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HELP with Christmas gift!
I am verrrry uneducated when it comes to beer/home brewing/everything associated with it! My husband, however is very into it and has mentioned on several occasions that he would like to begin doing it himself. His brother is a master at it and has EVERYTHING you could ever want when it comes to home brewing. That is where I hope you guys could help me out! I want to get him started and get some kind of beginners kit. It has to be a good one though and not a BEGINNERS beginners kit. I hope someone understands what I mean by that! Basically he knows a lot about it already because of his brother teaching him but he has no equipment. He likes thick dark beer and ales (might be the same thing-again I'm NOT a drinker). I would like to spend about $50 but could give a little on that. He can order more stuff as he gets better and needs it. Anyway can ANYONE help me figure out the best one to get!!? Thanks in advance for ANY suggestions! 
Something like this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/s … r-kit.html
Note you'll also need ingredients and stuff.
You might try asking this question of his brother, the master brewer. He could probably help you a lot.
His brother may also have some spare equipment to donate to the project. This could help you stay on budget while expanding a little beyond the most basic set up.
The kit linked above is a great start. It includes an auto-siphon and a bottle filler, both are items that didn't come in my original kit and I soon added. The first thing I would add to that kit is a glass carboy and stopper, maybe the brother can loan one.
Note that the kit doesn't include bottles or a kettle.
Reynolds raises a good point -- while the Northern Brewer kit is nice, the gift is still missing a kettle and bottles. Since your husband's brother already brews, may I suggest you ask him to recommend a kettle and, since you're trying to be closer to $50, ask him also what are the really, really basic items your husband needs. You might be able to scale back a bit from the basic kit and build your own, include a kettle and bottles, and still be closer to your $50 goal.
And don't forget to tell your husband about the great advice you got here! As he learns more, he'll like having resources to ask more questions!
All the suggestions are good but I just have a few suggestions.
1. Don't ever buy bottles (ok if you want special bottles you can) if he wants to brew he or his friends probably already drink it. Tell them to save the bottles any non twist off bottle will work. You need about 50 per 5 gallon batches.
2. For the pot don't be afraid of aluminum if you are just starting out. Its much cheaper and works awesome as long as you season it and intentionally oxidize the aluminum. (Look on google to find the process) its basically fill the pot with water and boil until it discolors.
3. I don't think you need a glass carboy when starting out. A 2 week fermentation in the bucket bottle will work well until he wants to start doing extra steps like dry hopping, adding fruit, or bulk aging. Most new homebrewers want a short time from drink to bottle for the excitement or trying there first brews. If you do want one I wouldn't get glass (unless for long term, over 3 months,bulk aging) I would go with a better bottle.
Hope he enjoys the hobby and if you like beer also you will like his hobby too!
Matt C
GISBREWMASTER
[urlhttp://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Basic-Brewing-Equipment-Kit.html][/url]
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing- … t-kit.html
These are a couple more equipment kits to that will get him started. Also you and him can check out http://www.howtobrew.com on line how to book.
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