Gifts for Beer Lovers, Homebrewers and Taproom Regulars
By the Giftruly editorsUpdated 19 hand-picked ideas
Beer lovers come in two broad kinds, and a lot of disappointing beer gifts come from mixing them up. One kind loves drinking good beer: trying new breweries, tracking down a seasonal release, talking about hops. The other wants to make it, and probably has something bubbling away in a basement closet right now. Plenty of people are both, but the gifts barely overlap.
This guide starts with the drinker, then helps you tell the two apart, moves on to the brewer, and finishes with gear for taking beer out of the house and a few things for the garage or basement bar. Everything here is for adults of legal drinking age who enjoy beer as a craft and a flavor.
If they're as happy with a bourbon as an IPA, gifts for whiskey lovers is the next stop, and gifts for grill masters suits the backyard beer-and-barbecue crowd.
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For the drinker who wants to know what's in the glass
Craft beer drinkers often start tasting more carefully without meaning to. They notice that a hazy IPA smells like mango and a stout like espresso, and they begin to wonder why. These gifts encourage that curiosity.
- 1
Home Beer Tasting Glass Set
~$30
Tulip-shaped and other specialty glasses that gather a beer's aroma the way a wine glass does. It sounds fussy until they pour the same IPA into a tulip and a shaker pint and smell the difference. A good set covers most styles and looks handsome on a shelf. Hand-washing keeps them free of residue that flattens foam.
- 2
Craft Beer Guide Book
~$25
A guide to styles, ingredients and tasting, written for drinkers rather than brewers. It explains why a Belgian tripel tastes nothing like a pilsner and points them toward styles they'll probably love next. Ideal for someone who knows they like IPAs and is ready to branch out.
- 3
Beer Tasting Flight Board
~$35
A wooden paddle with small glasses for pouring a flight at home. Pick up four contrasting cans from a local bottle shop and you've handed them a ready-made evening with friends. More fun than practical, so it's best for someone who likes to host.
- 4
Craft Beer Hop Aroma Exploration Kit
~$38
A kit for smelling and comparing the aromas of different hop varieties, from citrusy to piney to tropical. It's an unusual gift for an IPA fan who wants to know why some beers grab them and others don't, and it's handy for a new homebrewer choosing hops for a recipe.
- 5
Craft Beer Tasting Journal
~$14
A pocket notebook for logging each beer's brewery, style, aroma and rating. It's small and cheap, and it settles the question of which of last month's sours they actually liked. Make it a bundle with a few cans from a brewery they haven't tried.
Drinker or brewer? How to tell before you buy
Look for clues. A homebrewer talks about batches, fermenting and bottling day, may have buckets or glass jugs tucked in a closet, and has probably asked friends to save their empty bottles. A drinker talks about breweries, releases and taprooms, and their recycling bin is full of colorful cans from places you've never heard of.
If they brew, find out roughly how far along they are. Beginners usually brew small batches on the stove from kits; more committed brewers have moved up to five-gallon batches and are thinking about temperature control and kegs. A beginner gift given to an experienced brewer is probably already sitting in their garage. When in doubt, a gift card to a local homebrew shop is a perfectly good answer, and the staff there tend to love helping.
For the homebrewer
Homebrewing rewards patience and decent equipment. The gifts below run from a first kit to the upgrades that more experienced brewers covet.
- Our favorite6
Home Beer Brewing Kit
~$50
A one-gallon starter kit with a fermenter, ingredients and instructions, small enough to brew on a kitchen stove in an afternoon. One gallon is a smart size for a first batch: there's less to lose if it goes wrong and less to drink if it doesn't suit them. It's the right gift for someone who has talked about trying homebrewing for years. For anyone already brewing, skip it; they're past this stage.
- 7
Beer Brewing Hydrometer and Testing Kit
~$25
A hydrometer measures the sugar in beer before and after fermentation, which tells a brewer how strong the beer turned out and whether fermentation has finished. It's an essential, inexpensive tool that some starter kits leave out. They're made of glass and break easily, so a spare is never wasted.
- 8
Homebrew Fermentation Temperature Controller
~$55
A controller that switches a heater or a fridge on and off to hold fermenting beer at a set temperature. Swings in temperature cause off-flavors, so this is one of the most meaningful upgrades for an intermediate brewer. It needs a fridge, freezer or heat source to plug into, so check they have one.
- 9
Beer Brewing Kettle with Volume Markings
~$75
A larger stainless kettle with volume markings, for moving up from one-gallon batches. The markings make repeating a recipe far easier. Make sure it fits their stove, or that they're planning to brew outside on a propane burner.
- 10
Reusable Beer Bottle Capper and Cap Assortment
~$32
A capper and a bag of caps for bottling batches in reused bottles. Practical and cheap, and caps are something every bottling brewer runs out of at the worst moment. A nice small add-on to any bigger brewing gift.
- 11
Homebrew Kegging Starter Kit
~$95
The kit for a brewer tired of cleaning and filling dozens of bottles. Kegging is faster and lets them pour draft beer at home, but it needs space, a CO2 tank and usually a spare fridge. A big step that's best for someone who has already said they want to keg.
For beer on the move
Taproom regulars, tailgaters and beach-day people need a way to carry beer and keep it cold. These are small, useful and all under $40.
12.Insulated Stainless Steel Beer Growler ~$35
Keeps draft beer from a brewery cold and fresh for the trip home. Check that their local taprooms fill growlers before you buy.
13.Craft Beer Can Cooling Sleeve Set ~$22
Insulated sleeves that keep a can cold in the sun. Cheap and handy for cookouts, ballgames and days on the boat.
14.Insulated Beer Can Cooler Picnic Tote ~$35
A soft cooler bag sized for a few cans and snacks. Good for park afternoons, outdoor concerts and beach trips.
For the garage bar and the beer shelf
Beer lovers who have collected years of cans, caps and brewery souvenirs often like to show them off. These are lighthearted and right at home in a basement, garage or backyard bar.
- 15~$25
Wall-Mounted Bottle Opener with Cap Catcher
A mounted opener with a magnet underneath that catches the caps. Great beside a garage fridge or on a patio post, and the caps stop rolling under the grill.
Beer LoversHomebodiespractical - 16~$35
Craft Beer Bottle Cap Shadow Box
A frame with slots for caps from memorable beers. It turns a habit of pocketing caps into decor, and filling it becomes a small project.
Beer LoversHomebodiessentimental - 17~$30
Beer Tap Handle Display Stand
A stand for collected tap handles. Niche, but for someone with a few from favorite breweries, it gets them off the closet floor.
Beer LoversHomebodiesunique - 18~$22
Engraved Glass Beer Mug
A heavy mug engraved with a name or short message. Nice for a milestone birthday or a groomsman, and the right heft for a cold lager.
Beer Loverspersonalized - 19~$30
Craft Beer Glass Etching Kit
Stencils and etching cream for decorating glassware at home. A fun project for a crafty beer fan making a matching set for friends.
Beer LoversArtists & Craftersexperience
Shop this guide by price
Under $25
$25–$50
Things to know before buying beer gifts
Keep beer gifts for adults of legal drinking age, and think twice if they've mentioned cutting back; a style guide or glassware is a kinder choice then.
If you're buying beer itself, ask a bottle shop to put together a mixed pack of styles they don't usually drink. Most shops are happy to help.
For brewers, find out what they already own. Duplicate kits are the most common homebrew gift mistake.
Glassware is a safe bet for almost any beer lover, and one of the few gifts that suits drinkers and brewers equally.
Not sure where to start? Our gift finder can narrow it down from a sentence about them.
Beer gift FAQs
What's a good gift for a craft beer lover?
Proper tasting glassware, a guide to beer styles, or a mixed pack from breweries they haven't tried. Each one encourages them to explore rather than just drink more of the same.
Is a homebrewing kit a good gift for a beginner?
Yes, especially a one-gallon kit, which is cheap, compact and quick. Starting small means the first batch isn't a big investment if they decide brewing isn't for them.
What do you get a homebrewer who has everything?
Consumables and upgrades. Ingredients for a recipe they've wanted to try, a gift card to their homebrew shop, a fermentation temperature controller, or a kegging setup if they've been talking about one.
Which beer glasses make the best gift?
A tulip glass is the most versatile choice for craft beer, because the curved bowl holds aroma and leaves room for foam. A mixed set with a tulip, a tall pilsner glass and a stout glass covers most of what a beer lover drinks. Thin, clean glass matters more than an engraved logo.
Can you mail beer as a gift?
Shipping alcohol is regulated, and the rules vary by state and carrier, so it's usually easier to buy beer locally or give a gift card to a brewery or bottle shop.