Source
r/Homebrewing•
Mithre

Looking for a recommendation on a small wooden barrel

TLDR Looking for a gift for my dad.
A few years ago my brothers and I got my dad a Mr. Beer homebrewing kit. He'd never homebrewed before, but had expressed interest. Cut to today, and he's pretty much always got a batch going in his dinky little plastic Mr. Beer barrel, and every Christmas, birthday, and father's day he's asking for more supplies.
For next father's day (as I just had this idea and it wouldn't be ready in time for this Christmas) I'd like to get him a small wooden barrel to do his brewing in. My only real requirements are that it needs to be about 2 gallons/10L, and it needs to be wholly American made, as he prefers to buy American when possible.
Any recommendations? My preferred budget would be under $200 if possible.

Posted Dec 16, 2019, 5:33 AM UTC

27
[deleted]•

A wooden barrel is typically something only an advanced brewer would make use of, and even then not everybody is into barrel aged beer.

Did he ask for a barrel? What exactly is he wanting to do with it? It'll only really be useful if he wants to barrel age his beer, the wood won't be able to be sanitized for brewing purposes. If he wants to barrel age, he'll likely want something bigger than 2 gallons and depending on his style he may want a used whiskey barrel.

You can get used barrels in 5 gallon size for about $100 from brew shops. New ones will run about $150. https://www.thebarrelmill.com/barrels

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chino_brewsKiwi Approved•

A wooden barrel is not the next logical step from a plastic “wooden” Mr Beer keg. In fact, a small wooden barrel is bad for use as a primary fermentor in this case.

I recommend a three-gallon PET carboy manufactured by either Better Bottle or The Vintage Shop. I use both and recommend both. Better Bottle is made in USA and Vintage Shop maybe Canada?

2
[deleted]•

If he's just stepping up from a Mr Beer kit, something like this would be a perfect foundation. It's all he needs to brew right away and it'll still be useful to build on. I'd recommend this kit and a brewing book or two or an extract kit.

This is the place I buy from. They're my local brew shop and are pretty price competitive. You may be able to find the same thing shipped for a dollar or two cheaper, but I can vouch that these guys value their customers and have no problem answering questions or providing advice by email (or phone in a brew emergency), I highly recommend them.

http://ebrew.com/Two-Stage-Deluxe-Home-Beer-Making-Equipment-Kit.html

Get a recipe kit with it and he'll be able to start a batch right away:

http://ebrew.com/beer-recipe-packages.htm

1
[deleted]•

That said, as much as I recommend those guys if you're mail ordering, it's important to have a relationship with your local brew shop if at all possible. Where is your dad located? Someone here could probably give you a recommendation for a local brew shop to him. Not only will you save on shipping, he'll establish an important relationship and be part of a great community. A lot of guys just go there to hang out and swap recipes or taste each others beer, and they have demonstration days and things like that, and access to equipment that isn't cost effective to buy.

1
[deleted]•

This kit is a single stage kit, it's a little less expensive but it eliminates the glass carboys which will knock down the shipping cost quite a bit. You might be better off with this, plus a few of those extract recipe kits. This single stage kit will be quite familiar to him, it's basically a larger version of what he's already doing. He can always grow this kit into a two stage operation later if he wants. A lot of people are quite content with single stage brewing. http://ebrew.com/Single-Stage-Home-Beer-Making-Equipment-Kit.html#3498

1
MithreOP•

First off, thank you for all your recommendations! I'll be checking out the links you've provided.
He's near a couple homebrew stores, and he loves them. While he still likes using the kits from places like northern brewer, he's bought plain old grain from these stores and used that for brewing before.
While me and my brothers did start him off with a Mr. Beer kit, pretty much the only thing that's still original is the barrel itself, as he's been upgrading his equipment since he got it, and we figured that it's time to upgrade him. Anyway, the gist of what you're saying is I really shouldn't bother with a wooden barrel if I want to upgrade his brewing, right?

1
[deleted]•

No problem. I misunderstood a bit, I took it to mean that he was still using the original kit.

I definitely wouldn't get a barrel unless he's specifically asked for one. They only come into play with very specific and advanced styles of beer that not everyone cares for.

Since he's already expanded his equipment somewhat, a starter kit would probably be a bit redundant. If he's already doing all grain brews then he almost certainly has some or all of it I would guess. I find it hard to believe he's still using the little Mr Beer barrel. Could it be that he's only using it for small scale experimental batches?

In my opinion, none of us know his operation well enough to really give you a list of what he'll need or want next. Would a gift certificate to the local brew shop be too impersonal for your taste? That's the route I'd go if you're so inclined, let him pick out his own kit and get what he needs.

1