A Few of My Favorite Things | Gift Ideas for a Homebrewer

I’ve received many requests over the last couple weeks to make a “holiday wish list,” something I was initially uncomfortable with, as I don’t want my recommendations to come across as disingenuous. After chatting with some folks, I realized there are some who would appreciate the recommendations and want to support Brulosophy with their holiday shopping. Please trust that I will not promote any item I don’t think is a great value and killer product. I promise. An asterisk (*) indicates an item I receive no compensation for.

15 GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR ANY HOMEBREWER

1. The Sterile Siphon Starter

This simple looking piece of gear has made racking beer from carboys so convenient and easy. I purchased it on a whim a couple years ago, after experiencing some issues with spigots on my bucket fermentors, and couldn’t be more pleased I did.  MoreBeer offers 2 versions of this, one for 6.5 gallon threaded neck glass carboys and another for basically all other carboys, make sure you select the right one. I prefer 6 gallon PET carboys to ferment in, they work great with this item. Click here for a detailed review of the sterile siphon starter.

2. JaDeD Brewing Immersion Chiller*

Many homebrewers try to emulate commercial breweries by using pumps to push their hot wort through a counterflow or plate chiller, which is all fine and dandy, I did it for about a year myself. Then I realized I hated all the setup and clean-up involved, which set me on a path to find something that would chill just as fast (or faster) while conserving water and requiring as little prep and clean-up as possible. This is how I found JaDeD Brewing, makers of some of the wildest looking and most efficient immersion chillers out there. I currently use a King Cobra and The Hydra (links to reviews), both of which allow me to chill 12 gallons of boiling wort to 4-6°F above groundwater temps in less than 10 minutes!

3. BeerSmith Brewing Software

If you’re looking to start designing your own recipes or if you just want to increase the predictably and consistency of your brewing, then BeerSmith is a must! It is, in my opinion, the best brewing software currently available, chock-full of useful features any homebrewer is sure to appreciate. I’ve been using BeerSmith for over 3 years and in that time have tried other recipe design programs, all have paled in comparison. This would make a fantastic gift for any brewer looking to make the step to recipe design

4. Brew Kettle Upgrade

There are few things more precious in this hobby than having enough room in our kettles to comfortably boil a full volume of wort without risking a nasty boilover. While I certainly appreciate the innovation of certain higher-priced kettle manufacturers, the truth is, a kettle’s a kettle. I’ve had both of my MoreBeer 14 gallon economy kettles for nearly 3 years and couldn’t be happier with them. These kettles are the perfect size for 10 gallon batches, while the 8.5 gallon kettle is great for 5 gallon batches. The 2 welded ports are ideal for a 3-piece ball valve (don’t forget nipple and barb) and thermometer, or you can simply plug any unused port. For the BIAB brewer, the 14 gallon option is great for 5-8 gallon batches!

5. Grain Mill

One of the most appreciated pieces of equipment I own is my Barley Crusher grain mill (I have the 15 lb hopper, there’s also a 7 lb version), not only because it gives me the freedom to mill/brew whenever I want, but because I can dial in the crush for my system. This has increased both my efficiency and brewing consistency. Adventures in Homebrewing also sells a less expensive Cereal Killer mill that I’ve never used but have heard good things about. Another huge benefit of owning your own mill is that you can start purchasing grain in bulk, an easy way to decrease your price per beer.

6. Propane Burner

Moving the brewing operation from the kitchen to the garage/yard will require that you purchase an outdoor burner. I’ve gone through multiple burners over the last few years and eventually settled on the Bayou Classic KAB-4, a super powerful burner that will heat 9 gallons of strike water from 68˚F to 165˚F in about 15 mintues. While I currently use natural gas, these burners work incredibly well with propane, too. These are a great option for any homebrewer making 5+ gallon batch sizes, though other options do exist such as the Bayou Classic Patio Stove, which performed well for 5 gallon batches and does costs less. The Blichmann burner is another good option that performs similarly to the KAB-4 (same burner type), but you can purchase leg extensions that may make it more convenient for your brewery. My first outdoor burner was a jet-style burner, which seriously sounds like a jet taking off once you get it going. It worked okay, but I believe there are better options for a similar price that conserve more gas while providing similar amounts of heat.

7. Secondary Regulator

When I built my first keezer, I used a simple manifold to distribute gas to each keg. It worked fine, though it made carbonating and serving different kegs at the same time a bit difficult. Enter the secondary manifold. This piece of gear allows me to independently control the psi going to each keg, meaning I can have one set to 30 psi to carbonate, another at 8 psi to serve a Dry Stout, and the third keeping a hard cider spritzy at 18 psi. There is a pretty drastic difference in price between a standard manifold and a secondary regulator, but for the brewer who likes to dial in their carbonation to style, it’s worth the extra cost. I’ll never go back.

8. Refractometer

This relatively inexpensive item makes brew day gravity measurements quick and easy, as it only requires a single drop of wort as opposed to the 3-4 oz needed to use a hydrometer. I’ve had a great experience with the refractometer I purchased from Amazon, which is similar to those offered at Adventures in Homebrewing and MoreBeer. Click here for a detailed review of my refractometer.

9. The Brew Bag

Whether you’re a regular BIAB’r or not, a high quality bag can come in real handy on brew day, and The Brew Bag is a killer option. These bags have a fine enough weave to keep all husk material out of your wort while allowing decent flow of liquid (lautering), and they can also be used as a hop filter to reduce kettle trub. Click here for a detailed review.

10. Carboys, carboys, more carboys!

I think most homebrewers would agree that you can never have enough fermentors and I am a huge of 6 gallon PET carboys, as they are lighter and won’t kill you if dropped. A couple 3 gallon carboys might make a rad gift, allowing the typical 5 gallon brewer to do some fun split-batch experiments! Also, check out these inexpensive blue carboy drainers that hold your freshly cleaned carboys upside down to drain.

11. The Black Box Temperature Controller*

As most of us are now fully aware, good beer is hugely the result of well-controlled fermentation temp, and no other product on the market makes this easier than The Black Box temp controller. This dual-stage controller is special in that you can input your own fermentation profiles and engage them depending on the type of beer you are making, the unit takes care of all temp changes based on time. I’ve used my Black Box multiple times over the last few months and am convinced it’s one of the best units out there. Click here for my detailed review.

12. Yeastir USB Stir Plate*

This stir plate works like most other stir plates out there with one major difference: it’s powered by USB. This may not seem like a big deal, but it definitely opens up more options for where you might keep your spinning yeast. Since it’s shipped with a power adapter, you can certainly use this stir plate with any normal outlet, but you can also plug it directly into your computer as well. Besides that, it has a base large enough to hold a 5L flask comfortably, it is very sturdy, and the price is right! Click here for my detailed review.

13. 24″ Dough Ball Obliterating Wire Whisk

For breaking up dough balls and stirring your mash, you can go with a really pretty and usually fairly expensive mash paddle, or you can drop $12.50 on this super effective ginormous wisk. It makes quick work of doughing in and is super easy to clean. I think it’d look pretty sweet sticking out of the top of a stocking.

14. Homebrewing Books

Over the last year or so, a couple really great homebrewing books have hit the shelves, all of which would make wonderful gifts. One of my personal favorites is Experimental Homebrewing by Denny Conn and Drew Beechum, click here to read my detailed review. American Sour Beers by Michael Tonsmeire (aka The Mad Fermentationist) is another great read geared particularly toward those homebrewers interested in fermenting with souring microbes and wild yeasts. The Brewing Elements series, published by Brewers Publications, is nearing completion with pre-orders being accepted for the final book, Malt: A Practical Guide From Field to Brewhouse, written by Director of Operations for Bell’s Brewery, John Mallett. The other books in this series include:

Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers by John Palmer and Colin Kaminski
For the Love of Hops: A Practical Guide Aroma, Bitterness, and the Culture of Hops by Stan Hieronymus
Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff

15. Amazon Prime Membership

Not only can you find nearly anything you might need for making beer on Amazon for a decent price, but with Amazon Prime, you can get it shipped to your house for free in a matter of 1-2 days. Additional perks include unlimited access to over a million songs, instant streaming of thousands of TV shows and movies, free unlimited photo storage in Amazon’s Cloud Drive, and access to free e-books. I was skeptical when I first signed up for Prime, but after 2 years of regular use, I am fully convinced it is a fantastic value!

| NEW TO HOMEBREWING? |

Perhaps you or the person you’re buying a gift for is just considering getting into the hobby. If so, the best and often most affordable way to get all of the basic equipment is to purchase a starter kit, which usually includes an extract recipe. Most online shops offer multiple levels of beginner kits, from basic to deluxe. I’d suggest getting the cheapest one available, as the biggest difference is usually the type of fermentor, which really has no impact on the finished beer. MoreBeer has some fantastic options for those who would prefer to start with either extract or all-grain, plus any purchases over $59 ship for free. Adventures in Homebrewing also has great options for beginner brewing kits. You can also piece together your own home brewery, check out my post on Getting Started :: If I Knew Then What I Know Now for a decent guide to how one might go about doing this.

Take a look at my Brewing Gear page for more cool gift ideas!

If you have any questions about gear or otherwise, please do not hesitate to ask! If you’d prefer, feel free to email me directly and I’ll do my best to respond as quickly as possible. Cheers!

| READ MORE |

Here’s my list of completed exBEERiments.
Here are some fun gift ideas for homebrewers.
How-to: Harvest yeast from starters.
How-to: Make a lager in less than month.

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