A Beer Basket Really Can Be Good For Your Health

Often times it is difficult to find just the right gift for someone. If you have friends that drink beer then a beer basket or a beer related gift may be a fun and light-hearted gift to give.

A beer basket rarely comes with just beer in it, more often than not the beer is accompanied by some tasty snacks, just right for a cozy night in.

A beer basket don't even need to have any beer actually in them. It could hold beer related gifts such as an ice bucket for chilling the beer, a sturdy opener, a beer mug and treats such as nuts, crisps and savouries. You could include a gift certificate in the beer basket so that the recipient could purchase their own beer.

Beer baskets can be bought locally or from the internet. How great it is to be able to shop on the internet. I purchased a new mattress just the other day and it would probably have taken me a whole day out in the cold wandering round bed shops weighing up prices and specifications, if I had done it locally. On the internet you can compare prices for any item at the click of a button, in the warmth of your own home and even have a brew while you're doing it. Plus many places give free delivery.

If you have the time and want to make your beer basket extra special you could put one together yourself. Plastic wrap, baskets and bows to finish them off with are all readily available. You don't even have to use a beer basket you could use a home brew bucket and include a few home brew items in it as well. the basket/bucket it may be nice to add some speciality beers for your friend to try.

Beer has been around for thousands of years, apparently pre-historic man learned to make beer from grains before he learnt to make bread (that sounds about right!) Allegedly Noah had a little stock of the amber nectar in his arc and in ancient Babylon clay tables had recipes for beer on the dating back to 4300BC.

Beer is not bad for your health, it's the amount of it that people drink that is. Research has show that beer can help in reducing stress and the risk of heart disease if drunk in moderation. Due to the malted barley beer is a good source of fibre. If you consume alcohol moderately, research has shown that this can assist in improving your memory obviously if you drink too much the opposite applies and you brain cells can be destroyed.

Another old wives tale is that beer makes you fat - So does anything if you consume enough of it, except perhaps lettuce! What about all those beer bellies I hear you ask. They are caused by drinking too much of it. If beer is drunk in moderation there should be no problems.

If you really don't want to purchase your friends the 'demon drink' by way of beer baskets then there are plenty of beer related gifts that you can consider instead such as key chains, mirrors, glasses, bottle openers and even wallets.

T-shirts and cap with the logo of the person's favourite beer are quite popular although you can get almost any item of clothing with logos on.

Jayne Waldorf has been an internet marketer for over three years. She lives in England with her husband and has two grown up sons.

For more information and to order great beer baskets visit the Waldorf Christmas website today.

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Designing a Draft Beer System for Your Home Bar

Keg coolers, also called kegerators or beer dispensers, are used for dispensing beer on tap. In order to experience the full flavor of beer, it is crucial that it be served at the right temperature. If beer is too cold, it numbs the taste buds, which makes it difficult to detect some of the more subtle flavors. The temperature of the beer also has an effect on the levels of carbonation, so beer too cold or too warm might not have the smoothness or the tingle of carbon dioxide that you desire. If you home brew or enjoy beer on tap, then a keg cooler is just the right thing to make sure that every beer you serve is fully appreciated.

Purchasing a Keg Cooler

There is a wide variety of keg coolers available online and at your local appliance dealers. Considerations for purchasing a kegerator include things like:

Whether or not it has the capability to convert into an all purpose fridge
How many kegs it holds
If it has casters (wheels) or not for mobility
What kind of beer towers are included
If it has a CO2 regulator
The type of temperature control unit it uses
The type of coupler
The type of drip tray it has
What other accessories it includes (CO2 tanks, cleaning kits, warranties, guard rails, etc.)

If you are building a home bar, be sure to budget for the type of keg cooler that will suite your style. Kegerators range in price from $360 for a simple single tap system up to $2600 or more for a commercial style kegerator.

Commercial Kegerators vs. Home Market Kegerators

Depending on your entertainment needs, a commercial quality kegerator might make sense for you.

High quality Commercial Keg Coolers help keep the faucet cold in order to reduce beer foam.

A lot of home draft beer drinkers wonder why the first glass of beer always foams. Any time you change the temperature of beer dramatically upon dispensing, you run the risk of causing beer foam. Since beer tower faucets are sitting in a warm room, they are warmer than the beer. When the cold beer hits the warm faucet, the sudden rise in beer temperature causes CO2 to escape, resulting in foam. Once enough beer has passed through the faucet to cool it down, the beer will pour normal again. If you wait a little while before pouring another beer (30 minutes or so), the faucet will warm up again and the process will repeat. Pouring beer into a frozen glass also causes additional foaming because the glass is a lot colder than the beer.

Keeping the faucet the same temperature as the beer is the best way to eliminate foaming. High quality Commercial Kegerators often include a fan and hose to direct cold air into the beer tower to keep the faucet cold, which helps reduce beer foam.

The best way to keep beer faucets cold is with a beer line chiller. A line chiller is a refrigerator that chills glycol (anti-freeze) and then circulates the ice cold glycol through lines, into the beer tower and around the rear shank of the faucet. Line chillers are typically only used in commercial bars and restaurants where the kegs are stored at a distance from the beer towers.

High quality Commercial Kegerators cool beer faster, run more efficiently, and maintain a more consistent temperature.

Most keg units for the home are cold wall refrigerated with static condensers, which means there is no fan to assist in the heat exchange. This reduces the refrigeration capacity and makes it more difficult to maintain a consistent temperature. In a warm environment, like a garage, home market kegerators will have increased wear and tear on the compressor because it has to run more frequently to keep the refrigerator cold. In addition, the cold wall refrigeration system can cause many home market kegerators to develop frost on the walls. These kegerators will need to be defrosted on occasion, which could be a challenge depending on where the unit is installed.

High quality commercial keg coolers are chilled using fans in a forced air refrigeration system. Commercial keg coolers have a larger refrigeration capacity, which allows them to cool beer more quickly, maintain a consistent temperature in warmer environments or under heavy use, and run more efficiently. Note, however, that commercial kegerators will run louder than the home keg coolers because of the fans involved.

Check out the Guide to Choosing a Home Bar Design. The objective of this paper is to guide you through the process of choosing a home bar that suits your budget and meets your unique entertainment needs.

Written by Krista Moon on behalf of Glastender Home http://www.glastenderhome.com

Cocktail station options for your home bar!

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Using A Good Beer Brewing Kit

Many factors may influence you to try beer brewing. It is likely that at some point you realized that you too could make a good beer. Perhaps it was after tasting an import beer, or trying a micro brew beer and realizing how much it cost you to buy that beer. You figure the beer tasted good, but was pretty expensive. You may have thought there had to be a way to make that beer and not cost so much. If you have had that thought, then you are on your way yo getting started home beer brewing.

There is a vast community of beer lovers worldwide. And there is a growing number of people beer brewing at home. It is almost a shame that there is so much mass produced beer, but then there are many beer lovers that do not wish to try beer brewing. But that is also ok, because you are not one of them. You have decided to give it a try, and you will be rewarded.

Beer brewing is not too difficult, and making good beer is relatively easy to do. As long as you want to learn how to make great beer, this is an easy hobby to get started in. There is a learning curve, as well as some basic fundamentals, but this can be one of the most enjoyable learning processes you ever experience.

The best part is the fact that there is no one way to make beer. So many different variables exist--different beer brewing methods, and a variety of ingredients to use as well as ways to combine them, that you will constantly learn new facets of this hobby. This keeps things interesting and allows you find what ways best fit you so that your beer brewing experience will be the most enjoyable to you. The basic ingredients for beer brewing are yeast, water, hops, and grains. How you combine them has almost endless possibilities, resulting in a wide range of possible finished beers. No matter how you mix the ingredients, you can use the same equipment and process to achieve the desired end result. With all the possibilities, it is just a matter of getting started.

Research online to learn about all of the possibilities. Through it all, you will start to see which ways appeal the most to you, and that will help you determine what you need to get started. More experienced "beer purists" may advocate that you start off a certain way, and that you will need expensive equipment or ingredients in order to make great beer.

However, this isn't true. There are many ways to make good beer, and you can start simple and cheap and still make great beer. Take advantage of more experienced home brewers, both online and locally, and seek out differing opinions. You will see there is no "right" way to do it--just find what works for you. Plus, the various opinions will only teach you more and make you a better brewer. But the key thing to remember is at first, you are simply trying to master the basics of beer brewing.

Keep it simple to start, once you have the fundamentals down, then you can look to expand and experiment. There is no need to break the bank getting started. A simple, inexpensive starter equipment kit is more than sufficient, and will get you through many batches over time. You will quickly learn that making small, simple adjustments can have dramatic impacts on your beers flavor, so spending a bunch of money is not a prerequisite for making great beer. Once you have some batches under your belt, then you can look to spend some money to try different things. You will also have more knowledge and be better able to determine where that money is best spent to improve the quality of your beer and your beer brewing experience.

The purpose of your first few batches is to learn the process. You are not trying to make the best beer you ever had. Rather, you simply want to make something that is drinkable. You have plenty of time to hone your skills and eventually become a "beer purist".

Then you can worry about being particular over your beer. In the meantime, enjoy the learning curve, and getting your feet wet. There is no shame in starting with a basic starter kit. Remember, all home brewers have to start somewhere, including the "purists"!

The best thing about the kits is that they come with everything you need to produce a batch of beer. You don't have to worry about anything, other than learning the process of beer brewing. Once you have that solid foundation, then you can really have fun experimenting with new ingredients and different processes. Remember, you have to walk before you can run. But once you learn to walk in beer brewing, you may never stop running.

Get a free beer brewing e book to get started today!
Be sure to check out my blog for more info about beer brewing

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The Beer Attitude

Slugging them down for years, I'd love to know how much beer we have gone through since the first brew. Ever wondered about different statistics like that? Gallons upon gallons have been poured into glass and bottle for centuries. It could easily be argued that beer is the most consumed beverage of all time.

What would be its competitors? Coffee, tea, and soda might top the list. You can't say water. Water is in everything. Every time you drink a beer you would up the consumption of water as well. So, that cannot be added to beer's list of competitors. Not if you were going to be fair about it.

So, I said all that to say that beer is so popular that it will literally never go out of style. It will never lose fans. It will never have a drought. People drink more beer during a recession. People drink beer in celebration of a boom. People drink beer to get together and have fun. People drink beer to get together and talk over their issues.

What did Obama do when Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested at his home for "disorderly conduct" by Cambridge police officer sergeant James Crowley and it was attributed to racial profiling since Gates tried to show evidence that he did indeed live in that house that he was accused of breaking into? That's right! He held a "beer summit." Obama, Biden, Gates and Crowley sat down and drank their choice of beer together.

Beer will never go away! This is why it literally shocks me as Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations claims that Big Beer threatened to pull ads from the Discovery Channel if they didn't pull the new craft beer focused show Beer Masters. Is it possible that small breweries and individual brewers around the world could actually threaten the bottom line of Big Beer?

In capitalism, there is an awful amount of greed. The people who have will fight tooth and nail to keep. They will kick people while their down and the will step on faces to stay on top. Nothing is ever enough. But, there is so much reward that momma and poppa shops can stay in business because of consumer need for variety, consumer choice of personal attention and consumer expectation of individuality. Capitalism is a consumer driven society. There will always be consumers who will flock for the mass appeal and there will always be an equally powerful amount of consumers who will refrain, looking for a more unique product.

Why does Big Beer have to think that a simple show can ruin its bottom line? Of course, small breweries brew because they want to evolve in taste and offer varieties that are unique. Individuals brew because it's fun and rewarding. But, Big Beer will always have consumers. Big Beer might not be able to reach so far down in their huge pockets, but they will always have a surplus of income to cover their mansion mortgages, personal yachts and vacations gone wild.

I am going to cherish Beer Master's Sam Calagione's encouragement, "...to support small, truly-indie breweries! Last night I had Two Prima Pils, and an Aprihop. Today I had cask-conditioned Thyme Pale Ale, Baladin Nora, Birra Del Borgo ReAle, and am enjoying an Indian Brown Ale..." Instead of letting the small stuff get to him, Sam has the perfect beer attitude when he affirms that he is, "Focused on the goodness inside the bottle instead of the weirdness outside the bottle. Cheers." Cheers to you Sam!

Stan Schubridge is a beer enthusiast who loves tasting new beers and attending beer events. Staying up to date on new innovations in beer and beer products keeps Stan on top of the beer world. You can read a great deal about beer from beer brewing to new inventions at Beertaps Learning Center. Stay up to date with invaluable beer and home bar information by subscribing to our newsletter. While you're there, take a look at our Beertaps Store and get anything you need for your own home bar.

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Try This - Beer-In-The-Rear Turkey

If you want to have a delicious tasting turkey for the holidays, then why not try cooking a beer-in-the-rear turkey? Also known as beer-can turkey, this is a great way to roast or grill turkey. The result will be a succulent, moist bird, oozing with delightful juices.

In case you're not too sure what beer-in-the-rear turkey is all about, below are the answers to some commonly-asked questions.

What's the best recipe? The key here is just to stick with the basics. There are some things that you will need, but you can play around with the seasonings you like, and also make a rub to go along with the turkey.

What's the benefit of cooking a beer-in-the-rear turkey? For one thing, the beer will help to keep the bird tender by steaming the inside while cooking. This will leave you with a moist, delicious-tasting turkey. If you've ever had a problem getting the breast of the turkey moist, then using this method will solve that problem once and for all.

What kind of beer should I use? You can use any kind you like. But if you really want your turkey to have a great taste, then add some herbs and spices to the beer; this will make it even more special.

Will the turkey taste like beer? For all of you out there who don't like beer, there's no need to worry because it won't. You will not be disappointed by the juicy delectable-tasting turkey.

Do I need to purchase any special equipment? No. You just have to ensure that the bird is kept upright during cooking. Having said that, there are supplies on the market like the Stainless Steel Beer Can Turkey Cooker, which are specially designed to cook beer-in-the-rear turkey. The cooker can be used in the oven or on the grill, and holds a 12 ounce beer can. Using a cooker can make clean-up much easier after cooking.

Now that we have all that covered, here's a good beer-in-the-rear turkey recipe you can try.

Ingredients

1 8-10 lb turkey

1 can of your favorite beer

Selection of herbs - basil, oregano, thyme

Brine

1 cup Kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 gallon water

The turkey can be brined overnight. For the turkey rub you can include your favorite ingredients like paprika, onion powder, cumin, thyme, garlic powder and black pepper.

Pour out some of the beer so that you can add the marinade and the herbs into the can. The can should be about half full; this will allow the ingredients to steam quickly. Mix the rub and apply liberally to the turkey. Once seasoned, set the can on the cooking surface and carefully lower the turkey over it. Sprinkle with olive oil and place in the oven or on the grill. Cook for about 3 hours, or until meat temperature is about 165 degrees.

Using this technique will add a whole new flavor to the turkey, and will also prevent it from drying out. So while beer-in-the-rear turkey might be a funny name, it makes a seriously delicious turkey!

If you want to have a delicious tasting turkey for the holidays, then why not try cooking a beer-in-the-rear turkey? Also known as beer-can turkey, this is a great way to roast or grill turkey. The result will be a succulent, moist bird, oozing with delightful juices.

In case you're not too sure what beer-in-the-rear turkey is all about, below are the answers to some commonly-asked questions.

What's the best recipe? The key here is just to stick with the basics. There are some things that you will need, but you can play around with the seasonings you like, and also make a rub to go along with the turkey.

What's the benefit of cooking a beer-in-the-rear turkey? For one thing, the beer will help to keep the bird tender by steaming the inside while cooking. This will leave you with a moist, delicious-tasting turkey. If you've ever had a problem getting the breast of the turkey moist, then using this method will solve that problem once and for all.

What kind of beer should I use? You can use any kind you like. But if you really want your turkey to have a great taste, then add some herbs and spices to the beer; this will make it even more special.

Will the turkey taste like beer? For all of you out there who don't like beer, there's no need to worry because it won't. You will not be disappointed by the juicy delectable-tasting turkey.

Do I need to purchase any special equipment? No. You just have to ensure that the bird is kept upright during cooking. Having said that, there are supplies on the market like the Stainless Steel Beer Can Turkey Cooker, which are specially designed to cook beer-in-the-rear turkey. The cooker can be used in the oven or on the grill, and holds a 12 ounce beer can. Using a cooker can make clean-up much easier after cooking.

Now that we have all that covered, here's a good beer-in-the-rear turkey recipe you can try.

Ingredients

1 8-10 lb turkey

1 can of your favorite beer

Selection of herbs - basil, oregano, thyme

Brine

1 cup Kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 gallon water

The turkey can be brined overnight. For the turkey rub you can include your favorite ingredients like paprika, onion powder, cumin, thyme, garlic powder and black pepper.

Pour out some of the beer so that you can add the marinade and the herbs into the can. The can should be about half full; this will allow the ingredients to steam quickly. Mix the rub and apply liberally to the turkey. Once seasoned, set the can on the cooking surface and carefully lower the turkey over it. Sprinkle with olive oil and place in the oven or on the grill. Cook for about 3 hours, or until meat temperature is about 165 degrees.

Using this technique will add a whole new flavor to the turkey, and will also prevent it from drying out. So while beer-in-the-rear turkey might be a funny name, it makes a seriously delicious turkey!

Hectr is a food market research analyst dedicated to discovering and sharing information about the best values he finds in food and beverage including beer-in-the-rear turkey.

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Beers Brewed in Thailand

Thailand has a long tradition of brewing, with the first beer brewed in 1933. Thai beers compare well with some of the world's most popular lager beers. Recently, several Thai beers have won top honours at international beer festivals.

Thailand has a wide range of locally brewed beers. Some of them like Singha, Chang, and Phuket lager are uniquely Thai. Some are brewed under licence like Heineken and Tiger. The beers brewed in Thailand are mainly lager beers, that is largely because of the climate, with noon day temperatures often around 30 degrees Celsius. The relentless heat makes a lager a great thirst quencher.

Thailand has two major brewing companies, Boon Rawd and ThaiBev, plus two foreign controlled brewers, Asia Pacific (Singapore) brewers of Tiger beer and San Miguel Breweries who have a major share of the Philippines beer market.

Boon Rawd produces Singha, Leo and Thai Beer. Singha is Thailand's oldest beer, and until recently Thailand's most popular beer. Singha has a dry taste, with a slightly bitter after taste. Leo is more malty, with a slightly sweeter after taste. Thai Beer, a malt liquor, has a sweet taste and a slightly hoppy, sweet after taste.

ThaiBev produces Chang, Archa and Federbrau. Chang is quite different from Singha, its main rival. It has a more full bodied malty taste, with a slightly dry, slightly bitter after taste. A nice, well balanced beer, but less refreshing on a hot day than some of the lighter beers. It has a lower price and higher alcohol content (6.4%). Chang is now the most popular beer in Thailand. It's popularity due, at least in part to its sponsorship of Everton football team.

ThaiBev also produces Archa, a lighter bodied, lower priced beer. ThaiBev recently introduced a new brand Federbrau. It is one of only two Thai beers to be brewed under the German Brewing laws. ThaiBev has gone to great lengths to disguise the beer's origins, and create an image of a beer of German origin. The label does not mention ThaiBev, only mentioning the Cosmos Brewery where it is brewed. It is intended to compete directly with Heineken, in the premium beer category. It is a light tasting, German style beer.

Thai Asia Pacific, was formed in 1993 by Asia Pacific (Singapore) to brew Heineken under licence in Thailand. The company also brews the popular Tiger Beer under licence and recently launched a new beer for the Thai market, Cheers. It's a lighter beer, that has won some awards including the Monde Selection gold medal for full taste and high quality. The beer has received mixed reviews in Thailand.

San Miguel Breweries produce a range of lager beers. In particular, San Miguel Light has become popular in Thailand. It is light in taste and low in calories, although it is 5% alcohol. It has become the beer of choice among Thai women drinkers, with the promise of fewer calories!

Phuket Lager Beer is made by an independent Thai brewer, Tropical Beverage Company. It is produced with premium ingredients including German hops, and is an all-natural beer with no additive or preservatives. Phuket Lager received the first gold medal ever for a beer from Thailand, at the 2006 Monde Selection Awards. Phuket Lager has a malty, sweet, smooth taste, with a nutty after taste. It is brewed at the San Miguel Brewery under the supervision of Tropical Beverage Company.

There's a good selection of Thai brewed beers available to suit all tastes. You'll find them in supermarkets and 7/11 corner stores. Just remember the licensing hours in Thailand: alcohol sales are permitted between 11:00 and 14:00 (2pm) and from 17:00 (5pm) to midnight. The supermarkets abide by the rules, but you might find a corner store that will forget to check the time!

For more on beers available in Thailand, including imported beers and the results of a taste test of Thai brewed beers, check out my website at http://www.pattaya-discover.com/beer-in-pattaya.html.

Rick Gilmore has lived in Pattaya for the last 5 years.
Rick is a keen reporter on events in Thailand.
His particular interest is understanding Thai culture and how that impacts relationships between Thais and westerners. Rick can read and write the Thai language and is currently developing fluency in speaking Thai.

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5 Gift Ideas for Homebrewers and Beer Enthusiasts

Homebrewing is a rewarding and engaging hobby that is growing tremendously in popularity. Many men and women alike have discovered the art and science of brewing beer and making wine, mead, cider, and other fermented drinks. The key to the draw of this hobby is the constant desire to attain better and better results.

If you're an outsider to homebrewing, it may seem like trying to give your homebrewer a brewing-related gift is off-limits due to the complexity of the hobby and your lack of knowledge in the area. This does not have to be the case!

Brewing Starter Kits (for the not-yet brewer)

There are numerous kits available on the web, they come in a range of completeness, and all share common characteristics. The necessities are:

Fermenter - This is either a bucket with a lid fitted with an o-ring seal, or a glass or plastic "carboy", which looks like a large jug. A kit with two fermenters allows the ability to improve clarity and flavor by allowing the brewer to transfer the beer to a secondary vessel for aging and clearing.
"Racking" Accessories - "Racking" is the act of transferring beer from one vessel to another. This always has to be done at least once during the beermaking process. A kit will include a length of clear plastic tubing which can be used to siphon beer, and may include additional siphon accessories. A plunger-action automatic siphon starter will save a lot of frustration, and starting a siphon can be unsanitary without one.
Hydrometer - This simple instrument is used to measure the specific gravity of the beer throughout the brewing process. It enables the brewer to gauge the completeness of fermentation, and helps him or her avoid the dreaded "bottle bombs" that can happen when still-fermenting beer is sealed into glass bottles.
Packaging Equipment - This can be as simple as a bag of crown caps and a capper, but some more expensive kits may include a starter kegging setup.
Equipment kits are priced from around $50 to upwards of $300.

Equipment Upgrades (for the brewer who is already hooked on the hobby)

There is a long list of upgrades to the basic starter kits which brewers will appreciate. They essentially fall into one of two categories: those that help a brewer improve the quality of his product, and those that make the brewing process quicker, easier, and more enjoyable.

Most brewers are most interested in improving quality. Here are some of the top quality-enhancing upgrades to the basic extract brewing kits:

6 Gallon (or greater) Boiling Pot - the ability to boil the full 5 gallon volume of "wort" (unfermented beer) will increase the quality of the finished beer noticeably. Any pot with the required volume will do, but cheap enamel-coated pots tend to chip or crack. A quality stainless pot is ideal. These pots can be found through normal retailers or homebrewing suppliers, and range from $30 to $200 for fancy brew kettles eqiupped with valves, thermometers, etc.
Wort Chiller - the boiled wort must be cooled before yeast can be added. This is time-consuming without a chiller, which usually consists of a large coil of copper tubing through which cold water can be flowed. Quickly chilling the hot wort avoids a specific off-flavor common in homebrewed beer. These start at around $50.
Temperature Controller - The fermentation temperature of beer plays an enormous role in the flavor of the finished product. A temperature controller allows a refrigerator (or heating pad, etc) to be used to obtain a specific temperature. These start around $55, but require a fridge or heating apparatus.
Yeast Stir Plate - A chronic problem with newer brewers is that they add too little yeast to their beer. This has a very detrimental effect on the quality of the beer. Yeast culturing stir plates are the best way to grow up large colonies of healthy yeast, and are an upgrade highly desired by many brewers. Most stir plates start at upwards of $100, but a stir plate designed specifically for the homebrewer is offered by at least one company on the web.
Custom "Homebrewery" Gear (for the novice to expert brewer, or beer lover)

Almost every homebrewer has fantasies of being a pro brewer. The first comment of "You really made this beer?" is enough to set the wheels spinning. Most homebrewers create a brewery name for themselves, and many design and print labels for their bottles. Some brewers have become so involved in the hobby that they seem to have purchased every piece of equipment they will ever want. Custom brew gear is a new category of products, and is perfect for these brewers.

Custom Bottle Caps - These are newly available products to the homebrewing market. The bottle cap is so iconic in the beer world, and this adds a very special touch to a homebrewer's craft. Custom bottle caps are available in a variety of cap colors.
Custom Tap Handles - The kegging brewer undoubtedly has a kegerator or home draft setup. The perfect accessory to this is custom tap handles, purchased or built, which give a homebrewery a professional image just like a local pub.
Customized Beer Glasses - Any beer drinker needs glassware. Glasses can be engraved, printed or even hand painted to become a great gift.Beer Recipe Kits (for the novice to expert brewer)

What better way to treat a homebrewer than to fuel his or her passion for crafting great beer? Visit an online or local homebrew retailer, and browse their ingredient kits. This may be a daunting task, as there are many, many styles available. Here are some tips:

Exotic Style - Grab a kit for an exotic or little-known style of beer.
Clone of a Favorite - Some retailers offer "clones" that are designed to brew something extremely similar to a famous commercial beer.
Premium Kits - Purchase a kit for a premuim style of beer, which contains a large amount of ingredients and produces a cellar-worthy beer. These are usually strong styles such as Russian Imperial Stout, Belgian Trippel (or even Quadrupel), Imperial India Pale Ale, and pretty much anything with the "Imperial" moniker applied to it.
Try Wine or Mead - Some brewers may be interested in branching out in their brewing. Most brewers will have the equipment necessary to brew a wine or mead kit.
There are two main types of ingredient kits. Extract kits are the simplest to brew, and can be brewed by both new and seasoned brewers. All Grain kits contain barley malt grain that must be "mashed," a process that many brewers do not have the equipment to conduct. When in doubt, purchase extract. An expert brewer will still be able to make high-quality beer from it, and will enjoy the quicker brewing process it affords him or her.

Alternatively, gift certificates are an easy option, and homebrew retailers almost always offer them.

Beer! (for all homebrewers and beer lovers)

All homebrewers love the experience of beer. It is difficult to develop a palate for the vast array of flavors that can be achieved through the four basic beer ingredients of malt, hops, water and yeast. A gift of hard-to-find or premium beers from around the country or around the world is more than just a gift of beer; it is a gift of education in his or her craft.

Find a local bottle shop that has a mix-a-sixpack option, or search for an online beer retailer.

Harper Abbot is an award winning homebrewer, and owns and operates http://www.wildhopsprintshop.com. He has been an active member of the homebrewing community since he first fermented a brown ale in a white plastic bucket in the bedroom closet.

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