Giving a present to someone who brews, grills or loves good beer is easier than it looks. The problem is rarely a lack of choice – it is not knowing what will actually get used, and what will end up sitting in a cupboard.
We have put the list together based on what our customers actually bought as gifts last year, and what people come back to buy more of. Under each tip you will find why the gift works, and what else the recipient might need.
Contents
- Small gifts
- For those who like good beer and good drinks
- For those who want to start brewing
- For those who already brew
- For those who grill and make pizza
- Knives for the kitchen and grill
- For the wine, cider, mead and seltzer crowd
- Gift cards
- Practical info before you order
Small gifts
Small gifts that do not feel small. These are typical things people do not buy for themselves, but use every week once they have them.
Classico Growler 2 litres with swing-top
Two litres in one bottle with a swing-top. It is used for taking homebrew to parties, filling from a keg, and picking up beer on tap from breweries that fill growlers. The swing-top can handle carbonated beer, and the bottle can be washed and reused for years. Also available without the stopper if the recipient already has stoppers lying around.
Rastal Craft Master One Taster 19.5 cl, 6 pcs
Six small tasting glasses in the same shape as their big brother. The point of tasting glasses is that you can open four or five bottles and compare, instead of working your way through one pint at a time. Pair them with the Craft Beer Paddle tasting board, which the glasses sit in.
Smash Burger Press from Hendi
A heavy cast-iron press that gives you the flat, crispy smash burger with a crust. It works well as an extra gift, and makes a noticeably bigger difference to the result than a spatula does.
Besætt fermented hot sauce, tasting pack 3 x 33 ml
Three small bottles of fermented hot sauce. Great as a stocking filler or as part of a bigger present. We have over sixty sauces in our hot sauce range, from mild and fruity to Pepper X.
Sommelier corkscrew with two-step lever
A two-step lever means the cork comes out in two pulls instead of one hard yank. It makes the biggest difference with long corks and with older wines where the cork has dried out.
LUKR Bar Towel in cotton, 50 x 30 cm
A cotton bartender's towel. A small thing, but the kind that disappears from the kitchen drawer because it actually gets used.
For those who like good beer and good drinks
Rastal Craft Master One 47 cl beer glass, 6 pcs
The most versatile beer glass we sell. The shape concentrates the aroma without being so narrow that the head dies, and 47 cl leaves room for a half-litre with a proper head. Six glasses in the box, so there are enough for a party.
Rastal TEKU 3.0 42 cl beer glass, 6 pcs
This was the glass most people bought from us as a gift last year. TEKU was designed by Teo Musso of the Baladin brewery in Turin together with beer sommelier Kuaska – the name is made up of their two first names. The inward-curving rim holds on to the aroma far better than a straight glass. If the recipient already has everyday glasses, this is the glass that comes out for the special bottles.
Rastal Teku Taster Flight Set
Tasting glasses and a tasting board in one set. A great gift for anyone who likes to set up a small tasting at home.
Øl og brygg i bygd og by – Arne Hjeltnes
A Norwegian beer book about brewing traditions around the country. Suits those who are more interested in the history and culture than in fermentation temperatures.
Bartender Tool Kit from Hendi
A complete bartender set with shaker, strainer, bar spoon, muddler and jigger. Available in black, steel and copper. The black version is the one that most often goes out as a gift.
GrowlerWerks uKeg Pro 128 Stainless, 3.8 L
A pressurised stainless steel growler with a CO2 regulator and tap. The difference from an ordinary growler is that the beer keeps its carbonation for weeks instead of hours, because it never comes into contact with air. Double-walled and vacuum-insulated, so it stays cold. Also available copper-plated.
For those who want to start brewing
This is where most people get the gift wrong, because the names are similar and the contents are not. The most important difference is whether the wort – that is, the beer itself before fermentation – is included or not.
| Kit | Wort included? |
|---|---|
| Startsett Basic | No |
| Easy Brew starter kit | No, but 48 bottles are included |
| Hjemmebrygger Startsett with 20L Bohemian Pilsner | Yes |
| Simply Juleøl with Austmann Juleøl Spesial | Yes, plus a keg instead of bottles |
Easy Brew starter kit
Our most common gift choice for beginners. You get a 33-litre fermenter with lid and seal, airlock, tap with bottle filler, hydrometer with test jar, Chemipro San for sanitising, carbonation drops and 48 x 500 ml PET bottles with screw caps. The bottles are the reason we recommend it: most starter kits on the market send you off with nothing to put the beer in, and PET bottles are easier to handle than glass for a first-time brewer. The wort is bought separately – a Fresh Wort Kit completes the package.
Startsett Basic
Same idea, without the bottles. Suits those who already have bottles or want to keg. Covers Fresh Wort Kits, extract kits and hard seltzer.
Hjemmebrygger Startsett with 20L Bohemian Pilsner
Here the beer is included. The recipient can brew the same evening the package is opened, without ordering anything extra. That is often the difference between the gift being used in January and it being used in spring.
Simply Juleøl with Austmann Juleøl Spesial
The big present. A complete set for fermenting and kegging, with Austmann's Christmas beer as the first brew. We have equivalent Simply Brew kits with Adventure Pale Ale, Belgian Tripel and Tre Gamle Damer.
If you want something smaller and less of a commitment, see Small Batch Startsett Basic 16L. See the whole range of starter kits.
For those who already brew
The hardest people to buy for, because the basic equipment is already in place. Our rule is to look for something that removes an annoyance.
- BrewSSSiphon Basic Kit in stainless steel. An auto-siphon in stainless steel and silicone, made to last a lifetime. The kit includes the siphon, a silicone fitting for carboys and a clip for the bucket rim. Note that silicone tubing is not included – we recommend 10 mm.
- Heat wrap 30W, 100 x 25 cm. Keeps the fermentation temperature up in a cold cellar through the winter.
- The Label Wizard manual labelling machine. Applies labels straight onto the bottle. Turns homebrew into something you dare to give away.
- Inkbird WiFi ITC-308 dual temperature controller. Controls heating and cooling on the fermenter, monitored from your phone.
- Project Brew 5L mini keg with picnic tap. The first step from bottles to kegs, without rebuilding the fridge.
- Fercubator fermentation chamber. For those who want full control of fermentation temperature all year round.
If you are not sure what is already in the cellar, an all-grain beer kit is a safe choice. The recipient gets a ready-made recipe with malt, hops and yeast in the right amounts, and chooses whether the malt is delivered crushed or uncrushed. We store all malt uncrushed to keep it fresh, and only crush it when the order comes in.
Brew Journal brewing log
A bound log with ready-made pages for the recipe, measurements and notes along the way. The reason to give it is simple: whoever writes down what they did can brew the same beer again. Whoever does not, cannot.
Austmann Juleøl Spesial 20L Fresh Wort Kit
A Fresh Wort Kit is 20 litres of pre-boiled, water-adjusted wort from the brewery. It should not be diluted with water – the bag is emptied straight into the fermenter, the yeast is added, and the rest takes care of itself. This is Austmann's Christmas beer, and last year it was our best-selling Fresh Wort Kit. Note that the recipient needs a fermenter and bottles already, otherwise a starter kit is a better gift.
Tap handle shaped like a hop cone, with chalkboard
For those who have kegs and a tap at home. The chalkboard lets you write what is on tap right now, and change it when the keg is empty.
KegMaster KS1 KegScale
A precision scale that sits under the keg or CO2 cylinder and sends the weight to your phone via Bluetooth. No more lifting the keg to find out how much is left, and you get an alert before it runs dry in the middle of a party. Low enough to fit inside a kegerator.
CrushMaster malt mill with two rollers
We store all malt uncrushed, because it stays considerably fresher that way. We are happy to crush it for you when you order, but anyone who brews regularly will sooner or later want their own mill – then the malt is crushed right before brew day, and you can adjust the crush yourself. Two rollers, adjustable gap, can be driven by a drill.
Milwaukee MA885 digital refractometer
Measures sugar content on a few drops of wort instead of a whole test jar. Digital reading with temperature compensation, 0–50 % Brix and a resolution of 0.1. For those who already have a hydrometer and want to avoid drawing large samples of wort on brew day. Once fermentation has started, you still measure with a hydrometer, because the alcohol gives a false reading on the refractometer.
For those who grill and make pizza
In winter, two things separate a good result from a mediocre one: temperature control and a knife that cuts.
- Inkbird IBBQ-4T WiFi grill thermometer with four probes. For those who cook several pieces at once and want to follow each of them.
- Inkbird INK-IFT01 infrared thermometer with laser. Measures surface temperature up to 550°C, which is what you need to know whether the pizza stone is hot enough.
- Bennie Kendrick brisket knife. A long knife made for slicing brisket into even slices.
- HOT WOK PRO 12 kW gas burner with wok pan. Enough power to get the seared flavour you cannot get on a hob.
For the stocking or as a topper on a bigger present: Smokin' Ed's Currie Churri Pepper X Edition, BBQ sauce made with Norwegian tomatoes from Besætt or Cowboy Candy. See also our grill equipment and pizza.
Inkbird INT-11P-B Bluetooth meat thermometer
A wireless probe that goes into the meat and sends the temperature to your phone. No cable through the grill lid, and an alert when the core temperature is reached. For Christmas pork belly and slow cooking, this is the one thing that makes the biggest difference to the result. If the recipient needs something simpler, there is the Inkbird IHT-1P digital thermometer.
Gozney Arc Lite pizza oven
A gas-fired pizza oven that reaches 500°C in a few minutes and bakes 12-inch pizzas with a crisp base. The side-mounted flame gives even heat across the whole stone, and the oven is small enough to stand on a balcony. Larger models: Arc XL 16" and Dome Gen 2, which can also be fired with wood.
Traeger Woodridge pellet grill
A pellet grill that controls the temperature itself and smokes while it does so. We offer free shipping on Traeger Woodridge, Ironwood and Timberline all year round, not just during campaigns. Larger versions are the Woodridge Pro and Woodridge Elite.
Knives for the kitchen and grill
Avanta Pakkawood steak knives from Messermeister, 4 pcs
Four steak knives with a straight edge and pakkawood handles. A straight edge rather than a serrated one means the knife cuts through the fibres instead of tearing them, and that the edge can be resharpened instead of being thrown away. Forged from German X50 stainless steel, 15° edge and 56–58 Rockwell, with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. The series was originally developed for culinary schools in North America, which is a fair indication of how much abuse it can take.
Avanta carving fork and carving knife
A set for the Christmas roast. The carving knife is long and narrow so you get the whole slice in one stroke, and the fork holds the roast steady. If you only want one knife, see the Pro Series 30 cm carving knife.
Avanta Pakkawood knife set
A knife set for someone building up their kitchen from scratch. See also the Avanta BBQ knife set if the grill matters more than the kitchen counter.
Whetstone 400 and 1000 grit
The most overlooked gift on the whole list. A good knife that is never sharpened is a bad knife after two years. 400 grit repairs damage, 1000 grit sets the edge. For finishing there are 2000 and 5000 grit stones, and an angle guide for those who have never sharpened before.
Oliva Luxe Santoku Kullenschliff
A 16.5 cm santoku with an olive wood handle and a hollow-ground blade. The hollow grinding creates air pockets along the edge so that slices of cucumber and potato release instead of sticking. The knife is hand-forged in Solingen from 1.4116 stainless carbon steel, and is bolsterless, which gives better control when you hold the blade. Each handle has its own grain pattern in the olive wood, so no two knives are alike – that is why this one works as a gift.
Oliva Luxe 20 cm chef's knife
The classic chef's knife in the same series as the santoku above. A 20 cm blade covers almost everything in a home kitchen. If you want something different, there is also the Oliva Elite 16.5 cm Nakiri and Meridian Elite 18 cm Kullenschliff Santoku.
For the wine, cider, mead and seltzer crowd
Not everyone who gets a gift from us is a beer brewer.
- Rastal Exilles 42 wine glasses, 6 pcs. Solid everyday glasses in a six-pack.
- QUATROPHIL white wine glass 405 ml, 6 pcs from Stölzle Lausitz. Tall stem and a cubic bowl, in crystal glass made in Germany. Dishwasher safe, which is worth knowing when the glasses are meant to be used and not just displayed. See our whole wine glass range.
- Startsett Vinlegging. A complete set for anyone who wants to make their own wine.
- Cider Startsett, or Mangrove Jack's Apple Cider Starter Kit.
- Small Batch for mead and kombucha, 3L. A 3.1-litre preserving jar with a mini airlock. A small, simple way into fermentation, and it sits on the kitchen counter instead of taking up half the storage room.
- Hard seltzer kits. Suits those who want something light and ready in four days.
- Vacuum pump with vacuum stoppers. Draws out the air so an opened bottle keeps for a few more days.
Gift cards
When you know the recipient brews, but not what they are missing, a gift card is a better choice than guessing. The gift card is available in several amounts, is sent automatically by email as soon as payment is complete, and you receive a copy yourself. You can add a personal message, and choose whether it goes straight to the recipient or to your own address so you can print it out and put it in an envelope.
The gift card is used as a payment method at checkout, and any remaining balance stays on it for next time. Last year the gift card was the single item most people bought from us in the weeks before Christmas.
Practical info before you order
- Free shipping on orders over a certain amount. The current threshold is shown in the online shop.
- We ship from our own warehouse in Trondheim, with fast delivery throughout Norway. To Oslo, the parcel usually arrives within one day.
- Traeger Woodridge, Ironwood and Timberline have free shipping all year round.
- Gift cards are sent automatically by email once payment is complete, whatever day you order.
- If you are unsure what suits, get in touch at kundeservice@brewshop.no. We can tell you what goes with what.
You will find our full range of gift ideas under gift tips.
