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snix64

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hey...I am hoping someone can help me out...

I am pretty clueless on the whole homebrewing thing, but I want to buy something homebrewing related for my boyfriend's bday.

He already has all the equipment & has made a few of his own beers so far. I am thinking that the easiest thing would be to just buy him a complete ingredient kit for his next beer. (is that a good present!???)

Unfortunately, I can find NO local stores where to buy ingredients...so I have to buy something online, and there are a million choices.

I have NO clue what to look for in terms of what is quality, etc. Some recommendations would be ever so greatly appreciated.

I also know that one of his fave beers is Magic Hat #9. He has already made a clone of this, so I dont want to get that again. I know he likes pale ales too...he prob likes a lot of other things too & has already made pale ales, but of course I didnt exactly commit those things to memory when he told me, lol. So any cool recipe suggestions would be greatly appreciated - something with a little "twist" to them.

Thanks so much!!
 
Do you know if he does all grain or extract? All-grains involves having a ton of grains (around 10 lbs), where extract involves a mollasey syrup type thing.
 
First off, you're an awesome girlfriend :rockin:

How about a gift certificate? That way he can choose on his own, and you don't have to worry about getting the right thing. Sometimes gift certificates are seen as sort of impersonal, but in this case I think it might be good so he can pick out what he wants on his own (and you still get credit for a thoughtful gift).
 
hey...I am hoping someone can help me out...

Boy are you in the right place.

My SWMBO would NEVER take the initiative you've shown. Lucky Guy!

+1 on Austin Home Brew. If you don't know what kind of kits or whatever to get....order a # of 2row barley and put a Gift Certificate with it. That way he'll have something to show his buddies, and still get the kit or equipment he wants.

Man....My Wife would Never.....


You got a sister? :D
 
thanks for all the replies! This helps a lot...you can only read "we have the best ingredients of any site" so many times before the phrase kinda loses all meaning, haha. I'll prob go w/austin homebrew. 2 votes is enough for me.

Parker...i have NO idea what he does. Is there anyway you can tell from his kit? He has this one: http://www.weekendbrewer.com/beginnerpage.html

BigK...thats a good idea too. I'll have to sleep on that though, I kinda have a thing against giving GC's to the more important ppl in your life (unless thats what they REALLY want). But then again, you can't return beer...hmmm.

And my sister is married to a guy who also brews beer...and she hates it, LOL.
 
If he has not added anything to that kit then he is doing extract brewing. Partail Mashing and All Grain brewing require another vessel (Mash Tun) to soak grains in. Another way to tell is does it take him 3-4 hours to brew a batch or 7-8 hours?
 
Wow, you are a great girlfriend!

It seems like he likes most kinds of beers. Why not get him a kit of something that sounds good to you? The two things you need to make sure of is that you get one that says extract or extract+steeped grain and also make sure it says 'ale' or 'ale yeast' as opposed to lager. Lager beer requires more equipment (spare refrigerator) that he likely doesn't have.
 
I also know that one of his fave beers is Magic Hat #9. He has already made a clone of this, so I dont want to get that again. I know he likes pale ales too...he prob likes a lot of other things too & has already made pale ales, but of course I didnt exactly commit those things to memory when he told me, lol. So any cool recipe suggestions would be greatly appreciated - something with a little "twist" to them.

I would suggest getting him something a little different than what you think he normally likes. This would give him the perfect opportunity to try something new that he might not normally try. Magic Hat #9 looks like a fairly basic pale ale or american pale ale, so I would try something a bit different, but not too different. Try getting him a Kolsch kit or cream ale kit. They're a bit like a pale ale but not quite enough like it.

Or, you could be just a little selfish and buy something you like and ask him if he'll brew it for the both of you. He'll be happy cause he gets to brew and beer, and you'll be happy cause it's a beer you like.

Chances are, he doesn't have the equipment or experience for lagers so avoid them (bocks, octoberfests, pilsners, etc).

How about a gift certificate? That way he can choose on his own, and you don't have to worry about getting the right thing. Sometimes gift certificates are seen as sort of impersonal, but in this case I think it might be good so he can pick out what he wants on his own (and you still get credit for a thoughtful gift).

Not bad, but kits really aren't that expensive, so buy him a kit and a gift certificate for another that way he can pick out one that he really likes.
 
... I kinda have a thing against giving GC's to the more important ppl in your life (unless thats what they REALLY want). But then again, you can't return beer...hmmm....

Well, since you have decided on Austin Homebrew, start here: Ingredient Kits @ AHS

Just click a style of beer you think he'd like to make. Then it'll ask about options, don't be too intimidated. Based on the kit you showed, it looks like he brews extract kits, so make sure that is selected. I'd recommend the dry yeast option (especially if you're going to wrap it, since liquid yeast needs to be fridged). On that note, keep in mind that AHS kits don't come with a box, but you should be able to wrap the shipping box just fine.

If he likes Pale Ales, maybe he'd like a Cream Ale Kit (under the Pale Ale section) You can always sneak in some questions to find a style he'd like.

Here's an example of a Cream Ale configured with options. You shouldn't need an ice pack with dry yeast. The 1% alc boost is up to you based on his tastes. Unless he has a mound of bottle caps, include those. Definitely include priming sugar (unless he kegs). The yeast fuel is not really necessary.

Example:

AHS Cream Ale (Which is a Pale Ale)
- Kit Option Extract
- Yeast Option Danstar Nottingham Dry Yeast
- BrewVint Yeast Fuel No Thanks
- Ice Pack None
- Priming Sugar Include Priming Sugar
- 1% Alcohol Boost No Thanks
- Gold Beer Bottle Caps Yes

How soon is his bday? If it is more than a week and a half away, then AHS only charges $6.99 for ground shipping (ships in 2-3 days, UPS ground). They have expedited options for actual shipping charges guaranteed to ship next business day (or same day if ordered before noon, I believe).

Hope this helps.
 
Name 3 commercial beers he likes... I would be glad to help.
My Cream Ale is good, but I really like the English Pale Ale (Kinda like Bass Ale) or my Irish Red Ale (One of my customer's all time favorites).

Our biggest customer is the Magic Hat Brewery. We are rather fond of them as well.

Forrest
 
so glad I found this forum! You guys are all very helpful...def good to know that about lagers, since I like 'em, I was thinking about getting one...but I know he doesnt have the extra equipment.

Well he is now making this more difficult cause he is talking about brewing up a beer or two soon...he said most likely an IPA & something else.

So I def think going with something 'different', like Srm suggested would be the best idea...plus, I'll most likely like it, so i can just drink it all if he doesnt, lol.

Austin - thats cool you are on here too! He def seems to like lighter beers...i've never seen him order a guinness or anything like that. Its harder cause I think some of the things he buys are just cause they are cheaper as well...but beers I know he likes are:
Magic Hat #9 & their Hocus Pocus (i think thats it)
Red Stripe
Wild Blue (& there is another blueberry flavored beer too)
I'm not sure you are familiar with the Palmetto brewing company...but we were just out & I ordered their amber ale & it was really carmel-y tasting, and he said he liked it.

Just really, really quickly looking through your beers, the AHS Biere de Garde sounds good to me! But thats prob cause my european parents have trained me to think that american beer = piss water, lol

Anyways, i'll def look more tomorrow...sooo many good choices!
 
Get this:

Lawnmower Beer & this India Pale Ale

Tell him to bottle half of the IPA after secondary. Leave the other half and throw about 16 oz of pitted and puree apricots into the rest of the IPA and leave it for a couple more weeks. You'll then have a wonderful and delicious Aprihop and you and the boyfriend can get snockered one night comparing the two and which one you like better.
 
Another gift idea. Get him a membership to this forum if he hasn't heard of it yet.
 
Based on what you say above, it sounds like he has a bit of a beer sweet tooth (or at least isn't a hop head). Wild Blue, to me, is about halfway to being a wine cooler.

So I'd say no to IPAs. Wheat beers could work, although we're running out of season to drink them. Maybe that AHS Red Wheat would be nice. Or the AHS Peach ale (sounds a little like Magic Hat...).
 
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