The beer lover in your life doesn’t need another hilarious “Will Work for Beer” t-shirt this year. Instead, try one of these options.
1. 99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL SCRATCH-OFF; $35
It can be hard to find tasteful home décor that reflects a love of beer, and it can be just as tough to keep track of the brews you’ve tried. This print from Pop Chart Lab cleverly solves both issues by featuring 99 lauded beers—from American classics like Three Floyds’ Zombie Dust to European stalwarts like Drie Fonteinen’s Oude Geuze—in a scratch-off format. When your brew-loving buddy tries a new beer, he or she can scratch it off to track their progress. It’s like an instant lottery game, except they win every time.
Find It: Pop Chart Lab
2. UKEG 64 PRESSURIZED GROWLER; $139
Growlers offer a great way to bring home a beer that doesn’t make its way into cans or bottles, but they’re not perfect. Unless you plan to drink all 64 ounces in a single sitting, you’re likely to end up with flat beer. Present a solution: The uKeg 64 Pressurized Growler uses a CO2 cartridge to ensure that the last pour from this growler is as lively as the first, and its custom tap makes it easy to pour one out.
Find It: Amazon
3. THE OXFORD COMPANION TO BEER; $43
Beer lovers can be a little obsessive about their passion, and if you’re shopping for someone who’s thirsty for knowledge, there’s no better place to start than this comprehensive reference. Edited by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, the Oxford Companion crams an incredible amount of information about beer culture, history, styles, brewing methodologies, and more into 900 pages. Even the most well-versed know-it-all will learn something from this text. And if you’re shopping for a beer-loving foodie, Oliver’s classic The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food makes an excellent gift, too.
Find It: Amazon
4. BEER CAP MAP OF THE UNITED STATES; $35
Brewers keep making more intricate and beautiful bottle caps, and it’s a shame to just chuck that art into the trash each time you pop a bottle. If your giftee is trying to drink their way through all 50 states, this fun wooden map helps them keep track of progress while preserving standout caps.
Find It: Uncommon Goods
5. LIBBEY CRAFT BREW SAMPLER CLEAR BEER GLASS SET; $25
Pouring a beer into a glass enhances the whole sensory experience each sip offers. By allowing the user to better see and smell what they’re drinking, the glass is a valuable aid in fully enjoying each brew. And since different shapes of glasses suit different styles of beer, a beer geek’s glassware collection can never be too large. While there’s a dizzying variety of cool brewery-branded glassware on the market, this six-piece set from Libbey covers all the bases and enables your favorite beer geek to sip everything from dense Russian imperial stouts to refreshing German hefeweizens. Plus, at just $25, it’s a steal.
Find It: Amazon
6. BROOKLYN BREW SHOP BEER MAKING KIT; $38
With a little know-how and the right recipe, home brewers can make beers that rival the offerings of their commercial counterparts. If someone on your list wants to dip their toe into the home brewing waters, Brooklyn Brew Shop offers kits that come with almost everything they’ll need to make a gallon of beer. With styles ranging from Everyday IPA to Chocolate Maple Porter to Jalapeno Saison, there’s something for everyone.
Find It: Amazon
7. BEER SOAP; $10
For a number of reasons, it can be hard to enjoy a delicious, hoppy IPA whenever you want one. Enter the next best thing: catching a pleasant whiff of brew. Swag Brewery craft soaps made with real beer. Available in nine varieties—including oatmeal stout, IPA, and Belgian witbier—these soaps will finally give you even more reason to wash your hands.
Find It: Amazon
8. DAS CAN-IN-STEIN; $10
Drinking from a pewter tankard is a great way to add a colonial-grog-house vibe to an evening, but it’s not always practical. Das Can-In-Stein changes that. Your loved one just needs to slip their favorite 12-ounce can into the frame and enjoy.
Find It: Amazon
9. BEER CARRYING BRIEFCASE; $40
Traveling with a six-pack can be tricky. You want to be inconspicuous, but you’ve got that bulky shape and bottles inevitably jingling together conspiring to blow your cover. Help a brew-loving buddy out. This padded briefcase securely holds a six-pack of standard 12-ounce bottles, enabling them to safely transport suds from point A to point B—all while feeling just a little bit like a secret agent.
Find It: Uncommon Goods
10. WESTMARK GERMAN HERMETUS RESEALER BOTTLE OPENER; $6
Downing an entire 22-ounce bomber of a boozy imperial stout or double IPA in a single sitting can be a delicious but questionable decision. With Westmark’s clever bottle opener, saving part of the bottle for the next day is a little easier. The Hermetus opener pops caps like normal, but once your giftee is ready to call it quits, it slides across the top of the bottle to form a tight, bubble-preserving seal.
Find It: Amazon
11. BEER; PRICE VARIES
Don’t overthink this. If you’re shopping for a beer lover, you can’t go wrong picking up a six-pack or growler as part of the gift. Free beer is the best beer, and you might get your recipient something they would have overlooked on their own shopping trips. If you’re traveling for the holidays, you’re sure to put a smile on a beer lover’s face by bringing them a local offering they can’t normally get their hands on. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a holiday gift pack that throws in a free glass with a few bottles.
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November 25, 2016 – 6:00am