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In addition to all the brewing festivities, we had other events going on throughout the day that were also very exciting:

• Cheese making 101 class taught by our very own Jenny Kraner
• An off-flavor seminar hosted by yours truly where attendees learned to identify the most common off-flavors in beer
• Several BJCP certified judges helped with our “Ask-a-Judge” event, where homebrewers had the chance to get their beer evaluated by a BJCP judge
• Kyle Kohlmorgen gave his presentation: Methods of Creating and Maintaining a ‘Wild’ House Culture. He will be giving the same presentation at this year’s National Homebrew Conference
• Bier Brewery sold pints of their awesomeness, and BBQ’n Fools provided food

Wow, what a day. We here at Great Fermentations had a blast, and we hope everyone else did as well. Thanks to all who made it out and to those who helped out. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Cheers!
Anita

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Cheers!
Bill

Each quarter, Wyeast has a special release of 3 yeast strains called their Private Collection. These strains are very unique and are only available while supplies last for that given quarter. Here’s a link to our Private Collection Page where we’ll post the strains as they are available throughout the year. In the meantime though, here is the info on the strains available this quarter, April-June 2013. Get them while they’re still available!

Wyeast 2575 Kolsch II

Profile: This authentic strain from one of Germany’s leading brewing schools has a rich flavor profile which accentuates a soft malt finish. It has low or no detectable diacetyl production and will also ferment well at colder temperatures for fast lager type beers.

Beer Styles: Kolsch, Northern German Altbier, Dusseldor Altbier
Alcohol Tolerance: 10% ABV
Flocculation: Low
Attenuation: 73-77%
Temperature Range: 55-70°F (13-21°C)

Wyeast 3191 Berliner-Weisse Blend

Profile: This blend includes a German ale strain with low ester formation and a dry, crisp finish. The Lactobacillus included produces moderate levels of acidity. The unique Brettanomyces strain imparts a critical earthy characteristic that is indicative of a true Berliner Weisse. When this blend is used, expect a slow start to fermentation as the yeast and bacteria in the blend is balanced to allow proper acid production. It generally requires 3-6 months of aging to fully develop flavor characteristics. Use this blend with worts containing extremely low hopping rates.

Beer Styles: Lambics, Geuze, Fruit Lambic, Flanders Red Ale
Alcohol Tolerance: 6% ABV
Flocculation: Low
Attenuation: 73-77%
Temperature Range: 68-72°F (20-22°C)

Wyeast 3739 Flanders Golden Ale

Profile: This well balanced strain from northern Belgium will produce moderate levels of both fruity esters and spicy phenols while finishing dry with a hint of malt. 3739-PC is a robust & versatile strain that performs nicely in a broad range of Belgian styles.

Beer Styles: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Specialty Ale, Belgian Dubbel, Triple and Quad, Belgian Strong Golden and Dark Ales, Belgian Blonde Ale
Alcohol Tolerance: 12% ABV
Flocculation: Medium-Low
Attenuation: 74-78%
Temperature Range: 64-80°F (18-27°C)

This is my second entry in a series of posts about using oak in home brewing. My first post on the topic focused mainly on using oak cubes and chips, but for this one, I’ll talk about my experience using an actual barrel.

My experience using barrels started when Great Fermentations got a hold of a once used Templeton Rye barrel, which ultimately started our whole barrel program here. If you were able to try our first beer aged in the barrel (rightfully named Temple of Rye) then you know the results were great. Our second beer is in the barrel right now, and based on the success of the first round, we’ve got high expectations. More on our barrel program soon in another post, but in the meantime here is a picture that correctly shows the power that beer from a rye barrel can have on someone:

Anyways, armed with my experiences from using our barrel at work, I was keen to give it a shot at home, and jumped on the opportunity when Great Fermentations got in some 15 gallon used Rye barrels from Dad’s Hat Rye out of Pennsylvania. My experience though was not 100% transferable, as smaller barrels have their own set of challenges.

It’s important to understand that smaller barrels have a much higher surface to volume ratio than their full sized counterparts. In other words, the more surface area of wood in contact with a smaller volume of beer (or wine, whisky, rum, etc), the faster the exchange of flavors will take place. Still with me? It’s similar to using oak chips vs. cubes; the process will happen faster with the chips that have the larger surface area.

Besides pulling out all the oaky goodness (as well as spirit flavor) faster, a larger surface to volume ratio also means that oxidation happens more rapidly, accelerating the aging process. In some ways this can be a good thing, but the downside is that Acetobacter, the acid producing bacteria that makes Flanders Red Ales so delicious (and vinegar so vinegary), really really likes wood and thrives in oxygen rich environments, greatly increasing the risk of infection.

Wax on, wax off (well maybe just wax on)…

You can’t do much to slow down the extraction of the oak and all it’s flavors, but there is a good, relatively easy way to slow down the speed that oxidation takes place so that it’s about equal to a full size barrel. You can ensure this by covering a certain percentage of the outside of the barrel using standard paraffin wax.

If using a 5 gallon barrel, you’ll want to wax all of the outside of the barrel, leaving the heads (the barrel ends) unwaxed. A 10 gallon barrel you’d wax about 75%, minus the heads, and for a 15 gallon barrel (the size of ours) you’d want to wax about 50%, minus the heads. The waxing process isn’t too hard. Paraffin blocks are available from most hobby stores, and I used a super high tech double boiler setup to melt it down :)

Next, I used newspaper and tape to mask off the half of the barrel that I didn’t want waxed.

Then using a combination of an old beat up paintbrush I found in the basement and a scientific kinda “drizzle it on technique”, I gave my barrel a nice coat of wax. You probably should do this step outside or at least in the garage to avoid your better half’s wrath, but it was really cold in the garage that day and I can be sorta wimpy. Proper attire is also very, very important.

I would have preferred to take a propane torch to the outside of the barrel once it was waxed and pretty it up, but since this was a once used spirit barrel that still had quite a bit of alcohol fumes in it, I decided that it could wait. Once you get the barrel waxed up, there are a couple more steps to complete before you can just toss beer in the thing. I know, I know, but I promise it’s worth it.

Sanitation

If you ask five different wine makers and five different brewers that have a barrel program on the proper way to sanitize and prepare a barrel, you’re likely to get 37 different answers, at least one of them involving chicken blood at midnight. You can use ozone (fancy, expensive, and potentially dangerous), sulfite matches (great unless it’s a used spirits barrel, then you’ll blow yourself up), a number of chemical sanitizing solutions, boiling water, or water that’s hot enough to pasteurize the barrel. I chose the pasteurization method, filling the barrel up completely with 180° F water, and keeping it in until the temperature dropped to around 155° F before emptying it. Using this method also lets the barrel swell up and seal.

It’s important to understand that while any of the above methods of sanitizing will work, it’s virtually impossible to sanitize a barrel completely, and eventually the barrel will go sour. Never letting the barrel sit empty will certainly help, but instead of dreading this, embrace it and use it as an opportunity to brew some awesome sours at home.

Storage

Especially for the larger barrels, it’s important to figure out where you’re going to park the thing because once it’s full, there’s no moving it. A full 15 gallon barrel is going to weigh around 150 pounds, so choose wisely. Ideally you want it to be stored at cellar temp (roughly 55-62° F) but don’t fret if that is unachievable. A basement works just great, and even if that’s not possible, room temp will be fine. Next you want to be sure that it is elevated enough so that you can siphon it to your keg/bottling bucket when you’re ready. Lastly, the barrel needs to be on its side; don’t sit it on one of its ends. For the height and sideways storage requirements, commercial barrel stands are available, but they’re expensive, so I opted to make my own and a stand that was tall enough I could siphon out of it with gravity.

Add the beer and kick back for a few months

Once you’ve got a spot it’s merely a matter of siphoning the beer into your barrel, using whatever method works for you. Mine was a bit on the shady side.

The smaller the barrel, the quicker the beer will develop the characteristics from the barrel that you’re after, so be careful not to overdue it. For a 15 gallon barrel, 3-4 months will probably be the sweet spot, but it depends on the base beer, the barrel you’re using, and your personal preferences. Like I said in my last post, taking regular samples is key.

Barrels take some work to use at home, but they’re a fun project, and the end results can be really magnificent. As always, if you have questions, contact us at Great Fermentations.

Cheers!
John

In my time, I’ve brewed a number of strong, hoppy American IPAs. Intensely citrusy hops, beloved by many brewers, present themselves in the forefront of a heady, heavy ale. After two or three, the effects are apparent: a general feeling of extreme relaxation, slurred speech, and unequivocal visions of splendor.

These beers can take you down quick……Which is why, as of late, I’ve become interested in session beers.

There is a wealth of knowledge on the interwebs about session beers, from the different styles, traditions, and strengths of said brews. Without going into great detail, I’ll give you my own definition of a session beer: “A beer that is low enough in alcohol for a person to be able to enjoy several in a single sitting without becoming overly inebriated.”

This leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but chief among the key words in this definition is “enjoy”. While I love a good 7.5% Imperial IPA, the high alcohol and aggressive hopping rates (hops, after all, have been used widely in traditional medicine as a sedative) of these beer can leave a person passed out on my couch faster than they’d care to be. I sometimes like to remember my entire drinking session, and too much of a good thing can ensure that doesn’t happen.

There are several types of session beers that can be enjoyed throughout an evening, or perhaps an afternoon (summer is right around the corner!) without losing your wits. On tap at my house is The Magical Mild Tour, an amber-colored English Mild that tops out at 4.5% ABV.  Dry yet complex, it goes down easily and won’t knock you to the floor like Mike Tyson (speaking of Mike Tyson).

John, Great Fermentation’s fabulous brewing princess, has just finished brewing twenty gallons of 12 Penny Scottish Ale, a collaboration with Flat 12 Bierworks. It is a wonderfully sessionable brew, which is delicious and quaffable. Look for it on our kegerator soon!

Two more session GFI beers come to mind as well: Wild Child Mild, a mild brown ale which features a range of specialty malts, and our Lawnmower beer, which is light, crisp, and refreshing.

Session beers can be very easy to brew, but surprisingly tough to perfect. The results, however, are well worth it. You may even be able to write a blog post while enjoying several rounds of a quite sessionable beer that you brewed yourself.

Cheers!
Wes

Aging beer in oak barrels is something that has been done for many situations, but it seems the popularity of oak aged beers has really soared in the last few years. From traditionally oaked sours from the Flanders region, British cask conditioned real ales, beers aged in used Cabernet barrels, or giant Russian imperial stouts with vanilla beans matured in 23 year Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels, it’s clear that the right application of oak can add tremendous depth and complexity to beers.

Unfortunately for homebrewers, it’s not very realistic to keep a 55 gallon oak barrel sitting in your basement. It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s a heck of a lot of beer for a homebrewer, and chances are it’s not going to be looked upon fondly by spousal units (just tell them you’ll turn it into a table afterwards)!

So what’s a creative homebrewer to do? Use oak chips or cubes to achieve the same complex beers at home!

Oak Forms

Oak is available in several forms to the homebrewer, and it’s good to know the differences so you can plan what method best suits your needs.

Oak chips are what they sound like; relatively flat pieces of oak generally around 2 in. long or so. Since they’re thin, the toast level is generally consistent throughout, and the high surface area means the oak characteristics are imparted quicker than cubes, making them ideal for styles that aren’t aged long such as English bitters or IPAs.

Oak cubes are small cubes, typically in the ½ – ¾ in. range. Since they’re significantly thicker than chips, and the level of toast varies throughout the cube, the final flavor is much more complex and better simulates a barrel. Cubes have a smaller surface area than chips and are thicker, so it can take up to a year to get the full spectrum of flavors available, making them well suited to styles like barley wine, Russian imperial stout, and sours.

Oak spirals and oak dust are also used on occasions, but in my eyes they’re better suited for home vintners and don’t offer much of an advantage to homebrewers.

Oak Types

There are three different varieties of oak available, American, French, and Hungarian, each imparting their own characteristics and flavors.

Perhaps used most regularly in brewing, American oak provides a pleasant sweetness, along with great vanilla notes. Darker toasts can have some coffee notes, and impart great mouthfeel and body. The vast majority of whiskeys are aged in American oak, so it’s a good bet if soaking cubes in whiskey.

French oak is generally more subdued than American oak, but imparts even more mouth feel. Look for spice characteristics (cinnamon and allspice are most prevalent), and minor chocolate and fruit notes in darker toasts.

Hungarian oak is known for its vanilla characteristics, with roasted coffee and chocolate notes increasing with the toast level. Mouthfeel and body is somewhere in between American and French oak, and darker toasts can show black pepper notes as well.

Oak Toast Levels

Oak comes in different toast levels, the most available being medium, medium+, and heavy toast. Typically, lower toasts impart more mouthfeel and “woody” notes, while higher toasts bring out more spice, vanilla (through medium+), and sweet (ranging all the way to butterscotch) notes. Medium+ typically is the most complex of toast levels.

So how the heck do I use it in my homebrew?

Sanitizing oak can be a little tricky, there are plenty of sour and funk producing bugs that absolutely love to live in wood, so it’s quite a necessary step. The easiest method I’ve found is to put the oak in a Pyrex measuring cup with a microwave safe plate over the top, and add enough distilled water to cover the oak. Bring the water to boil for 30 seconds, and then let the oak steam in the microwave for two minutes. Repeat the process a total of three times, and your oak should be sanitized.

If you’re just using the oak by itself, I have always pitched the water from the measuring cup into the beer along with the oak to maximize the woody goodness. If trying to mimic beer aged in used spirit or wine barrels, drain the water used to boil the chips, then put the sanitized oak into a sanitized measuring cup and pour in enough spirits to cover them completely. Cover the measuring cup with Saran Wrap to keep the fruit flies out, and let it soak for a couple of weeks, adding additional booze if need be due to evaporation (excess sampling).

While whisky aged beers are perhaps best known, I’ve had some incredible beers aged in wine barrels (both red and white), as well as brandy, port, sherry, and even rum barrels. There are lots of possibilities, many of them under-used, so don’t be afraid to pick your favorite spirit and give it a shot.

Oak can be used in a variety of ways, but it’s most commonly used in secondary fermentation. Chips or cubes can be put into a muslin bag or dumped straight into a carboy (or keg); I’ve had good results with both methods. Depending on how long you keep the beer in contact with the oak, it will eventually sink to the bottom and can be easily racked off of.

The most important point to remember when oaking beers is that the oak should never be the main character of the beer. The flavors should be complementary and well balanced. Picking the method of oak you use, nationality, and toast level all are important, as is the contact time and particular spirit you use to soak the oak in (if that’s your thing). It should complement your recipe, not overwhelm it.

How long should I age with oak?

People ask me how long they should leave the beer on oak, and my answer is always “until it’s finished”. There are no hard and fast rules, so you’re just going to have to take regular samples. Sometimes this hobby can be hard. A thief is pretty much necessary, as are good sanitation practices. Keep in mind that oak flavor can be easy to get into the beer, but once in, it’s almost impossible to reduce the level. The first beer I ever threw out was a bourbon aged Porter that got over oaked. I put it in a keg and let it sit in the basement for a year, and it was nearly as undrinkable a year later as it was when I first kegged it.

I hope this post has helped you to gain that bit of confidence needed to give oak a shot, and not to fear it! Remember that even if you don’t get it right the first time to keep at it. No one became a good homebrewer by hitting a homerun with every batch :) As always, if you have any questions, we here at Great Fermentations are always here to help, so just stop in, give us a call, or shoot us an email.

Look for an upcoming blog post on using oak barrels, both full size and miniature.

For those of you new to the hobby, or you veterans that have never participated in it, the National Homebrew Competition is an annual competition put on by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). It consists of a first round of regional competitions, held at 11 judging locations across the US, followed by the final round that takes place at the AHA’s annual National Homebrewers Conference, which this year is being held in Philadelphia. Minus the chance of receiving eternal homebrew glory for winning, there is a much smaller and somewhat more important reason to enter the competition – the ability to have your beer evaluated by a certified BJCP judge. This experience can be invaluable for an aspiring beer artist trying to improve their craft, as the judges provide very detailed and unbiased feedback on the beer (based on stylistic guidelines). This feedback can then be used to go back to drawing board and figure out what can be done better next time. This is much better than a friend who simply tells you that they love your beer :)

Key Dates and Information

• Online Registration Opens: 1 p.m. MST, Tuesday, February 26, 2013
• Entries Due to Regional Location: March 18-March 27, 2013
• First Round Regional Competitions: March 29-April 21, 2013
• Fee: $12 per entry for AHA members, and $17 for non-members (why aren’t you a member yet?!?!?)

Changes for 2013

For those that have participated in past competitions, you know that it has become more and more popular with each year. Due to the record-setting growth, the AHA has laid out some changes to the competition in an effort to make things more efficient, allow more AHA members to participate in the competition, and to ultimately improve upon the quality of the competition. Here is a quick summary of the changes being implemented for this year’s competition:

1. New entry cap of 15 entries per competition entrant
2. The addition of an 11th US judging site (750 entries allowed per site)
3. A requirement of two bottles per entry, for all first round entries
4. More specific criteria for Ninkasi Award tie breaker
5. Implementation of a new database and entry registration software
6. Entry fee increase of an additional $2 per entry to be used for funding of first round judging centers, to help improve the overall judging experience

If you’re interested in competing this year, or just want to know more about the competition, head on over to the AHA’s competition site for more detailed information. Also, last year’s registration filled up within 48 hours of opening for all judging centers, so if you are believer that the past is an indicator of what will happen in the future, make sure to register as soon as it becomes available this year. The AHA has not yet released the link for online registration, but if you follow them on Facebook, they are typically very good about getting that info out when it becomes available.

If you’ve got a beer you want to enter, but are unsure of the category it falls into, feel free to stop by the store and we can help you out.

Cheers and good luck!
Anita

A couple months ago, we posted something on our Facebook wall about the fact that we were running out of room for our carboys, which led us to stashing the overflow in our employee bathroom. We asked people what creative things they had done in the past to address this same problem at their house/apartment/igloo/etc.. Well we got some really good feedback, and as expected, some pretty creative ideas. What the responses showed us is that every customer’s home brew setup is different, and all of us face unique challenges when it comes to storing our fermenters. Next time you run into that dilemma, here are some of the key things to consider when picking your fermenter’s living quarters.

1. Consistent Temperature: Many people don’t pay attention to this one, but it is one of the biggest things that will affect the taste of your beer, after you’ve moved it from your brew pot. Yeast strains are just like people, some like it hot, some like it cold, some like it warm. The happier the yeast cells are with the surrounding temp, the better the beer will taste. Too high or too low of a temp can lead to yeast producing off flavors. Ale yeast typically works well in the 65-70F range, and lagers 45-55F. We list the optimum temp ranges for each strain we sell on our site, if you ever have any questions. Temperature can be monitored very easily with things like a fermometer. Realize that a location with great temperature during the summer time (like a basement), may be too cold during the winter time, so just keep an eye on it.
2. Keep it Dark: Yeast like to do their thing with the lights off :) This includes house lights, and light from the sun. Once hops are isomerized, they are prone to a chemical reaction that creates a skunk-like aroma when exposed to UV light. There is a controversy about how long it takes to skunk, but it’s always best to be on the safe side. It’s completely fine if the lights are turned on in the room from time to time (like a bathroom), but in general, keep the fermenter in a room that is naturally kept dark. Basements are great for this, but if you don’t have one of those, a closet works great. If you don’t have one of those, or if your wife won’t give up her shoe space, you can wrap it in a towel to help keep the light out. Check your temp when using a towel as they can insulate somewhat, which will increase the temp (remember item 1 from before). Might be a good thing though if your temp is a bit colder – killing two birds with one stone!
3. Keep it Stable: Pick a place where there won’t be a lot of commotion and where it can remain UNmoved. You don’t want your dog or your kids knocking the fermenter over during play time, and you want to avoid having to move it constantly from place to place as this will shake up sediment. An elevated location away from commotion is a double win because you avoid someone knocking it over, and you can rack directly from there without disturbing the sediment.
4. Be Ready for a Mess: If you’re brewing a high gravity beer or maybe just brewing with a vigorous fermenting yeast strain (i.e. Wyeast 1007 German Ale, Wyeast 2565 Kolsch, or wheat beer strains) you’ll want it in a spot that can afford to get messy in the event of a really active fermentation. Blow-off tubes help, but even those aren’t fail-safe. If you have the perfect spot, but you don’t want it to get messy, just but your fermenter in a black trash bag – helps protect it from light AND contains an erupting fermentation (see below).

So, what’s the most random place you stored your great fermentation?

Cheers,
Anita

February 2013 will mark the 9th anniversary of my first batch of beer. I remember everything about that batch. It was the Brewers Best English Brown Ale kit, purchased from my local brewery. They had a small selection of kits, hops, yeast. Just the bare essentials. But, I remember spending what must have been hours in that little room trying to decide what to brew. I decided on the Brown and made my way home to start. I had a small stock pot on my glass top stove, 2 1/2 gallons of wort boiling away. Several weeks later, I found myself with 52 bottles of mediocre beer. No worries! It was still good, and it was mine. All mine.

I kept at it, though, moving on to all-grain and kegging. Then, I started putting together my own recipes.  The first was a red ale.  It was designed to be a little high in alcohol, maybe around 7% if I remember correctly.  And it used all Centennial hops, my favorite!  This was really exciting stuff…..until I received the worst complaint ever.  ”How many times did you wear that dirty sock before you used it to filter this beer?”  Devastation!  It didn’t matter though, I continued to brew.  I just didn’t give samples to that person any more.  I made some good batches, I made some bad batches.  But, I learned something new each time.

I’ve been working at Great Fermentations just under 3 years, and I can honestly say that I’ve learned more in my time here than I had in all the previous years of brewing on my own.  It really is amazing to have so many brewers around you on a daily basis, from whom you can learn both what to do, and what not to do.  I wish I had access to a community like this when I began my hobby, there’s no telling where I’d be at this point.  So, in honor of all the people who have taught me I thought I’d offer some tips, so that you can make 2013 your best brewing year yet.

1. Take good notes – We talk about this at Great Fermentations all the time, and it’s still not enough.  Taking great brewing notes is essential to brewing great beer.  Initially, your notes will help us diagnose a miss-step in your batch.  Down the road, you’re going to use these notes to duplicate a previous batch, or to help achieve predictable results on a new batch.  The third reason to take good notes is the best of all.  When your fellow brewers taste the beer, you’ll be able to describe the exact process and recipe you used.  Hey, there’s no better compliment than when another brewer wants to brew your beer.
2. Duplicate some recipes – It’s taken me this long, but I’m finally at the point in my hobby where I’d like to duplicate some previous batches.  And, since I’ve kept good notes, it’ll be a breeze.  Repeating batches just helps solidify your brewing techniques.  Think about it, duplicating a recipe exactly will take some really precise attention to detail, attention that will help you in all your batches.  Don’t settle for getting close to your original mash or fermentation temperature. Nail it!  Nail the entire recipe right on the head!
3. Pay attention to your yeast – I’ve always been the type of brewer to pitch my yeast and cross my fingers.  Not any more. I’m now calculating my pitch rate, oxygenating, and adding yeast nutrient.  I don’t even take a multivitamin, but I make sure my yeast does!  And my recent batches have fermented faster, cleaner and more predictably than before.  Make note of the strain specific data from the yeast lab. They put out this information to help us, use it.  Remember, we don’t make the beer.  Yeast makes the beer, keep them happy.
4. Get out of your comfort range – If the most excitement in your brewery this year was a result of switching from 30L to 40L Crystal in your IPA recipe, it’s time to cut loose! There are so many new ingredients at our fingertips, and we’re seeing more and more all the time.  We don’t always know exactly how it will turn out, and neither do you. Just have fun with it.
5. Rely on others – Whether it’s one of the employees at Great Fermentations, or another home brewer, ask questions and learn from others mistakes. There are some great clubs around the Indianapolis area, and beyond.  Join one.  Attend one of the Friday Night Club meetings at Great Fermentations.  There’s always a ton of good beer and plenty of home brewers just like you, willing to share their knowledge.  And don’t forget to share with others.  There’s always someone who’s just starting out, and they could use your help.

What are some of the tips that have helped improve your brewing skills throughout the years? We’d love to hear your input!

Bill

During the last couple weeks, the staff at Great Fermentations have talked amongst ourselves, and came up with a list of great gift ideas and cool stocking stuffers for that brewer, winemaker, or cheesemaker in your life. We’ve got a variety of gift ideas in a range of prices, and have some great options for those hard to shop for friends and family. If you are the gift receiver in this equation, after reading, we encourage you to print this post out, circle the things that really strike your fancy (we suggest a bright red Sharpie), and leave it in a conspicuous place for your loved ones to stumble across. Might we suggest the steering wheel….they’ll be sure to pick up the subtle hint.

Brew Pots

It’s a well known fact that brewers have an insatiable love affair with stainless steel, so why not treat someone to an upgraded stainless steel brew pot? We have a variety of sizes to choose from. Our 20 qt (5 gallons) pot is perfect for smaller batches or partial boils. The next size up is a 30 qt (7.5 gallons) pot, which is a great upgrade for that novice brewer who is tired of doing partial boils. A full sized boil is one of the easiest improvements a brewer can make to their process. Want to go big or go home? Ok, then – in that case we’ve got a 15 gallon Blichmann Boilermaker. This baby is an exceptional first brew pot for the budding all-grain brewer, giving them the option to make 5 or 10 gallon batches.

Burners

You’ll need something to heat up that shiny new kettle, and we have a variety of options to choose from. Bayou Classic’s High Pressure Burner is a great starter propane burner, and the Banjo Burner is a great high power option for larger boil sizes. The Cadillac of our burner selections is of course the Blichmann Floor Burner, a super high powered, gas sipping, quiet burner, that will leave you wondering how you ever lived without it.

Chillers

Useful for cooling down beer quickly post boil, immersion chillers can be used for batches up to around 10 gallons. This is by far one of the best (and one of the least expensive at that) upgrades a beginning brewer can get to help their brew day go quicker and reduce the chances of spoiled beer. The ultimate option though is either our very own Chillzilla Counterflow Chiller or a Blichmann Therminator Plate Chiller. If your gift receiver (or you) have a pump, these can be used to very quickly chill the beer down to pitching temperature, helping to prevent infection and funky off flavors.

Kegging Supplies

Brewers can all agree that bottling is by the far worst part of the brewing process, so why not surprise the brewer in your life with a Kegging System, because let’s face it, everyone needs draft beer at home.  We have a variety of different kegging setups, and our talented staff would be happy to help you figure out just what equipment you need to get going.  If your lover-of-all-things-home-brew needs a way to keep their fridge or freezer at the perfect temperature, the Johnson Controller will be a great gift as well.

The Mark II Keg Washer is a handy gadget that will make carboy cleaning a snap, and can also be used to clean Corny kegs that homebrewers use.

Instruments

PH Meters and Refractometers are both useful gadgets for both brewers and winemakers, making it much easier to get precise, accurate measurements, and they’re even small enough to fit in a stocking.

Gifts for Winemakers

Floor corkers are a great upgrade for the winemaker in your life, and are much easier to use than the double lever style.  We’ve got two different kinds, the standard Portuguese style, as well as the ultimate Italian floor corker with metal jaws for a lifetime of use.  If you have any doubt of how much easier these make the bottling process, come on in and we’ll let you test drive a couple models out.

The Buon Vino Mini Jet filter is a compact, efficient plate filter, perfectly sized for winemakers making kits of 6 gallon batches.  Not only will wine be brilliantly clear, it can also help to increase early drinkability.

For those of you who like to open a bottle of wine but can’t always finish it off, the Air Cork is a nifty gadget that inflates a balloon inside a partially empty wine bottle, making an airtight seal to help preserve wine until the following day. Better yet, how about one of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” of 2012, the Corkcicle. Use this to keep your chilled wines at the right temperature  pour after pour without having to hassle with an ice bucket. Both of these items would make great stocking stuffers.

Gifts for the Cheesmaker (or Wannabe Cheesemaker)

We’ve got several great starting cheesmaking kits, and most of the Great Fermentations staff got their start with the Farmer’s Cheese Kit.  A Curd Knife will make the cheesemaking process a whole lot easier as well as a Cheese Kettle.

Books and Other Ideas

We have a large selection of books available for brewers, winemakers, and cheesemakers.  Some of our favorites are How To Brew, Brewing Better Beer, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Techniques in Home Winemaking, and Making Artisan Cheese.

Gift Certificates

Gift giving is one of a few things in this world where there is a fool-proof plan B that will never steer you wrong. If you can’t make up your mind on what to get that special someone, check out our Gift Certificates. Always produces a win/win situation.

Still can’t make up your mind?

As the Godfather of home brew Charlie Papazian said: “Relax. Don’t worry. Have a home brew.” Just stop on in at the store, drop us a note on our online contact page, or give us a call at 888-HME-BREW, and we’d be glad to help you out. We’re open 7 days a week!

Cheers!
John