Have you ever thought about getting someone a brew kit as a gift? In my opinion, there is no better way to tell someone that you love them than to give them the mighty gift of beer brewing.
Every year we are faced with the same question over and over. What gift do I get for this person for X, Y, or Z? It happens to all of us. Let’s face it, even the very best gift givers can draw a blank.
Obviously, we love beer kits here at Brew With Kits and I personally feel that the best gift is, in fact, a brew kit. I may be biased, but it really is as uncle Eddie says in a Christmas Vacation, “Clark, that’s the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.”
Brew kits are a great gift for any occasion.
Whether it’s a specific holiday like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, a birthday, or just a special gesture as a sign of your appreciation or love, a brew kit is a great solution for any of your gift giving dilemmas.
A brew kit is not just a dude gift, but also a sweet gift to give any beer drinking woman! Anyone can enjoy creating their own delicious homebrew.
The homebrew scene ranges widely from all grain (a much more intense and longer brew process) to brewing with a kit (an already premade and packaged wort that includes all the ingredients you need for brewing).
Here at this blog, we are all about the latter, brewing with a kit!!!! Brew kits are awesome, and thankfully there are a lot of nice options out there.
Let’s check out some of those options for giving a brew kit as a gift:
For the Non-brewer/Newly Starting Brewer Gifts
Starter Kit
To gift a brew kit to someone who does not currently homebrew, you are going to want to buy them a starter kit. A starter kit has all the basic equipment needed to brew beer. *They sometimes come with the beer kit (wort and other needed ingredients) as well.
My suggestion for gifting to the brand spanking new brewer is to get an all-inclusive starter kit that has the equipment and the beer kit altogether. You can’t brew beer without the beer kit (again, wort and other ingredients). So while giving someone a starter kit with just equipment would be neat, they wouldn’t have everything they need to brew. A starter kit with a wort gives everything they need to get started and that is definitely the way to go!
There are some great starter kits for sale both in your local brew store and on the web (like Amazon). These starter kits vary greatly in both price and what they include. Ranging from very basic to all-inclusive.
Most starter kits will come with:
- A fermentor (the large container used to place your batch of beer in to ferment)
- Airlocks (this keeps air from getting to your beer and contaminating it)
- Beer kit* including Wort (the malt and other ingredients that make up your beer)
- Yeast* (what eats the sugar and produces alcohol)
- A bottle filler attachment for your fermentor (so you can fill your beer bottles)
- Bottle scrub brush (so you can clean your bottles)
- Sanitizer (to sanitize everything with)
- Cleaning solution (to clean your equipment with)
Check out a wide range of starter kits and which one I recommend here.
Something to think about while giving a starter kit with the wort is the style of beer. These starter kits come in a wide variety of different beer styles. If you know what kind of beer the person you are thinking about buying a brew kit for likes, you are most likely going to be able to find a kit that fits their specific beer style.
Again, starter kits range in price and beer style, so depending on your budget and the style of beer for the one you want to gift it to, there’s something out there for them.
Another option is to choose a starter kit provider who only sells the equipment. This just leaves you to pick the beer kit refill (wort) separately. This is clutch if you’re really looking for a special beer style that you know your gift recipient would love but you are having a hard time finding a starter kit including that style of beer. Or let’s say you have found a really great starter kit that you like, but there is no beer kit included. Whatever combination you choose, the gift recipient will enjoy it for beers and beers to come!
Beer Kit (Refill)
If the starter kit you choose does not include the beer kit itself, I suggest you also purchase a beer kit separately to make your gift more complete.
A basic beer kit includes:
- Wort
- Yeast
An all-inclusive beer kit includes:
- Wort
- Yeast
- Brewing sugar or another brewing activator (such as spray malt)
- Priming sugar (the sugar used to bottle condition your beer to get it ready for drinking)
- Other additions (like hops, oak chips, etc.)
Festival Pride of London Porter
These extra ingredients are provided in all-inclusive kits and are usually more expensive.
I personally think all-inclusive kits are the way to go, especially for a brand new brewer. The all-inclusive kits cut down on mistakes you could possibly make by forgetting to add something because it wasn’t included.
In my experience, these kits include better ingredients. For example, they usually include brew sugar which is better than using plain old regular sugar. This makes a better tasting final product.
Whoever you give the gift of one of these all-inclusive kits to will be so stoked when they try their first tasty beer brewed from a kit. What a great way for them to remember you by.
For Those Already Brewing/Experienced Brewers
There are tons of gift options for those who you know already brewing with a kit. You have plenty to go by just in the category of beer kits alone. So here are my ideas for the experienced brewer:
Basic Beer Kit (refill)
Like I listed above, this simple kit includes the beer wort (the main ingredient in your beer) and the yeast. A note for the non-brewing gift giver to the experienced brewer, these usually come in a can or a pouch. These are great and will provide your gift recipient with over 40 delicious beers. Yum!
All-inclusive Beer Kit (refill)
As we have already talked about, this is the beer wort and yeast with some more bonus ingredients included as well. If you want to go a step up from the basic beer kit refill, the all-inclusive is what you should go with. This is by no means going to be overlooked by your beer brewing friend as a totally genuine gift that they will appreciate.
Different Brewing Sugars or Brewing Sugar Replacements
Trust me, if your gift recipient has been brewing with kits for a while this is really going to impress them. There is a multitude of combinations to pick from here:
DEXTROSE:
This is a very popular brew sugar that makes great beer. You could buy your brewer a couple packets of this stuff alone and it would be a super thoughtful gift.
SPRAY MALT:
This is a dried malt extract that is used in the place of sugar or brew sugar like Dextrose. It gives the beer a fuller taste and will improve whatever beer it is added too.
Notes on spray malt:
*There are different kinds of spray malts. There are plain malt ones and there are hoppy ones as well. All spray malts will give a distinct flavor to the beer created. They are an excellent gift for whoever it is you know who brews with a kit.
*Your gift recipient will need at least 2 packs of spray malt for one 5 gallon batch of beer brewed, so don’t forget to add 2 packs to your cart at check-out.
*These malts not only come in different styles, I.E. hoppy, non-hoppy but also in different colors for lighter, amber or darker beers. You are going to want to get at least 2 of the same color and style to give as a gift. So if you are pairing the spray malt with a beer kit, make sure it is the right color for the style. Light for light beers, medium for medium-colored beers (Amber, etc), and dark for your darker style beers.
MALT EXTRACT:
This is like the spray malt except only in a liquid form. Liquid malt extract is a replacement for sugar as well. Sometimes the spray malt will call for this liquid malt extract as well or vice versa. In combination with the spray malt, this is used to make rich, tasty, 100% malt beers. Go ahead and give the gift of liquid malt extract to any brewer who uses a kit. They will appreciate the opportunity to use these different ingredients for their next batch.
*They also have hoppy malt extract version for every color of beer to enhance the hop flavor. For example a hopped lighter, hopped amber, hopped darker malt extract for your brewing pleasure. These malts not only come in different styles, I.E. hoppy, non-hoppy but also in different colors for extra light, lighter, amber, or darker beers.
You are going to want to get at least 2 of the same color and style to give as a gift. So if you are pairing the spray malt with a beer kit, make sure it is the right color for the style. Light for light beers, medium for medium-colored beers (Amber, etc), and dark for your darker style beers.
BREW ENHANCER:
This stuff does exactly what it says it does, enhances any beer kit. In the same vein of the spray malt and liquid malt extract, the beer enhancer is a replacement for sugar. It is basically a mixture of spray malt and dextrose brewing sugar. This is going to give the yeast a lot more to eat, making your alcohol level higher. What better gift could you possibly ask for if you are gifting to someone who is into brewing with a kit?
BELGIAN CANDY SUGAR:
Once again this is a replacement for sugar in your brewing process. This stuff looks like rock candy and will give the final product a super unique taste. Belgian candy sugar may be one of the more unexpected gifts a person who brews with kits could expect.
Belgian candy sugar comes in different colors for extra light, lighter, amber, or darker beers. I have never tried these but there is also soft (powder) versions for lighter, amber, and darker beers and a liquid version for light, amber, dark, and extra dark beers as well.
Please note:
*Giving Belgian candy sugar as a gift would be particularly awesome given with a Belgian style beer kit refill. This is by no means a requirement as Belgian candy sugar will make any beer kit taste extraordinary.
For All Levels of Brewers
There are a plethora of other brewing items that would make a great gift for the person you’re thinking about. Whether they are new at brewing with a kit, or already set up and currently brewing, there are plenty of things you could get them that they would appreciate.
Brew Tools:
There are some brew tools you could buy them which will be helpful for saving time in their overall brew routine. Click here for some ideas: 5 BREW TOOLS YOU SHOULD OWN
Handmade Brew Paddle:
For a really unique gift, check out this handmade brew paddle from 100% olivewood right here from my site. These paddles are one-of-a-kind handmade in the town I live in overseas. This is guaranteed to be a super thoughtful present to any brewer.
A brew journal:
This is another awesome gift idea for any home brewer no matter where they are on their brewing journey.
A brew journal like the one sold here would make a great gift for any occasion. This gift recipient will be remembering you every time they record their mistakes, successes, or great brews that they have achieved long after the gift has been given.
For a free complete list of notes that any brewer should be taking, please click here to sign up for my email updates. You can even handwrite the list outline on the first few pages of their new brew journal for a sentimental touch!
There are a lot of great gifts to give someone who likes beer. To help others start their own homebrewing journey is why I created this blog. To drink and actually enjoy your own beer brewed with a kit is a feeling you really can’t describe.
The fact that you’re reading this blog and are contemplating giving someone an amazing gift like a brew kit proves that you yourself are pretty awesome!
Go ahead and pull the trigger and get whoever you’re thinking about the “gift that keeps on giving”!