birthday present for my dad

[ehudso]

So next month my dad will have his 53 birthday.
We (the family) decided that home brewery will be excellent.
We want a good home brewery for beginners or professionals,
I know nothing about this topic, so I don't know the price range neither how to use it.
The thing I do know is that the beer should be good ,We don't want a ****ty brand that will be cheap but sucks
The first price range is 100$-400$.
Thanks.

 

[BigMack]

The question is a little bit confusing. Are you looking for a starter kit to get your Dad started brewing? Are you looking for a professional level brewing set up? Can you provide a little more clarity on what you are looking for?

 

[unionrdr]

Here's some choices from Midwest supplies; http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewing-equipment/equipment-kits/compare-all-kits.html
From Morebeer!; http://www.morebeer.com/category/home-brewing-starter-kits.html
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/essential-brewing-starter-kit
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/deluxe-beer-brewing-starter-kit
This should give you a start on what's out there...

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

If you're looking for a kit that includes equipment for brewing, unionrdr posted some good ones. Unless you're the luckiest person on the planet, you won't be able to get professional equipment in that price range, as some setups can be several thousand dollars.

The good news is, the equipment plays a minimal role in the quality of the final product, so your dad can make exceptional beers with any number of starter kits. You can watch a video like to get a general understanding of what is needed to get started (I haven't watched the whole thing though, as I should be working ).

When you say you don't want a brand that will make bad beer, that's a very vague statement. The quality of ingredients (almost) across the board is exceptional nowadays, assuming it's reasonably fresh. However, you may want to stay away from Mr. Beer recipe kits, as it can be pretty old by the time it gets in your hands. If the beer your dad is making isn't turning out great in the beginning, don't sweat it because few people actually start out making great beer. The two key things to remember in the beginning are: you can't be too clean (sanitization is exceptionally important), and make sure the temperature in the room where the beer is fermenting is within the yeast's recommended range.

I hope that helps!

 

[King_Coaster]

Nothing says I love you more than the gift of beer!
If you live in Canada the least intimidating, easiest to start way with the greatest chance of creating good beer with the first batch would be get a starter kit from your local brew store, usually includes a pail. hydrometer, racking cane, spoon & airlock. You can add on a plastic carboy, some startsan sanitiser and unscented oxyclean and I would suggest going with a Festa or Brewhouse wort in a bag kit. Just sprinkle yeast on top and twiddle your thumbs until the beer is ready. If you live in the US or elsewhere you could try the canned kits which aren't that bad. Once he gets in the swing of things he can move up and add on. You may also want to purchase some bottles and bottling equipment ask the homebrew shop guy about that. I keg so I can't offer any help there. (and kegging is out of your budget range)

I am 52 myself and started that way then moved to canned kits, now I am working towards partial grain next. I found it the least intimidating and it allowed me to understand what I was doing a little easier.

 

[ACbrewer]

OP- The question to ask yourself as you look at the links from unionrdr is what sort of diy is your dad? Is his idea of say getting a bookself, buying one all done from the store? going to IKEA or the like and following directions? or does he pull out his tablesaw and build from scratch?

The reason I ask is there is basic gear that every brewer needs - Fermenting containers (buckets, carboys, etc), Pot to boil the wort in, sanatizers and a few other bits. This is the basic level - like having a few tools for the pre-defined construction. HOWEVER, if he wants full control, he will want to go all grain which means bigger pot, more pots, the ability to boil 6 gallons of liquid, and such.

Some VERY good award winning beers are made from Extract and some truly terrible ones are made from all grain. GENERALLY however the greater control with all-grain gives the potential for better beers. I personally only do extract, but that is my choice based on space, time, and toys. If I get more of the first two I may go for the third.

 

[unionrdr]

Good points. I do partial boil, partial mash brew in a bag with the same 5 gallon stainless steel stock pot I started with. I bought a set of 4 nested SS stock pots at the store for some $25-$28 a few years ago. Lids & steamer trays included, the different sizes come in handy for different size steeps or mashes, besides the 20qt (5 gallon) one being my main brew kettle/mash tun.
And bench capper work better than wing cappers for capping your bottles of beer. You'll also need some 3/8" tubing for the bottling wand, blow off tubes, & racking tubes. Spigots &/or an autosiphon as well. A hydrometer, digital kitchen scale, measuring spoons, funnels, little bits like that.

 

[dwhite60]

How much interest has your father shown in brewing? It does take some work. Girl I used to date had bought her ex a pretty nice homebrewing package. He made one batch and decided it was too much work.

If you know someone who brews you might have him go over for a brew day to see how much interest he really has.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Qhrumphf]

Here is what I would do personally:

1. Buy one of the more "deluxe" equipment setups from one of the sites that @unionrdr linked. You want one with an auto-siphon instead of a racking cane. You can skip the "secondary" carboy (glass or plastic) if you can get a kit cheaper without it (if not though, having an extra fermenter is a good thing, but while it's a debated topic, many of us will tell you that secondary fermentation is unnecessary, and if your dad will only ferment one beer at a time, then the secondary fermenter is useless). If the only kits with an auto-siphon also include the secondary, then buy a lower level kit with neither, and just buy an auto-siphon. That should run you maybe ~$125.

2. Buy a 7-10 gallon brew kettle (the bigger the better). Many brewers start with a smaller kettle, and it's one of the first things they'll grow out of. You can get aluminum kettles for quite cheap. Some grocery stores will have large ones for tamale boils in the latino section. Stainless is better, but substantially more expensive.

3. Buy a propane burner. It'll do the job much better and faster than the stove will.

You can often get #2 and #3 together by buying a turkey fryer setup.

4. Buy a wort chiller. Chilling without one is a huge pain, either requiring a lot of time, work, and ice to get to the right temp, or otherwise causing people to get frustrated and give up and pitch yeast too hot, which then results in flavor detriments to the beer. In either case, more work or less quality product, makes it more likely he won't want to continue. The wort chiller makes everything faster and easier.

If you're smart about it, you should be able to get all for near $400. That won't include an ingredient kit, which can run $40-60 (give or take, some can be less or more than that) for a 5 gallon batch, and will be an expense for every brew (but if he gets a handle on what he's doing that cost can be brought down substantially buy buying ingredients separately in bulk, reusing yeast, and switching to all-grain brewing instead of using extract kits)

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Here is what I would do personally:

1. Buy one of the more "deluxe" equipment setups from one of the sites that @unionrdr linked. You want one with an auto-siphon instead of a racking cane. You can skip the "secondary" carboy (glass or plastic) if you can get a kit cheaper without it (if not though, having an extra fermenter is a good thing, but while it's a debated topic, many of us will tell you that secondary fermentation is unnecessary, and if your dad will only ferment one beer at a time, then the secondary fermenter is useless). If the only kits with an auto-siphon also include the secondary, then buy a lower level kit with neither, and just buy an auto-siphon. That should run you maybe ~$125.

2. Buy a 7-10 gallon brew kettle (the bigger the better). Many brewers start with a smaller kettle, and it's one of the first things they'll grow out of. You can get aluminum kettles for quite cheap. Some grocery stores will have large ones for tamale boils in the latino section. Stainless is better, but substantially more expensive.

3. Buy a propane burner. It'll do the job much better and faster than the stove will.

You can often get #2 and #3 together by buying a turkey fryer setup.

4. Buy a wort chiller. Chilling without one is a huge pain, either requiring a lot of time, work, and ice to get to the right temp, or otherwise causing people to get frustrated and give up and pitch yeast too hot, which then results in flavor detriments to the beer. In either case, more work or less quality product, makes it more likely he won't want to continue. The wort chiller makes everything faster and easier.

If you're smart about it, you should be able to get all for near $400. That won't include an ingredient kit, which can run $40-60 (give or take, some can be less or more than that) for a 5 gallon batch, and will be an expense for every brew (but if he gets a handle on what he's doing that cost can be brought down substantially buy buying ingredients separately in bulk, reusing yeast, and switching to all-grain brewing instead of using extract kits)

what this guy said. also pick up a copy of How to Brew by John Palmer. what sort of beers your does dad like? there are also single style books out there dedicated to nailing down a specific style.