We all have that family member who seems impossible to buy for. But here’s a tip: There’s a good chance that they drink.
From products that ensure your alcoholic beverages stay fresh to those that help you actually create them, there are many ways to improve anyone’s liquid happiness for the coming decade. There are also a lot of gadgets that cost a lot of money and do nothing. Lucky for you, we’ve done the research. After much consideration, here are our favorite drinking-related gifts of the year.
Be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including our favorite wireless headphones and our favorite fanny packs.
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Photograph: uKeg
Keep Beer Fresh
Growlerwerks Stainless Steel uKeg
The problem with most growlers is that you have to finish them once they’re open. Oxygen is the villain. The pesky element ruins flavor when it hits your favorite hop-soaked liquid, giving it the taste of wet cardboard if you try to reseal your growlers after the first pint. That’s why the uKeg (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is so great. Thanks to the built-in tap and a tiny CO2 regulator that runs off portable canisters, you can get a taproom-quality pour from the first sip to last.
Amazon
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Photograph: Coravin
Rare Wine by the Glass
Coravin Model Two Elite
Wish you could just sample a rare bottle but save the rest for later? That’s where Coravin comes in. It uses specially coated needles and inert Argon gas (often used in the winemaking process) to extract small pours from unopened bottles without damaging the rest of the wine inside.
We’re fans of all Coravin models we’ve tried—from the affordable Model One to the Bluetooth-controlled (and very expensive Model Eleven (7/10), but the sweet spot is the Model Two, which works very well and costs half the price of its Bluetooth-speaking brother.
Amazon
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Photograph: Grainfather
Grain to Glass
Grainfather Connect
Home brewing seems complicated, but it’s a lot like making oatmeal. You combine cracked grain with warm water, separate the liquid from the grain, and boil that liquid with hops. Those looking to get into the hobby often spend lots of time and money finding the right pots, getting propane burners, and building expensive systems from scratch.
With the Grainfather, a Bluetooth-enabled electric brewery, you’ll start making excellent beer in no time. It mashes (the hot-water-and-grain step), then boils and chills your wort (unfermented beer) with ease. All you have to do is add yeast to a carboy, splash the Grainfather’s output on top of it, and wait a couple of weeks until it’s time to bottle.
Amazon
