beer book)
"Zymurgist" long sleeve tee
Bottle tree
A set of 4 "sampler" glasses
Home brewing calendar
Gift Cert at LHBS
And a lot of "did you get anything NOT beer related" comments.


Can't wait to do a British ale. They measure everything in grams. And a lot of the recipes call for sugar, anywhere from 1/4 lb. To 1 and 1/2 lbs!

 

[step]

I got a Refractometer, man am I stoked to brew with vision. Measuring SG of 170 degree is not easy or really accurate for that matter. I have brewed some border line brews recently (unbalanced) that could have been helped with some pre-boil readings

 

[scrawbag]

5 gallon carboy with no bung or airlock in it. its ok the 50 spending cash will cover it.
wohoo

 

[kellanv]

I had a great brew-related Christmas this year! Bayou SQ-14, acrylic tap handle, 4 tasting glasses and a gift certificate to AHBS Also got some cash that I am planning on putting towards a Therminator. Already spent the gift cert on the inaugural brew with the SQ-14. So much faster than the stove top!

As I am planning to finally move on to all grain this will get me going in the right direction!

Merry Christmas to all!

 

[TromboneGuy]

Got a barley crusher, and my dad built me a heatstick so I don't have to brew in my garage! Woo!

 

[Grizz]

Got a lump of coal in my fireplace!

 

[WhineinAlbany]

Brewing Classic Styles
The Homebrewers' Recipe Guide
CloneBrews
Homebrew Favorites
Raspberry Wheat kit
Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier kit

and now I have to figure out what I'm going to make after I'm done with the kits. Too many recipes to choose from, but I'm considering Nutcastle from Brewing Classic Styles or the Moosedrool clone from CloneBrews. Perhaps some Magic Hat #9 too, but I'm not sure what the original tasted like (the CloneBrew book uses the 1997 version that the brewery has changed since then).

 

[EarthBound]

Everyone that knows me well enough knows that I spend enough of my own money on brewing, so they bought me things I actually need, and I bought them beer-related stuff!

 

[Zamial]

I got some good stuff.

Beer/Brewing related:
William's Brewing O2 kit
O2 tank
Shop vac
Beer socks

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Looks like some of you got a good haul.

Beer/brewing related:
- new 32qt ss pot with false bottom
- ball-lock corny
- collection of summer style beers that had been squirreled away

 

[TheMan]

My xmas was pretty awesome...

My family all chipped in together and got me a March Pump. My wonderful girlfriend got me a 40 plate chiller from DudaDiesel.

Can't wait to get all this set up!

They also got me tons of hot sauce, to the tune of 15 bottles...plus a few beers. This was everything I wanted and could ever ask for lol.

We have a decent sized family, so we split the cost of a 51" Samsung Plasma for my father. I can't decide if his gift was better or mine...probably mine.

 

[Trid]

This was my favorite Xmas present.

 

[Shooter]

This was my favorite Xmas present.

View attachment 41665

Left by Santa?!?!

I didn't get too much beer related stuff, but there's not really too much I desperately need. My wife did get me the Oxford Companion to Beer.

 

[bcrderrick]

I only got a digital scale, a gc to home depot to build a brew bench, and 11 new carboys! Now I just have to fill them all.

 

[TheMan]

This was my favorite Xmas present.

View attachment 41665

Damn...those are some sweet sweatpants. They would be my favorite too!

 

[CoalCracker]

More golf than brewing but I got a set of 8 beer mugs and a set of 8 pilsner glasses. Gift card to the LHBS.

Golf: ClicGear3.0 cart, Titlist golf bag, other smaller golf goodies.

Was a great Christmas!

 

[Reaver]

Lets see if this works... And I got 2... I don't want some people to know... you guys are cool tho.. I know you can keep a secret. Tough to get in NY.

 

[jpar345]

Booze-related gifts:

Moose Drool brown ale clone, currently in its second week of fermentation.

Chimay gift set, the chalice is what I was really after but the three bottles are nice.

Three bottles of Iron Hill's Winter Wheat Wine...

Liquor store gift card for my other vice (good bourbon).

 

[Toga]

I got a weldless bulk head fitting, ball valve, and dip tube to finish my keggle, enough beer caps to last me a couple years, and a bottle tree from the other half. I'm stoked about the keggle. No more boil overs for 5 gallon batches and I can do 10 gallon batches if needed

 

[BillyBroas]

I found a 10 gal Boilermaker under the tree!

 

[crazybluerider]

Girlfriend got me a 5lb CO2 tank, regulator, gas and beer line. The parents got me 4 ball lock cornies and an assortment of fittings.

I put it together with a few parts I have collected over the last month or so to make this yesterday.

I can fit just barely squeeze 4 cornies and a 5lb CO2 bottle onto the bottom shelf. That leaves lots of room for bottled beer on the top 2 shelves and other brewery supplies that need to be frozen/refrigerated in the rest of the fridge.

 

[daksin]

Awesome! Seems like everybody got me NB gift certs, but my folks went in together and got me a bigger kettle and a kegging system!!! I went out and ordered a freezer and temp controller which will both be here friday. Can't wait- Yoop's house pale will be the first beer to grace the new keg!

The gift cert money goes towards the temp controller, and expanding the new kegging system (new keg/lines/taps plus a manifold) as well as a few other goodies like a huge spoon and vinator.

 

[D_Ranged_Eskimo]

I'll throw in some more post whoring here.

Santa brought a stir plate with a 2000l flask, 3 piece ball lock valve setup for a cooler mash tun, and a 20 ft IC, along with a half dozen new pint glasses and a growler!

 

[david_42]

Since Kellie's birthday is early January and mine is in Feb., we save the presents for then. But the Xbox w/Kinect is on sale at Freddy's AND it's old F@rts day (10% off) AND we get 15% because she works there AND there's a $75 gift certificate included; she's getting an early present.

She is demanding that I finish the new kegger by my birthday and is paying for parts, so I guess that's mine. Four taps and an ice machine for cooling will be the biggest expenses.

 

[baddad]

Got a beergun , NB cert , AHB cert , 50# 2 row UK love my girl

 

[rlr]

I LOVE my Xmas present: A Mr. Beer kit with hopped extract. Although I've been brewing all grain for the past few years, it was the Mr. Beer kit that started it all. I never did get anything drinkable out of it, so that's why I'm anxious to see what it tastes like now that I (should) know what I'm doing. "West Coast Pale Ale" at 3.7 ABV! I'll bet it tastes like water so I may dry hop after tasting it.

 

[C-Rider]

Fired up the burner to see what the boil off rate will be on my new 5 gallon SS kettle. Well it's .75 gallons in an hour.

But how much of a boil do you need? I could turn up the heat and get a really rolling boil but 212* is 212* right?